rocklinmom Posted September 3, 2016 #1 Share Posted September 3, 2016 I'm looking at roundtrip airfare for our cruise next July from San Francisco to Copenhagen. The choices I'm considering are SAS (direct flight) or Luftansa (layovers in Germany). Lufthansa is a few hundred dollars cheaper for the five of us but not enough to override a direct flight. My main question is, which airline is better based on customer service, luggage issues, onboard economy experience, delays, etc.? I would love to hear from anyone with recent experience on either airline with this itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted September 3, 2016 #2 Share Posted September 3, 2016 The economy experience is going to be very similar. I would almost always take the non-stop (as opposed to the "direct") flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemom1 Posted September 3, 2016 #3 Share Posted September 3, 2016 We have flown Lufthansa and the coach service was typical. Meals and some alcohol were included. However, Lufthansa seems to be very strike prone. Pilots, FAs, ground crew all stage frequent strikes. We flew in the middle of pilot strikes and the threat of one happening on our flight days cast a huge cloud over our trip. I spent a lot of time following the situation and researching our options. We were doing pre cruise days on our own but did not want to miss any of those plans let alone the cruise. You will enter the Shengen area when you stop over in Germany. We had no problem with luggage-it was checked thru' to PRG which was our final destination. If you decide to use LH I'd do some research on their labor situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6rugrats Posted September 3, 2016 #4 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Are you interested in earning FF miles? If so, check the fare class carefully on both airlines. Some fare classes earn little to no miles. Agree about LH strike situation. Some insurance companies, Travel Guard for example, will currently not insure you against an LH pilot strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare brazilgirl Posted September 3, 2016 #5 Share Posted September 3, 2016 I have flown both Lufthansa and SAS in economy. My personal preference by a long shot would be the the direct flight on SAS ( I took the direct flight from ORD to CPH). The food was tasty ( as far as economy airline food goes), they give you bottled water, they have a good entertainment system and the seats are less cramped than Lufthansa ( this is my empirical opinion) . I also much prefer a direct flight if miles are not involved as there is no risk of missing a connecting flight and the risk of losing luggage is smaller. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhb1757 Posted September 3, 2016 #6 Share Posted September 3, 2016 We chose SAS for our upcoming cruise (flying EWR to Oslo). Mostly because they have a nonstop flight. I also like that you can bid for upgrades to premium economy or business on SAS. My main complaint with Lufthansa is you have to change in Frankfort or Munich. Both times we had to change in Frankfort we did not get gate space so we parked WAY out on the Tarmac and they bused everyone to the terminal... So it took forever to get off the plane (one bus gets full and you wait a while for another one to show up...). Then the terminal is huge and both times I think we walked miles to get to next flight. We had a 21/2 hour layover and barely made the connecting flight! So I'm kinda done with Lufthansa, at least if we have to hub through Frankfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv0828 Posted September 3, 2016 #7 Share Posted September 3, 2016 We dislike Lufthansa since we travel with carry ons only. Not only do they measure your carry on but they weigh it - and if it's an ounce over 8 kg you have to check it. No other airline I have flown is as picky as Lufthansa Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted September 3, 2016 #8 Share Posted September 3, 2016 We dislike Lufthansa since we travel with carry ons only. Not only do they measure your carry on but they weigh it - and if it's an ounce over 8 kg you have to check it. No other airline I have flown is as picky as Lufthansa Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app On the contrary...most major European airlines are very strict with their carry on policies. If US airlines were half as strict, we could probably board planes twice as fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv0828 Posted September 3, 2016 #9 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) Actually, we have flown almost every European name airline and low cost airline, and only have had problems with Lufthansa. On our last flight FRA to VCE, I had the same exact suitcase - color, brand, size -as the gal sitting next to me - and I had to check my under 8 kg suitcase and she did not. We are well aware of the airline luggage rules and we follow them carefully. And you are correct; the European airlines are far more strict than their American counterparts. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Edited September 3, 2016 by Viv0828 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbug123 Posted September 3, 2016 #10 Share Posted September 3, 2016 The economy experience is going to be very similar. ^^^this. Far more similar than different when traveling in economy. My personal preference by a long shot would be the the direct flight on SAS.....the seats are less cramped than Lufthansa ( this is my empirical opinion) According to Seat Guru, both Lufthansa and SAS have an economy seat pitch of 31-32" This is the front-to-back space. As far as seat width, SAS is 17.3", while Lufthansa is 17.0-17.5 on all aircraft except the A380, which is 18.2. So for the OP, unless you are looking at a flight on the A380, there really won't be much difference at all in seat size/space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare brazilgirl Posted September 3, 2016 #11 Share Posted September 3, 2016 ^^^this. Far more similar than different when traveling in economy. According to Seat Guru, both Lufthansa and SAS have an economy seat pitch of 31-32" This is the front-to-back space. As far as seat width, SAS is 17.3", while Lufthansa is 17.0-17.5 on all aircraft except the A380, which is 18.2. So for the OP, unless you are looking at a flight on the A380, there really won't be much difference at all in seat size/space. As I stated, my comment was "empirical" ( which I stated clearly). I have flown on most major European carriers ( in coach and business), and my most cramped experience was on Lufthansa. I know the seat width and pitch is probably the same, but for reasons I cannot explain, it was worse than others. I was on the 747-8. They were also the most rigid airline with carry-ons. For reference, I have flown on Swiss, Turkish, TAP , Lufthansa, SAS and Iberia ( European Companies). I agree that the seat is similar on all, but I still find the experience varies in other ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headhunterke Posted September 4, 2016 #12 Share Posted September 4, 2016 We dislike Lufthansa since we travel with carry ons only. Not only do they measure your carry on but they weigh it - and if it's an ounce over 8 kg you have to check it. No other airline I have flown is as picky as Lufthansa Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app That would solely depend on the check-in/gate agent you have assigned to your flight. You can have the most strict rules, if the agent decides not to enforce them, they mean nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbug123 Posted September 4, 2016 #13 Share Posted September 4, 2016 As I stated, my comment was "empirical" ( which I stated clearly). I have flown on most major European carriers ( in coach and business), and my most cramped experience was on Lufthansa. I know the seat width and pitch is probably the same, but for reasons I cannot explain, it was worse than others. And I was clarifying for the benefit of infrequent flyers, who may see a comment like yours and assume the seats have measurably larger dimensions. People read how comfort+ and similar seats have a few extra inches of legroom and make the leap in their mind that "it's practically like first class" so it's not all that far-fetched to think someone could read more into this comparison than is really there. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocklinmom Posted September 4, 2016 Author #14 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Wow thank you all! I hadn't thought about a lot of these points. Such helpful information! I think I am leaning towards the SAS flight, and hoping to be able to swing for Plus (premium economy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare brazilgirl Posted September 4, 2016 #15 Share Posted September 4, 2016 And I was clarifying for the benefit of infrequent flyers, who may see a comment like yours and assume the seats have measurably larger dimensions. People read how comfort+ and similar seats have a few extra inches of legroom and make the leap in their mind that "it's practically like first class" so it's not all that far-fetched to think someone could read more into this comparison than is really there. :) I understand [emoji4]. OP, I think you will like SAS and the extra legroom is always nice in PE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WupperAV Posted September 5, 2016 #16 Share Posted September 5, 2016 I'm glad they are picky and understand this. You might rather not be overloaded on a 747 that weighs 803,000 lbs as they make a big hole if they can't fly. I love Lufthansa. Good treatment and new airplanes. They have 20 new 747-800s and they are nice. We flew to India from IAD business class and they served Glenfiddich 30 yr old. The lounges are nice with beds to nap, food 24-7 and we were well treated. My 1st choice will always be Singapore Air to go the Asia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globaliser Posted September 5, 2016 #17 Share Posted September 5, 2016 I'm glad they are picky and understand this. You might rather not be overloaded on a 747 that weighs 803,000 lbs as they make a big hole if they can't fly.Weighing cabin bags and making passengers check them in if they're overweight has got nothing to do with the aircraft as a whole being overloaded and unable to fly. The bags weigh the same whether they're in the cabin or in the hold. So if the aircraft was going to be overloaded if everyone brought their bags into the cabin, it would be equally overloaded if all those bags went into the hold. Anyway, you don't want any aircraft to be overloaded, so it's pretty meaningless to single out the 747 in this respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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