LH 902 Flight Report : Frankfurt - London Heathrow
24 June 2022

[ Previous Part : Transiting in Frankfurt ]
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.

Maybe because I've already captured most the planes parked at that pier, I patiently waited for boarding and it felt like a long time. Nevertheless, we started descending down the bridge and I happily settled into my 2nd row seat. 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.

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. Flying in Europe comes with a different set of stress factors than trying to fly out of Hong Kong.

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.

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.

I was glad to see the blue sky over the English Channel. Hopes were high London would be beautiful on approach.

The crossing took quite some time and it took a bit of patience to spot the English coast.

The crew then came to distribute chocolates.

With sight of land, I started to get ready to spot London.

The buildings started getting denser and I saw The City's skyline as we turned.

Hyde Park and Regent's Park don't look so far at this angle.

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.

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.

We didn't have to loop above the city in a holding pattern and touched down quite early.

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.

Not long after the second announcement, we were able to move and pull into our spot.

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.

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.

Last week's Heathrow horror did not materialize today. Terminal 2 is a very nice, new facility, quite a bit nicer than Frankfurt's Terminal 1 B pier. But like many industries, airports and airlines are not ready that people are travelling in the masses like before the pandemic. Hope that will be an obsolete news item soon.


[ Previous Part : Transiting in Frankfurt ] 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. Maybe because I've already captured most the planes parked at that pier, I patiently waited for boarding and it felt like a long time. Nevertheless, we started descending down the bridge and I happily settled into my 2nd row seat. 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. 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. Flying in Europe comes with a different set of stress factors than trying to fly out of Hong Kong. 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. 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. I was glad to see the blue sky over the English Channel. Hopes were high London would be beautiful on approach. The crossing took quite some time and it took a bit of patience to spot the English coast. The crew then came to distribute chocolates. With sight of land, I started to get ready to spot London. The buildings started getting denser and I saw The City's skyline as we turned. Hyde Park and Regent's Park don't look so far at this angle. 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. 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. We didn't have to loop above the city in a holding pattern and touched down quite early. 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. Not long after the second announcement, we were able to move and pull into our spot. 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. 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. Last week's Heathrow horror did not materialize today. Terminal 2 is a very nice, new facility, quite a bit nicer than Frankfurt's Terminal 1 B pier. But like many industries, airports and airlines are not ready that people are travelling in the masses like before the pandemic. Hope that will be an obsolete news item soon.