TRIP REPORT: Zagreb - Baku via Frankfurt

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Written by Erik Tomori

Date: 15.3.2018

Zagreb to Frankfurt

Flight number: OU 410

Airline: Croatia airlines

Aircraft: Bombardier Q400 9A-CQB

Frankfurt to Baku

Flight number: LH612

Airline: Lufthansa

Aircraft: Airbus A321-200 D-AISI

There are not many options to travel to Azerbaijan from Slovenia where I live. I have planned my trip to the European youth parliament session three weeks in advance so there were not many reasonably priced options left from Ljubljana. Therefore, I decided to fly from Zagreb instead. It looked like there were only two options: Turkish or Lufthansa. I went for the latter because the time of arrival was better (21:20 instead of 1 AM). The booking process on Lufthansa.com was very easy and there weren’t any ads. Seat selection and checked bag were free because I had the “basic‘’ fare. I must say that Lufthansas seatmaps can be very helpful during seat selection because they show the real position of the windows.

This was my first time flying from Zagreb and also my first time flying Croatia Airlines. A couple of days before I got an e-mail from Lufthansa about the change in my departure time for 35 minutes earlier. I knew immediately that this meant an aircraft change from the A319 to the Q400. This was my first time on a turboprop and I must say I was looking forward to it.

Since it was early, the drive to the airport from Ljubljana didn’t take too long but as we know that can change during busy periods because of waiting times at the border. The new terminal is really nice, it probably leaves a great first impression on someone who is visiting Croatia for the first time. There were only two check in counters open for all Croatia flights but there was no need to wait because it was early. Boarding was done by bus, I was used to small planes before because of Adria so the size of Q400 didn’t surprise me. I must say that seats and legroom are worse than on Adria's CRJs. What shocked me the most was the lack of window blinds (I found out later that they are present on newer Q400s). Inflight service was great for a flight that short (biscuits with the taste of olives and a glass of water). Croatia is no better than Adria in terms of good parking positions at FRA but at least the almost 20 minute bus ride gives great views of other aircraft.

I had a 5 hours layover, enough time to clear security and two passport controls. This was my first time using e-gates for passport check in Germany (they are 18+ here and 12+ in the UK), compared to the British ones they worked perfectly. Frankfurt is not that bad for transferring but I still prefer Munich. I had a 5 hour layover at concourse B. Time passed quickly because I was checking other planes. I also saw at that time the only Lufthansa plane with the new livery (747-8i) in the distance, because it was cloudy the blue on the tail looked too dark in my opinion. I have heard later that Lufthansa decided for s brighter shade of blue for other planes.

I was boarding by bus again for my next flight. There were pillows and blankets provided at every seat. Mine was 11F which was considered as an emergency exit row seat. Despite that, the legroom was standard but still above average compared to other airlines thanks to slim seats which can feel quite hard. The flight to Baku used to be served by A340s, but nowadays that never happens because of low demand. The LH612 is actually a flight to Ashgabat but it stops in Baku. It is considered as a long-haul flight by Lufthansa. The meal was served half an hour after takeoff, the size was decent, this was the first time for me to eat something more than sandwiches on a plane. To be honest, I was expecting the food to taste worse. There were two options (pasta or chicken), there was also a salad with French dressing, a bun with butter and a small cheese slice and a piece of cake for desert. Everything tasted great apart from vegetables in the main course. Drinks were served several times and they were also available at the back galley along with some snacks. The crew did a great job and was very friendly.

The flight took the route along the northern coast of Turkey and over Georgia (avoiding Armenia). It took about 4 hours and 20 minutes to reach Baku. The flight passed very quickly despite the lack of IFE. I had my iPad which fitted perfectly into the seatpocket above the tray table. The views were amazing because the sunset overtook us. It was completely dark until we reached the Caspian Sea and the oil rigs could be seen. Landing was on-time and quite turbulent because it is always windy in Baku.

The arrival process at GYD was very easy. I must say that the airport itself is amazing but a little bit spooky due to the lack of people. The immigration and baggage claim took less than 10 minutes. Entry requirements for Azerbaijan are the same for EU member states and all Balkan states, there is only e-visa needed which is easy to get and costs 24 USD.

I must say that Lufthansa didn’t disappoint despite the flight being operated by an aircraft used for shorter flights. I still think that USB ports and head rests would be great additions to the cabin. I have been using Lufthansa quite a lot for the past 2 years and I was always impressed, especially by the friendliness of the cabin crew. Croatia also didn’t disappoint and I won’t hesitate to fly with them in the future.

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