Tag: Lufthansa

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

On Our Way to Greece & Turkey Part Duex

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: THE FRUSTRATIONS OF GETTING THERE!

Welcome to our cruise vacation. Unfortunately, we had three planes to catch before we could get to our port of Embarkation. A member of the United Airlines Ground Crew made our time at DFW a little difficult, but soon we were winging our way to Newark’s Liberty Airport. Come along with us!

Modern Inconveniences

So, we land at Newark, I turn on my phone and start getting notifications. The friendly skies were sending us love notes about our upcoming flights. I was happy to use my data to read all my notifications, instead of trusting the airport wi-fi, but I wanted to juice up my phone, so there’d still be power when I got to Frankfurt. We found a charging station and I filtered through my love notes. Primarily, Lufthansa wanted me to know that I’d be flying with them out of Frankfurt, even though the flight had been booked through United and United was letting me know I should check the departure boards in Newark, because sometimes there were gate changes. Those messages resolved, I checked up on the rest of my digital life and then sat there, very near our gate and let the phone charge.

When they called us to board, we got to participate in the new airport game – Gate Bus Plane. We filed through the turnstile to have our boarding passes read and then marched down the stairs to the tarmac. There we boarded a bus which played chicken with all the jumbo jets to take us to our pond jumper. I’m thinking this new game is a way for airlines to save money. It must be cheaper to drive your customers across the airport and have them climb stairs rather than just walk down a jetway or we wouldn’t have been doing so much of it on this trip. Whoever dreamed up this game should be punished severely.

Friendly Seatmate

For this leg of the journey, we’d opted for the last row of the plane. It gave Bill a window seat, we could sit together and it was close to the bathroom. Worked for us.

Then a guy sat next to me. Very friendly and helpful. Confessed to being military and knew a lot about the plane. We chatted a bit and I felt as if he were a little evasive about some innocent questions concerning his assignment and location. I was a little surprised by how often he seemed to travel, but it wasn’t my business.

Then I as the flight proceeded, it seems he was rarely in his seat and often could be found chatting up the flight crew. Later I decided he was some kind of air marshall, but I didn’t put it all together until long after the flight was over.

Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed with the Friendly Skies of United. The entertainment center was almost useless and the food was awful, but I slept through most of the flight, so it wasn’t a big loss – just disappointing.

And Then There Was Frankfurt!

I had fond memories of the Frankfurt Airport! I’d been through German airports a few times before Mr. Bill, but it seems as if those trips had been through Munich. The first time I remember going through Frankfurt had been in 1994 and I had been impressed with it. The shopping area was out of this world and I recalled a great little English pub.

We were back in 2016 for a layover, but it had been a rough Transatlantic flight and I spent most of the layover asleep in Bill’s lap. None of my fond memories played out in 2025.

The first frustration I will lay at the feet of Viking. They had a guy there to point us towards our next flight, but he pointed us in the wrong direction. We must have spent at least an hour wandering helplessly through the airport.

We finally found the right gate and chatted with an older couple who was supposed to be on our cruise. Some one showed up to take them in wheelchairs to another gate and I asked if we should move, too, but we were told they were being moved to better accommodate their wheelchair status and assured we could stay where we were.

Bill made a bed for himself across several chairs and I read the one of the books I’d brought along. The time of the flight was getting closer, but I wasn’t seeing much activity that looked as if that were true. I had been expecting to see more Viking passengers and that wasn’t happening either.

I’d turned off the wireless network to save money, but something told me I should get on wi-fi and see what was up. Good thing!! Everything had changed. Our flight number had been changed and our flight was delayed AND now the flight was leaving from a completely different terminal

I woke up a sleepy Mr. Bill to catch him up on things, none of which he was very happy about. We gathered up our belongings and began the trek to the next terminal. That was interesting and it was a trek. By now I was hungry and there hadn’t been any cute English Pub. The beautiful displays of German pastries, which were all over the airport didn’t do much for my gluten-free state. When we finally found the gate, I did a little exploration and there was nowhere decent to eat. I found a sandwich store for Bill, but I had to make do with a meat and cheese snack from a convenience store, which I topped off with potato chips. Gluten free is not necessarily healthy.

This gate was a lot more promising. There was more activity that resembled a flight and yes, there were other people with Viking paraphernalia. This looked good. I kept my phone on and watched for more activity, but none occurred.

Finally, they started boarding the plane, but like Newark, we went down the stairs to a bus first and that bus wandered around forever. I thought they were driving to Athens! Then they parked and herded us off the bus. It was cold and rainy outside as we waited to climb the stairs to the plane. I lamented the days when Lufthansa was the gold standard for international travel. Now it was the armpit!

On to Athens

Once we were on the flight it was unremarkable. In a few hours we landed in Athens and Viking personnel were all over the place. At baggage claim we were happy to discover our bags had made it, but before I realized it, they’d already been whisked away by Viking. We kept getting pointed in another direction and finding Viking personnel who wanted to know our name, which they would then check off a list. I don’t even recall how many times we went through this ritual, before and after baggage claim. Eventually, we were pointed in the direction of a bus, which after a while, had a chirpy Viking employee welcoming us to Athens and letting us know why we would be on the bus for at least another 45 minutes.

I was beyond tired, so I leaned back and tried to relax. It had been a very long travel day – two travel days, in fact. The calendar had turned a page since I left DFW, but after awhile I noticed a familiar glow in the distance. There, rising above the dark city of Athens was the Acropolis, with floodlights causing the Parthenon to glow in the night.

I felt like I did at Butchart Gardens and on the porch at The Grand Hotel. Mom was with me. She never made it to Athens herself, but she was thrilled I had. I couldn’t hold back the tears. And to think, the very next day I would be walking up there, where Aristotle, Pluto and other Athenian luminaries strolled.

Embarking on the Viking Vela

The bus pulled into the port and we were ushered off. The check-in process was ridiculously easy. We barely had time to set everything down before they were pointing us towards the gangway! As soon as we stepped on the boat, we were offered champagne and sent to life boat drill, which was actually just a quick lesson on wearing the life vest. We found our cabin and made our way to the buffet for some real food. Something we hadn’t seen in a while.

When we returned to the room, our bags had been delivered. I unpacked and put everything away in the generous storage of our cabin. Afterwards we went to what they called The Living Room and listened to some great music – a pair of string musicians playing popular music in a classical style. We had an early shore excursion the next morning, so we went to bed fairly early.

We’d made it. The journey had been frustrating and exhausting, but I was in Athens, Greece! Exciting, but hard to believe. Join me next week to visit the Acropolis. It was a great shore excursion!

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Grateful for the Yawn Factor

Jane Sadek

Picture from aa.com

TRAVEL THERE: BLISSFULLY BORING FLIGHTS

I’m of the opinion that travel is more interesting if there are problems.  “Everything was perfect,” might make for a great vacation, but you could bore your friends to death with that kind of travelogue.  Lost luggage, crazy GPS instructions and rude hotel clerks make better copy.  Hopefully, I won’t put you to sleep today, but our travel to Egypt was without incident.  That all changed once we got to Cairo, but that’s for later.

I Flew on American and I Liked It

This may not be a newsworthy item for you, but it was for me.  I’ve sort of hated American for a long time.  For years, every travel horror story I lived through began with, “I was on an American flight…”  I carried that anti-American chip on my shoulder for a long time, but in recent years I noticed that other airlines were doing their part to be as awful as I thought American was.

Most recently that was Lufthansa.  I’d always counted them on my favorites list, but then I flew them to Frankfurt.  The plane rattled so much I thought it was made out of Tinker-Toys.  Bill claims the flight wasn’t that bad, but if I hadn’t been sitting next to him, I would think he must have been on another plane.  Bottom line, I could no longer say my worst flights were American.

My other problem with American had to do with Love Field and the Wright Amendment.  As a Dallasite, I love Southwest Airlines and Love Field.  The Wright Amendment tied the hands and feet of both, in favor of DFW, and I didn’t like it.  I also loved Legend Air, which was a Love Field underdog that I maintain was run out of business by American.  I’m always for the underdog.  I go out of my way to avoid Walmart.  I won’t buy anything on Amazon.  I hate most chain restaurants, too.

This American flight snuck up on me.  (Yes, I know snuck isn’t really a word, but I like it better than sneaked.)  I wasn’t the one to make the reservations and I thought we were flying British Airways.  It wasn’t until a few days before the flight, when I was researching baggage allowances, that I realized my British Airways flight was going to be on American.  By then it was too late to do anything about it and I knew Bill was tired of hearing American Airlines Hysteria.  I just lived with the revelation.

A Brand Spanking New 777

So we got to the airport, parked our car, rode the shuttle to the terminal and checked our luggage curbside.  It was easy.  It was a late-night flight, so the airport was pretty boring.  We had a nice chat with a lady in the L’Occitane En Provence store.  In fact, she sensed my concern and we actually prayed together.  Finally it was time to board.

Let me tell you, our plane was so new I think it just rolled off the assembly line.  Nothing rattled.  Everything was pristine.  There were bells and whistles I hadn’t even thought to wish for – and we were in economy.  Even the food was decent.  I watched a couple of movies.  I was even able to sleep!

So, American Airlines, I know you weren’t losing any sleep over my grudge against you, but I want you to know it’s over now.  I can easily say my best flight ever was on American.  Singapore Air still holds my best-food-on-an-airline award, but the shepherd’s pie on American’s return flight was pretty decent.  (BTW Sing Air, I liked your old paint job better.  This new one is boring.)

DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Finally, We’re Off

Jane Sadek

Adult Coloring Cards My In-Flight Entertainment
Adult Coloring Cards My In-Flight Entertainment

TRAVEL THERE: GETTING THERE – A PAIN IN THE NECK, LITERALLY

Whoever said that getting there was half the fun must have lived a long time ago.  On our latest journey, getting there (and getting home) was just about the only hassle we had to deal with.

The Pain in my Neck

So, I had a wreck in January and have been under the care of a chiropractor.  While it has been distracting and frustrating, on most days I can keep the pain to a dull roar.  The one thing I can’t do is sit still for any length of time.  Talk about frustrating!  I spend my days at a computer, but these days my computer time is broken up by neck breaks.

What has been an irritation in my day to day life became a real dilemma on my trip.  Before my pond-jumping flight was over, I was having pleasant fantasies about guillotines – and anything else that might stop my neck from hurting.

No Room on the Plane

My biggest problem is that I remember when flying was fun.  The airlines were still trying to get our business, so our knees had room, the food was good and you didn’t have to be in first class to be treated well.  I’m sure I don’t have to remind you all this has changed.

I do have a message for Lufthansa, that Airbus 330-300 you put us on had no business going across the ocean.  I guess I really don’t have too much room for complaint, since my flight was virtually free.  Viking included airfare for $100 each and my travel agent tried very hard to warn me that I might want to upgrade to Premium Economy, but I was intent on keeping a low profile in the money department.  All the same, I’m going to complain.

As soon as I sat down, one thing was obvious, my seat was not designed for a 5’8″ female.  I can only imagine how miserable my six foot husband was.  There was no position I could put myself into which would keep my knees from touching the seat in front of me – and this was before that passenger leaned his chair into my lap.

My biggest complaint was the well-used condition of the plane.  Oh, the upholstery was fine and everything was clean, but from the moment it taxied down the runway, I had the distinct impression this plane might have crossed the water one too many times. My husband drives a Mercedes and I drive an Altima.  Neither is reflective of this experience.  The flight reminded me of the strange orange car my niece drove when we visited Egypt – there was a hole in the floor and everything rattled.  Now the plane didn’t have a hole anywhere (that I know of), but the rattling just about drove me crazy.

Sleeping – Forget About It!

In best case scenarios, it is unlikely that I will get much sleep on a plane.  In this case, unlikely was an understatement.  I had headphones, a neck pillow, a blanket, a sleep mask and I brought cozy socks for my feet.  I had dinner, did a little adult coloring and then settled down for a long flying nap.

I tried all the tricks to convince my body to fall asleep.  First was the sit-erectly-and-close-your-eyes method.  I told myself this would be best for my neck, but since I usually fall asleep on my side, I had to give it up.  I tried to emulate sleeping on my right side, which is my initial falling asleep position at home.  It was a little awkward, but it tricked my body into thinking it might want to fall asleep.  My next trick was to roll on my left side, which I always do in bed right before I head off to dreamland.  As a bonus, Bill was on that side and I was able to lay my head on his shoulder.  It was going to happen…I was falling asleep…then we hit the turbulence.

It was a pretty significant bounce, so I came wide awake, but if that had been all there was, I might have been able to overcome it.  I could not overcome the next hour of the bone-jarring ride.  The rattling sounds pierced through the headphones.  I tossed and turned for an hour in the dark with no luck.  Out of pure frustration I found a movie to watch.  I like Jennifer Lawrence.  I like Bradley Cooper.  I like Robert DeNiro.  However, Joy has to be one of the worst, most depressing movies I have ever attempted to enjoy.  After it was over I wished I had just listened to the plane rattle.

Breakfast Time

We didn't eat here, because we'd just eaten airplane food, but it did make us feel as if we'd landed someplace interesting.
We didn’t eat here, because we’d just eaten airplane food, but it did make us feel as if we’d landed someplace interesting.

By the time the movie was over the flight attendants turned on the lights and shades were going up.  I shook off my misery and looked forward to breakfast – which should be an indication of just how miserable I was.

Ten hours from take-off, we were landing in Frankfurt and I felt like I’d rather be dead.  The rattling had merely been a distraction, but from the base of my neck radiating outward was some of the most excruciating pain I had endured since the accident.  I was also punch drunk.  We must have asked 10 people how to find our gate.  We were like Keystone Cops.

When we did find the gate, I went to the restroom to freshen up.  We stacked our luggage around Bill’s feet and I slept until it was time to catch the next flight.  Thank you to my remarkable husband who acted as my pillow while I slept.  I was at least coherent when I woke up.  My shoulders felt good enough to make me think I might be able to withstand carrying my head around for the rest of the trip.

On to Budapest!  Things do improve and to prove it, here’s video highlights of our trip.