Travel Lufthansa Vienna to Seattle

It’s the first day of July and the Vienna Opera and Ballet has shut down for the Summer. Time to leave Vienna to the tourists!!

The problem with flying Lufthansa from Vienna to Seattle is that you have to leave Vienna very early to catch the one flight they have from Frankfurt to Seattle. It leaves at 0615 in the morning!!! So I have to leave my comfortable apartment in the Secession to stay at the NH Airport Hotel the night before I leave.

The journey to Vienna Airport can be a little puzzling. The simplest seems tho be the Airport Bus which leaves from Westbahnhof and stops at various points on the way costing 8 euros. This is the most comfortable way if you are near a stop.

The second way is to catch the Ubahn to Wien Mitte and catch the CAT airport train. This costs about 2.20 euros to Mitte and 14 euros on the direct train taking 20 minutes to the airport. When you arrive at Mitte, you must walk through a shopping centre following an excellent series of signs to find the ‘CAT’. The trains run every half hour.

My method is to travel to Mitte and catch the normal train to the airport which costs a total of 4.40 euros. Ticketing can be puzzling because you simply buy TWO Ubahn tickets and cancel them BOTH before you travel. Changing trains at Mitte is simple as you simply walk down the tunnel which joins to the other railway ignoring the excellent signs trying to persuade you to take the CAT instead! The trains stop at stations on the way so the journey takes over half an hour. The trains run every half hour.

I arrive in the hotel and report to the desk, only to be told, “I must see the manager about THIS!” After the receptionist returns, she explains that I have obtained a very low price for my room, so low that they are all surprised.

In fact, I had used my usual tactics of booking an optimum number of days before my stay. I had then “registered” as an NH member on the NH site then placed a booking and noted the price. I then tried booking WITHOUT using my registration and suddenly a far cheaper price appeared!!! It didn’t make sense to me. I presume their algorithm had failed. I obviously booked the lower price.

Having arrived, I take the opportunity to collect my boarding passes over the way in the main airport. Austrian Airlines handles all the ticketing for Lufthansa and there are plenty of desks handling everything very efficiently. I use the opportunity to change my seat to one of the best in the economy class for the flight from Frankfurt and also book my meals.

The following morning was very straightforward. Not too many travellers were about early in the mooring so checking luggage and passing through TSA was simpler than usual. The old A320 zoomed us quickly to cruising altitude and, after a flight with hardly any bumps, we were in Frankfurt.

Arriving in Frankfurt, there was very little explanation of how to get to our places for the next flights. What is the difference between the “A” gates and the “Z” gates? Another problem to look out for its that the boarding pass only gives the time when the gates CLOSE not the time when the flight DEPARTS. The display boards only show the departure times of course.

Annoyingly we are bussed out to our A340 airbus instead of the A330 which I had on my way from Seattle. (I hope it saves Lufthansa money which they can deduct from the fare prices.) I rejoice in the fact that I have a wonderful seat in the aisle at the bulkhead where I can stretch my legs out – the perfect seat for me!!!

My elation is suddenly dampened by a very nice cabin crew lady who asked me whether I would give up my seat to a lady with a baby. Of course, I agree. She says, “That is VERY kind of you!” and I, in my best English way, say, “No, it is very kind of YOU because you are doing your job!”

But I wonder how Lufthansa can so easily overlook the needs of a lady travelling with a baby? Surely that should have been picked up earlier?

Of course, I do not really understand how kind I am until I attempt to squeeze myself into the seat I have been given!!! I have difficulty squeezing into most airline seats but I have the impression that A320 seats on the Vienna to Frankfurt flight allowed me more room than the A340 I am in now.

The flight is uneventful and, even on the section over Greenland, we experience very little turbulence. Now and then I unwedge myself from my seat and walk around and I notice many other passengers doing the same. It’s only a ten hour flight but I can never sleep much on trips like this so it seems longer.

Just before we land, the nice cabin crew lady come to me and says, “I hope this makes up for your seat move. It’s what we serve in the first class cabin”. She gives me a bottle of wine. I imagine that I have been given a classic wine of great character. When I arrive home in Seattle, we find that it is a Merlot from Brazil!!! Germany 7 – Brazil 1. Thank you, Lufthansa!!!