| Lufthansa | Frankfurt (FRA) → Helsinki (HEL) | A321-100 | Economy Class | 24/10/2023 | Current review |
| Lufthansa | Helsinki (HEL) → Frankfurt (FRA) | A321-200 | Economy Class | 02/11/2023 |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt (FRA) → Helsinki (HEL) | A321-100 | Economy Class | 24/10/2023 | Current review |
| Lufthansa | Helsinki (HEL) → Frankfurt (FRA) | A321-200 | Economy Class | 02/11/2023 |
Hello everyone, and welcome to this new Flight review. Today I'm taking you on board a now-rare Lufthansa A321-100 between Frankfurt and Helsinki.
First of all, I'd like to apologize for the quality of the photos. I must confess that night shots are not my forte.
This is the first time I've been to Finland, but not the first time I've left Germany's biggest airport: Frankfurt.
But first, I'll meet you at Strasbourg train station in France.
To get to Frankfurt, in addition to my plane ticket between Frankfurt and Helsinki, I booked a ticket for the Lufthansa Express Bus between Strasbourg and the German airport.
This service, now in place for several years, was intended to replace aircraft on short flights, as is the case between Strasbourg and Frankfurt.
On a positive note, the total cost of flights with the bus is often cheaper than without, which is a plus.
A Wi-Fi connection is available on board the bus. Toilets are also available. Luggage should be placed in the hold of the bus, and small bags should be taken with you. The bus seat is very comfortable and is equipped with a coat hook, a tray table, and a footrest. Bottled water is also available on board. The bus leaves at 4.45 pm, which is the exact time indicated on the ticket.
On the way, we are treated to a magnificent sunset.
As you can imagine, we'll be arriving in Frankfurt by night.
We arrived at Frankfurt airport station at 7 pm.
Now it's time to move on to the check-in.
The airport station is magnificent, with its large glass dome.
A few meters further on, we reach the check-in area for passengers arriving by train or bus.
Everything is done independently.
Once the luggage has gone to the plane's hold, it's time for us to join our plane.
We've arrived relatively early, so our flight is displayed on the “further flights” list, but we're heading for security all the same. Helsinki is in the Schengen area, so no passport control is necessary.
At night, Frankfurt airport is quite dark, despite a few lights here and there.
At this hour, the part of the airport dedicated to intra-European flights is relatively empty. Everything goes pretty fast, and we don't have to wait long, as is the case almost every time I leave Frankfurt.
The good thing about German security checks is that there's no need to take out liquids and electronic devices since the new 3D scanners scan baggage more accurately than the old-generation scanners. A good thing, since it saves a lot of time.
Once through security, we head for the boarding gate.
Our first stop is Duty-Free, well-stocked with products of all kinds.
The Concourse A we arrived in was quite dark at this time of night. Some areas, however, remain brighter, such as the children's play areas and the boarding gates.
Lufthansa has a strong presence in the departure hall. In addition, there are numerous relaxation areas, small restaurants, and bakeries. I also noticed a video game area. Very nice!
Now it's time to board. Boarding takes place in groups of 1 to 5.
I'm in group 3, so I board after the priority passengers (Business Class, with children, with status).
Our aircraft is an Airbus A321-131, registered D-AIRR, received by the German airline in 1996. Its nickname is Wismar.
The traditional fuselage shot:
We arrive on the plane and are greeted by a very friendly crew.
The aircraft is equipped with 200 economy seats, with the front section in European Business configuration (middle seat blocked).
I'm sitting in seat 12E, unfortunately, a middle seat.
Let's take advantage of boarding to discover the cabin and the seat.
The cabin has a 3-3 configuration, with a few exceptions for emergency exits. This is the old Lufthansa cabin and the old overhead panel. The seat is not equipped with USB ports or electrical outlets. There is, however, a tray table and a pocket at the bottom of the seat.
Each seat also features a personal reading light and ventilation.
Once boarding is complete, the crew begins safety demonstrations at the same time as push-back begins.
We then begin the taxi to our departure runway, runway 25C, which is quite rare.
Because of the reflections, I didn't have the opportunity to take many photos.
We arrive at the holding point for runway 25C.
Strobes on, landing lights on, we're ready to go.
15 minutes after the scheduled time, the plane accelerates on the runway.
We leave German soil and make a left turn to head northeast towards Finland.
Shortly after takeoff, the crew handed out a bottle of fresh water to passengers who were still awake. I really appreciated it, as I was quite thirsty.
Then the crew switched to selling the pay service.
Despite the reasonable price, I'm probably repeating myself, but it's a real shame that the classic airlines no longer offer full onboard service on short flights.
Throughout the flight, Europe is covered in clouds.
Concerning the toilets, they are traditional A320-family toilets.
Lufthansa offers Internet access on board its aircraft. Four offers are available:
The message pass works very well and allows you to send photos on apps like WhatsApp, messages on Instagram or Messenger, and even if you know, post your BeReal from the air. In short, a very good point.
What's more, the connection platform allows you to see the progress of your flight live, along with other information such as the plane's speed or altitude.
You also have access to all connecting flights.
After a 1.5-hour flight, we began our descent into Finland. At this point, the crew handed out the Lufthansa chocolate.
Once through the cloud layers, we can see the Estonian and Russian coasts.
The descent is gentle.
During our approach, we make virtually no turns and are therefore directly aligned with runway 04L at Helsinki airport.
At 1 am, we touch down on Finnish soil.
We soon reach our gate.
As with boarding, deboarding takes place in groups, row by row.
We quickly leave the plane to find ourselves in an airport emptied of passengers.
There's no one there, everything's closed.
We quickly collect our luggage and leave the airport.
Once in the airport departure hall, I was surprised to be the only passenger still in the airport. You get the feeling you're in an abandoned airport. An amusing experience.
So that's how this Flight review ends. I hope you've enjoyed it, and I'll see you soon for the return flight to Frankfurt.
As usual, my experience in Frankfurt was more than satisfying. Check-in is very smooth, and the airport is very clean. The only downside is that while the airport is very bright during the day, it's sorely lacking in light at night. However, several services ensure a pleasant wait at the German airport.
First of all, the German airline scores well with the bus service it offers between Strasbourg and Frankfurt. The bus is very comfortable, and the Wi-Fi is much appreciated.
As for the flight to Frankfurt, it was very pleasant. Despite the lack of in-flight catering, the Wi-Fi offer is very reasonable, and the crew is very pleasant for a late-night flight when crews are often exhausted after a long day.
The cabin is showing its age but is still decent.
All in all, Lufthansa remains a very good airline, even though on-board service has to be paid for.
Helsinki airport is very pleasant. The presence of wood creates a very pleasant, warm atmosphere. Everything is very clean.
Concerning the fluidity, I prefer not to express myself since at 1 a.m. it is not representative.
