Upon arrival at Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, we walked to the First Class counter to check in. We found the look of the German Lufthansa employee after seeing our Economy Class (miles) ticket and the Aegean Star Alliance Gold card to be incredibly derogatory. When he didn't give us a priority label for our suitcases either, I wanted to "hop" over the wefts. But you don't want to spoil your last day of vacation.
At Los Angeles International Airport, there is only one priority lane for first and business class passengers at immigration. But we didn't have to wait in line for too long and were able to take the elevator to the new Star Alliance Lounge without a long wait.
Star Alliance Lounge Los Angeles
The Star Alliance Lounge Los Angeles offers travelers departing from the Tom Bradley International Terminal a unique, luxurious experience. It is located in the International Terminal on Level 6 and is accessible by elevator from the main building atrium.
When we arrived the lounge was really very crowded. In the evening there are also flights to Taipei, Istanbul, Zurich or Munich. We took a seat on the outside terrace. Here you have a beautiful view of the north runway and the hills of Hollywood. What was a bit disturbing are the dirty or dusty chairs and armchairs on the terrace.
With a cool corona, I was able to watch our Boeing 747-8 on its approach from Frankfurt. A little late today?
In order to be well prepared for the long transatlantic flight, we took a shower in the lounge. The eight en-suite shower rooms were very clean and spacious.
After a little refreshment, we found a place in the bar area of the lounge and got a few things from the buffet. The food was good and tasty too. In different corners of the lounge there are self-service areas for drinks with beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks. We also had the opportunity to have a drink mixed at one of the two bars.
Flight LH 451 to Frankfurt
Boarding for our flight LH 451 to Frankfurt was scheduled for 6:25 p.m. However, it didn't really start until halfway through. So we drove down to the main level and walked to Gate 148. We quickly arrived in the Boeing 747-8 via the First, Business and Star Alliance Gold lanes. We took our reserved seats 29A-B and hoped that seat C would remain free... unfortunately in vain. The plane seemed to fill up to the last economy seat.
Shortly after the start towards the Pacific there was a short round of drinks. Unfortunately, Christin did not feel so comfortable on board. And although we made the flight attendant aware of the problem several times and asked for a bottle of water, we were disappointed. A small cup is not enough to stabilize the circulation. It's a shame that a bottle of water on a Lufthansa night flight is only a feature of the new Premium Economy. The subsidiary SWISS can clearly do that better.
The dinner served was fine. There was a choice of pasta or chicken. We were still full from dinner in the lounge, but decided to have the pasta.
After dinner, the plane calmed down and we tried to get some sleep while watching a film. A little anecdote: How do you know that you are sitting in Economy? The passenger behind you thinks it's better to hit a capacitive touchscreen with all your might. Then the sluggish entertainment software works much better…. So many thanks to the gentlemen on 30A, who kept disturbing me when trying to fall asleep.
At some point, 11 hours of flight are over and we arrived safely in Frankfurt. At the gate we took a quick photo of “our” Boeing 747-8. On the occasion of the soccer World Cup in Brazil, this was still labeled as Fanhansa.
Still looking for a flight to Los Angeles?
Los Angeles International Airport can be reached from many German cities all year round. You can find cheap flights through online travel agencies such as Flugladen.de, Bravofly,ebookers.de,Expedia,lastminute.deorSkyscanner.
After a short visit to the newly designed Senator Lounge including an invigorating shower, we got ready for the onward flight to Leipzig. This was also over after 30 minutes and we drove back to our home town of Halle. Two weeks of vacation went by so quickly.
