[Flight Report] Frankfurt - London
This flight took place on June 24, 2022.Arriving from HK with a 2.5 hour connection, I had plenty of time to explore my little corner of Frankfurt airport. I was first worried about going through passport control, but arriving from outside the EU and heading out of the EU after, I researched that I only need to clear security.
Security took quite some time with a thorough search on the X-ray machine where you have to raise your arms at an angle and wait for the scan to roll around you. They had a few lines open and there wasn't a big crowd but it still took some time.
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The duty-free shop was already open and had a lot of booze and chocolate stocked up. They even had Chinese maotai even though I doubt there'll be many visitors from the mainland in Europe.
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There was a lot of seating although they weren't clean with food crumbs in many places. It wasn't at a few isolated gates but throughout the terminal. The building itself is a bit old and dark but I did enjoy going up to the windows to check out what's happening on the tarmac.
There was an odd photocopier just off the main hallway and apparently, you can get a code for a free print-out, which could come in handy with some countries imposing further documentation needs to enter their borders.
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Many window edges have larger tables where you can enjoy a drink or bite and watch the day unravel ahead.
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Already intrigued by the old A340, I was happy to spot their 747s as well, a rare civilian bird nowadays.
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There were a lot of European flights on the board. Luckily, I didn't hear much about this airport experiencing staff shortages like in the UK, and this leg of my journey has been relatively smooth so far.
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My flight was originally scheduled to depart from the end pier, but closer to boarding time, there was a message flashing it was changed to gate B20. I would later also find out they sent me an email about the gate change as well.
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More on my website : Transiting in Frankfurt
The actual flight on the next part.
泰航個大頭照好正:lol近到可以同機長打招呼;P The title was quite confusing... should be about transitting in Frankfurt instead of the actual flight Waiyin12 發表於 2022-7-27 21:00
The title was quite confusing... should be about transitting in Frankfurt instead of the actual flig ...
Next part will be the London flight.
Let's head to gate B20 for my flight. Gate B20 has an odd design. There is a boarding pass check outside and after, you go in and get stuck in the big seating area which has glass walls. None of the neighbouring gates are walled off in this way.
Within the enclosure, there are a few tables by the window but the only empty one available had the last group's breakfast leftovers. I opted for the final row of seats for some peace and quiet but the wifi signal was very weak.
During my online check-in back in Hong Kong, I had the option to select a back row seat where I could have an unobstructed view. Researching the weather forecast and noticing a southwest wind, I thought a right window would be best to see London on approach. The 2nd row was at the front of the wing, but I forgot to calculate the engine would get in the way, whereas if I stayed further back, the engine's exhaust trail would obscure the view slightly but I should still be able to see more out of the window.
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We departed on time and the flight seemed quite full. Wary of Heathrow's luggage dilemma and insufficient staff to handle the deluge of travelers, I was so happy this flight was not cancelled.
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By now, Frankfurt's skies have cleared a little with some sun poking through. We took off towards the west and I couldn't see the skyline anymore.
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It was a smooth take-off and with a flight time of only an hour, the crew came shortly to give a bottle of water each. There's no free meal like my last long-haul flight, but I saved a Milo bar from that flight to munch on here.
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I was glad to see the blue sky over the English Channel. Hopes were high London would be beautiful on approach.
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The crew then came to distribute chocolates.
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With sight of land, I started to get ready to spot London.
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The buildings started getting denser and I saw The City's skyline as we turned.
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We turned to the east of the city for final approach, validating my right window choice was correct. But the engine really got in the way, and Canary Wharf would be on the other side so I wouldn't be able to see it this time.
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We flew south of Hyde Park but Westminster was hard to spot today with the engine and wing in the way. London's approach over the city is quite stunning, one of my favourite landing views when the winds are right.
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We didn't have to loop above the city in a holding pattern and touched down quite early.
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As we taxied into the terminal, we stopped and the cockpit made an announcement that our gate was occupied. He eventually made 2 announcements with the last one estimating a 10-15 minute delay. I took advantage of the delay to spot planes passing by next to us, some en route to take-off.
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Not long after the second announcement, we were able to move and pull into our spot.
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A major reason why I opted for the front of the plane was to beat the crowd and dash towards immigration. Heathrow made the headlines just the week before with a very frustrating passenger arrival experience. After a red-eye into Frankfurt and a short second leg into London, the last thing I wanted was to get stuck at the airport for hours trying to enter the UK and hunting for my luggage.
The terminal was relatively empty at this morning hour but it was a long walk to immigration. Staff couldn't competently set up the lines and the dividers so we looped around like a bunch of mice playing in a maze, needlessly clocking in extra steps even though it wasn't that busy.
I was never able to spot the 2nd line for 'other passport holders' since my e-passport was not one of the eligible countries to use the automated kiosk. It wasn't until I got near the kiosk gate when I could find a staff to help me get to the other line. Luckily, the wait was very short for a manned immigration counter, probably far quicker than using a kiosk.
While I wasn't too delighted with the long walk, I was happy this first part was fairly smooth. I exited into the baggage hall looking for the bathroom, and noticed plenty of piled-up luggage trying to reunite with its owners. Last week's news was still alive and well today.
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I headed over to my belt, wary this last step might take a while. There was no sign showing whether my flight's luggage was coming. In fact, the belt didn't seem to have any signs on what flights will use it. I looked around the suitcases on the belt and saw a few priority bags from my flight. Within minutes, I saw my bag come out, and I was very relieved.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/lh902b.htm
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