TRIP REPORT: Lufthansa, Belgrade - Dallas via Frankfurt

TRIP REPORT

It’s 2023 and it seems like flying got back to the “2019 normal”. Even though I traveled several times during 2020, 2021 and 2022, the flying experience was not typical and, with so many restrictions and requirements imposed by authorities, airlines and airports, I didn’t find it easy to write trip reports.

As all COVID-19-related restrictions are lifted almost everywhere in Europe and the Americas, I decided to write a trip report about my second trip in 2023. You’ll read about my experience from Belgrade to Dallas/Fort Worth via Frankfurt on Lufthansa flights I took in early January. I hope you’ll like it - please make sure to share your feedback and thoughts in the comments section. And let me know what else you’d like me to include in my future reports. Happy reading!

It’s the morning after Serbian Orthodox Christmas and I woke up around 3 a.m. CET. My flight was supposed to depart Belgrade around 7 a.m. CET, so I wanted to be at the airport on time, especially having in mind I was traveling with three suitcases.

After a quick morning routine, I called Pink Taxi and ordered a larger vehicle that accepts payments with cards. In three minutes, the taxi arrived and we headed towards the airport. The Belgrade streets were deserted and in some 20 minutes, we arrived at the airport. The second tariff fare was RSD 3,200.00 from the Zvezdara district. As there are still construction works at the airport, the taxi driver couldn’t drop me in front of the terminal building, so it was challenging to walk with three suitcases on under-construction sidewalks.

The day before, I checked in online for my flights through the Lufthansa mobile app. The system informed me that my flight was overbooked and asked if I wanted to be transferred to another available flight and receive compensation. As I was traveling for business, I couldn’t do that, even though I would if I traveled on my own. A few hours later, I received an email from Lufthansa, informing me that my flight is almost full and that there might not be enough space for all carry-on bags in the cabin. They offered to check in my carry-on bag for free so they can ensure a smooth boarding experience. (I opted out.)

I showed up at the Lufthansa Group check-in area at the airport to drop my bags off. The queue was not long and, after tenish minutes, I left my bags. The check-in agent briefly asked me about my U.S. visa, scanned my passport, tagged my two bags and printed both boarding passes.

I went upstairs for the security and passport control and that area was crowded. As I’m a holder of a MasterCard Gold card, I was able to use the Priority Pass Lane and skip the line. The security control was super quick and the passport control took another tenish minutes.

Interesting fact: Even though the Belgrade airport still communicates that it’s allowed to take up to one liter of liquids in containers of up to 100 ml on board, they actually allow any amount of liquids. I was able to bring a big bottle of water. Some of my friends who work at the airport explained to me that the airport now has high-quality security scanners and the liquid allowance is lifted. However, as airlines still require liquids to be in sealed, transparent bags, the airport cannot communicate that the liquid allowance is non-existent anymore.

After clearing immigration, I checked the Belgrade Business Club near gate A4, where I entered using my MasterCard Gold card. The business club is in a very bad condition as they haven’t improved their services and food offerings in years now. However, I prefer waiting for my flight there as I have more privacy and it’s more comfortable than waiting in the gate area. I ate my breakfast (I made a couple of sandwiches), had coffee and water and chilled out until the screens showed that my flight was boarding.

While I was approaching my gate, I stopped by the Hleb & Kifle bakery to buy a sandwich since I’m not a fan of airplane food and sometimes don’t eat it at all. I bought a ham sandwich (+ butter, cheese, lettuce, tomato) for RSD 630.00. I forgot to pack toothpaste and went to the Lilly store to buy one. As the price of Parodontax 75 ml toothpaste was RSD 982.00, I decided to buy it once in the U.S., as this price is triple the regular price outside the airport.

When I arrived at my gate, boarding was ongoing. In less than three minutes I was on board. I originally pre-purchased a seat to be as close as possible to the front exit since my planned connection time in Frankfurt was 1 hour and 5 minutes. The entire row in front of me (row 4) was empty, so I changed my seat to have more space. The pitch on board this aircraft was very good. Even though I’m 1.88 m tall, I had enough room.

We took off 14 minutes after the scheduled time. The complementary service included a 330 ml bottle of water and a 10 g chocolate bar. The cabin crew also passed through the cabin, selling buy-on-board products, such as cold and hot beverages, sandwiches, snacks, etc. The flight was uneventful. We landed four minutes ahead of schedule at gate B20 and the disembarkation started 14 minutes later.

I turned on my mobile and got an Apple Wallet notification and an email from Lufthansa about the gate change – from Z58 to Z15. It took me 16 minutes to reach gate Z15: walking from gate B20 to B63 where is a shuttle bus stop, which took me to the A and Z gates area. By the time I reached my gate, boarding was already in progress. As I was flying from non-Schengen (Serbia) to non-Schengen (U.S.) via Schengen (Germany), I didn’t have to go through passport control. What surprised me most is the fact there was no additional security control, so I just changed aircraft.

Boarding was fast and Lufthansa agents at the gate were only checking passports and visas, while boarding was performed through automatic gates. No COVID-19 vaccination checks were performed. My seat was an extra-legroom, window seat that I pre-purchased via the Lufthansa app. The screen in the seat in front of me was equipped with a USB port and a 3.5 mm audio port, and everyone received a pillow, blanket and earphones. Interestingly, eyeshades and earplugs were not distributed, but I found eyeshades in lavatories. Since my seat was an extra-legroom seat, my in-flight entertainment (IFE) screen was hidden in the armrest, so I had two screens.

The captain addressed us and informed us that our flight would be slightly delayed as we were waiting for a couple of passengers whose previous flight was delayed. We took off 47 minutes after the scheduled time and, approximately 20 minutes after take-off, the crew started serving beverages. I chose white wine and asked a flight attendant to fill in my own bottle with water. Shortly after - an hour after take-off – the crew started distributing meals. I pre-ordered a gluten-free meal and received it before the regular meal service started. My meal consisted of chicken in tomato sauce with polenta and broccoli, lettuce with herbal dressing, gluten-free bread and butter, and Chantilly with cherries and shredded chocolate. All in all, not that bad for a plane meal. The crew passed the cabin as soon as they distributed meals offering beverages. Once again, I chose white wine.

The crew announced that on today’s flight, there’s Wi-Fi available. I logged in to see the fares: EUR 9 for messaging only, EUR 19 for two hours of high-speed internet and EUR 29 for high-speed internet for the entire duration of the flight. I didn’t have anything critical to work on that required an internet connection and decided to completely disconnect for almost 11 hours.

Some two hours after the take-off, I wanted to watch a series on my phone that I had pre-downloaded, but my HBO Max app crashed and didn’t let me in. I checked the IFE system and the movie selection was very limited. Additionally, the earphones we received from the crew had two 3.5 mm outlets and there was only one port so only one earphone was working at the time, which I found ridiculous.

Some three and a half hours after we departed, I ate my Hleb & Kifle sandwich and the crew passed the cabin once again offering 500 ml bottled water. The next few hours I spent sleeping and, during that time, the crew passed the cabin again offering cold and hot beverages. Interestingly, Lufthansa offers buy-on-board products on their long-haul flights now. I’m aware that the air industry is rapidly transforming and airlines are trying to make as much money as possible on auxiliary services, but I just hope long-haul flying won’t become an LCC model in terms of the onboard experience.

Interesting fact: My previous long-haul flight was in April of 2022 from (CDG) Paris to (MIA) Miami and I was shocked that the crew ran out of snacks just two hours after our departure. Having experienced that, I now always bring my own snacks when flying anywhere. This time, besides the mentioned Hleb & Kifle sandwich, I brought a dark chocolate bar, fresh dades, wholegrain crackers and almonds.

Once I woke up, I went to the rear galley to get my water bottle refilled. While walking the aisle, I couldn’t see a single empty seat, so I assume the load on today’s flight was almost 100%. As it was three hours until arrival, I had a bag of wholegrain crackers and water and spent some time listening to music.

Exactly one hour and 45 minutes before arrival, the crew distributed the second meal and, again, I received a gluten-free meal, which consisted of a small sandwich (cheese, tomato, cucumber, gluten-free bread), a mango bar and a small box of fruit (grapes, kiwi, pineapple). This meal was OK, probably better than many regular plane meals. The crew passed the cabin offering beverages and, again, I chose a glass of white wine. I spent the rest of the flight following our plane’s position on the real-time map on the screen in front of me and listening to music.

We landed a minute ahead of schedule and taxied for some 15 minutes. The disembarkation started shortly after and I headed to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) control – or simply, U.S. immigration. The CBP control area at DFW has three sections: Global Entry (for approved U.S. citizens), U.S. and Canadian Citizens and Foreign Nationals. I went to the Foreign Nationals queue and the surrounding screens showed that the estimated waiting time was 16 minutes.

While I was queuing, I turned on my mobile and received an email from Lufthansa, informing me that my bags couldn’t be loaded in Frankfurt and that would be sent on the next flight on the following day. I was asked to provide the address where I want my bags to be delivered. I completed and submitted the online delayed baggage form by the time I reached out to the CBP officer. After a very short interview (literally about how long and where I’ll be staying), I cleared immigration and exited the airport. I didn’t file a delayed baggage form in person as I had already done that online.

When I was outside the airport, I followed the Ride App signage and, after a short walk, arrived at Zone 36 where ride app companies (e.g., Uber, Lyft) are allowed to pick up passengers. I ordered a vehicle through the Lyft app and, after some five minutes, it arrived. It took me 29 minutes to reach my hotel, which was 25 miles away. The fare was USD 30.37.

The following day, I received an email from Lufthansa, letting me know that a delivery agent had been appointed to deliver my delayed baggage. Shortly after, I received additional emails from the Where’s My Suitcase company, asking me to confirm my delivery details. They provided me with a tracking number. I checked their website and it read they’d pick up my baggage at 7 p.m. CT and deliver it by 1 a.m. CT on the following day.

The following night, around 1:30 a.m. CT, I received notifications from both Lufthansa and Where’s My Suitcase that my luggage had been picked up from the airport and that it would be delivered soon. I received a phone call from my hotel’s front desk around 2:10 a.m. CT, informing me that both my bags had arrived. Shortly after, I received notifications that my luggage was delivered.

Conclusion

· Belgrade airport is getting better and better, but due to construction works, it’s still challenging moving around. The Business Club at the airport should be either closed or completely refurbished.

· The Lufthansa short-haul product is just like any other airline’s intra-Europe, like Air Serbia’s. And I think this is OK. I don’t need more than a carry-on bag and a bottle of water on under-two-hours flights.

· Connecting at Frankfurt airport was much easier than ever before. I assume I was lucky my gates were close to each other. I’m just not sure if additional security control in Frankfurt for flights to the U.S. is completely abolished or if it was just a one-off in my case. However, after my luggage was delayed in Frankfurt, I’ll think twice before booking flights with such a short connection time.

· The Lufthansa long-haul product is just fine. I think that their pricing is their competitive advantage. If they charged the same airfare as, e.g., Air France/KLM/Delta Air Lines, I’d rather choose the latter one.

· The Lufthansa iOS mobile app is right now in the Beta version and has a lot of bugs. I recommend you download and use the old version.

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