TRIP REPORT: Lufthansa, Trieste - Newark via Munich

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Written by Erik Tomori

Flight date: 11.9.2019

Flight numbers: LH1935 (TRS-MUC), LH412 (MUC-EWR)

Aircraft: Bombardier CRJ-900 D-ACKF and Airbus A350-900 D-AIXC

This was my fourth time flying from Trieste which has very good connections despite its small size. The airport itself is located north from Trieste and is easily accessible by car and public transport. The drive from Ljubljana takes one hour and ten minutes, there is also a train station with a newly built connection passage. Lufthansa flies to Munich (3 flights per day) and Frankfurt (2 on summer and one in winter) at convenient times and the prices are reasonable (much better than connecting with Adria in the past).

Boarding D-ACKF Prenzlau

I usually arrive to Trieste airport around an hour before scheduled departure, that was always more than enough. There are fewer duty-free shops than at LJU, but the food selection is better. Lufthansa operates most of its flights from Trieste on CRJs, some of them are on E-195s and A319s. Boarding was done without a bus this time and the snacks were given upon entering the aircraft. The loads on these flights are always quite good (even in November), I always have the feeling that I am flying out of LJU because there is always large number of Slovenian and Croatian passengers. CRJs can feel a little claustrophobic to some people, I don’t have problems with that even though I can’t stand straight inside. Because of the small storage bins, all roller suitcases must be gate checked. Despite the CRJ’s small size, the legroom is surprisingly good. The flight only took 33 minutes this time, but the crew still managed to serve everyone with up to two beverages.

Munich is my favourite airport for connections. Everything is so close and the views of other aircraft are great. The bus dropped us off at the G gates. My flight to Newark was departing from the satellite terminal, which is accessible via the underground train. Automated passport control took seconds, after which there was a special US checkpoint where they checked my ESTA. There was also secondary screening which I didn’t have to go through. I was very happy to see the A350 at my gate because Lufthansa replaced it with the A340-600 in the days preceding my flight. I still think that Munich offers great chances to fly on the A350. Lufthansa advertises Munich as “the home of the A350”. Some other airlines also operate their flights to Munich on A350s (Singapore Airlines, Qatar…).

Munich terminal 2 central plaza

Three A350 in a single shot

2017 built D-AIXC Saarbrücken

I was glad that my first flight on a wide body aircraft was on the A350. My seat was 31K with a perfect wing view and window alignment. A pillow and a blanket were provided, the seats were comfortable and quite wide, but the legroom was average. The good thing was that the whole seat moved forward when reclining, that results in very generous recline and no reduction in legroom.

Lufthansa new economy class (currently exclusive to A350s)

The service was very good on this flight. It started with drinks and crackers, followed by hot towels. After that the meal was served. I would really appreciate some kind of menu to be displayed on the IFE. I went for beef and I wasn’t disappointed. This meal was perfect in terms of size and quality. Time passed quickly because the IFE system was really good. I liked the screen size and flight info page. There were a lot of movies and whole seasons of TV series available in several languages. To be honest, I didn’t expect the IFE to be soo responsive, it could almost be compared with an iPad. Soon, time came for the second snack. The options were chicken or vegetarian calzone.

A350 even has LCDs for seat belt signs

It took me only 10 minutes to get through customs and immigration. Newark airport is great in terms of connectivity with New York City and other cities along the northeast corridor. The train station is accessible by Airtrain and is served by NJ transit and Amtrak. It costs $13 (including Airtrain surcharge) to get to the Penn station. It is also possible to change to the PATH trains (Newark and Jersey city rapid transit system terminating also at WTC station) at Newark Penn station.

The highlight of this journey was, of course, the whole A350 experience. From the best takeoff sound to the quietest approach ever. The A350 really is a great aircraft to fly on. It is quiet, spacious and pleasant to look at. Most airlines have their economy layout on the in 3-3-3 configuration despite them being capable of installing 3-4-3 (Air Caraibes has such configuration). The interior, as a whole, is amazing. Everything felt bigger compared to other aircraft I have flown on. The best thing were the huge windows. What adds up to the feeling of spaciousness is the fact that the fuselage doesn’t narrow towards the end of the cabin (as seen on A330s). I will definitely choose Lufthansa again on long-haul flights since they offer consistently great service and great prices (whole return trip was €430 booked 4 months in advance).

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