Review: Lufthansa A320Neo in economy from Nice to Frankfurt

This was my first "post" pandemic flight, I took advantage of a really competitive fare given the August holiday period. Only €147 for a round trip ticket to Riga, the capital of Latvia.

I did not look for availability of award tickets, partly because in many cases any taxes would have brought the cost not too far from the normal ticket price. Having gold status with TAP and thus with all Star Alliance airlines, I decided to upload the points to my account with the Portuguese airline.

Ground experience

Covid is absolutely still present in our lives, and air traffic is one of the areas most affected. 

On any given Thursday my flight was supposed to leave from terminal 1 of the airport, due to pandemic however all flights are diverted to terminal 2 what is normally for the exclusive use of Air France, Easy Jet and Sky Team companies.

It is the third busiest airport in France, the first if Parisian ones are excluded. The terminal's iconic structure is a giant sphere of glass and concrete. It is also home to the bus terminal and can also be reached from the city center by the convenient and brand new streetcar. Inaugurated in late 2019, the line makes it possible to reach the Promenade Des Anglais from the airport in just over 15 minutes.

The facility is very bright, thanks to the huge windows. To the right of the check-in area is the security checkpoint, again Covid caused the temporary suspension of "fast" routes for business and frequent flyer passengers.

After passing through the controls, you enter the now inevitable dutyfree, which is fortunately quite small here.

It must be said that in France the legislation is definitely milder than in Italy, and in fact reminding us of the times in which we live, it is only the masks and the few signs that remind us to keep our social distance.

Stores and bars are, almost all open, as are the lounges. Here all lounges are operated directly from the airport and are accessible for both business passengers and holders of Priority Passes and similar cards.

Since I am Gold Star Alliance I can access the lounges even if I travel in economy, but in this case a sign informs that Lufthansa has no agreement for the lounges in Terminal 2 and therefore German airline passengers are not allowed access.

In my case, I was still able to access the Infinity lounge because of my prestige priority pass, included in american express platinum.

I will not dwell much on this lounge since due to the pandemic the service is made minimal. Buffets eliminated, impossible to serve yourself, a kind attendant serves from behind the counter the few items available.

The flight

Lufthansa has a very young short-haul fleet, in this case the A320Neo, initials D-AINJ, he was not even 3 years old.

The most modern and efficient airplane in the 320 family offers larger portholes and excellent soundproofing. While airlines appreciate the fact that it has significantly lower fuel consumption than the previous version.

As is the case with virtually all European airlines, the short/medium-haul routes offer two virtually identical environments; business differs from economy only in that the first rows of the plane are "flexible" and differentiating passengers is only a curtain, but no difference in seat or legroom.

Covid has also changed the way you board the plane and, in the case of Lufthansa, the way you disembark as well.

Boarding is done starting from the back of the plane, so passengers who sit in the last few rows board first and then those toward the front. This is done to maintain social distancing and avoid unnecessary gatherings. Of course, frequent flyers can board whenever they wish.

My seat was 6A (at the front of the airplane), fortunately the middle seat was empty so it was, almost, like flying business. 

During boarding, all passengers were given a wipe to sanitize their seats, and the staff repeatedly reminded them to keep their masks on except when drinking/eating.

No service for this flight that lasted only 70 minutes, just a bottle of water distributed about ten minutes after takeoff.

Unfortunately, all of Lufthansa's A320neo fleet lacks wi-fi, the reason being allegedly related to the need to save weight. The system is installed in the tail of the aircraft, but due to the high seat density chosen by the German airline, there is no space needed for installation. Of course, IFE on these flights is not even mentioned.

Upon arriving in Frankfurt, the cabin manager invited passengers to observe the new ways of getting off the plane. Once docked at the finger, the aircraft was emptied starting from the front rows toward the rear. Passengers were asked to remain seated until their row would be called.

Final judgment

All the traditional airlines have chosen to "compete" with the low-cost airlines in the same way: planes with as many seats as possible and service reduced to the bone, and Lufthansa is no different.