Jim: Thanks for the trip report. I have often wondered how Munich is for transfers. Lufthansa offers this airport as a transfer point for the SVO flight. Munich sounds very "people friendly." I'm anxious to go after reading your report. Mike Burris Cambridge, Massachusetts --- Jim Fulton <jim.fulton@talk21.com> wrote: > Evening all, > > I paid 139 pounds for this weekend, about $200 US, a > bit more than the low > cost equivalents, but still good value, primarily as > a photo trip. > > EDI-LHR (Edinburgh, UK - London Heathrow, UK) > G-MIDF A321-231 BMI British Midland BD051 > This sector operates a Lufthansa codeshare, and was > full because of British > Airways having cancelled flights due to weather in > London the night before. > BMA looked as if they were honouring BA tickets. > Scheduled time was 0635/0805, we pushed at 0637, > took off at 0649, landed at > 0742, and pulled in at the gate at 0747. Looking > forward to a cooked > breakfast, but the Ciabatta roll with sausage went > down really well - very > fresh and a better idea than some of the muck I've > had in the past. > > LHR-MUC (Heathrow - Munich) > D-AIPF A320-211 Lufthansa LH4707 > Funny how at EDI I couldn't be checked thru to > Munich, I found out that the > inbound aircraft didn't depart Munich until about > 0830 UK time, due to snow > in Germany. Checked in at the laughably named Flight > Connections Centre, > really just a central line of people. Scheduled > times were 0930/1215 > (Germany of course being an hour ahead of the UK). > We left the gate on a > full flight again at 1056, taking off quickly (for > the 'Row) at 1107. Flight > time was an impressive 77 minutes, landing at 1324 > local, and at the gate at > 1329. > > Food service was coldcuts with tea/coffee or > alcoholic drinks. > > Munich has what looks like some remote stands, but > you leave the aircraft > via an airbridge, then enter a small glass > structure, just steps an an > escalator down to below ground level, where we were > met by a bus to take us > to the arrivals hall. There are at least 12 stands > like this, in addition to > the 20 or so connected directly to Terminal 1, plus > maybe 50 or so remote > stands in the true sense. The field is dominated by > Regional aircraft, being > the hubs of Air Dolomiti with ATR42s and 72s, > Lufthansa Cityline with CRJs, > CRJ-700s and RJ85s, and Deutsche BA with 737s. > > For watching aircraft, the best place to go is the > Besucherpark. Its easiest > to walk. Exiting Terminal A, where Lufthansa's > domestic operations are, its > a 1200m walk, but as you walk round you can see a > fair part of the apron. > Building work continues apace on Terminal 2, which > is well away from the > current viewing, but assuming the same prevailing > winds as when I was there, > none of the action would be missed completely. > > The Besucherpark is essentially a big man made hill, > with 163 steps (I > counted 'em), and costs either 1 or 2 euros to > enter, although the price > does allow up close access to the three preserved > aircraft, which are a > Swiss Air Lines DC3, HB-IRN; Lufthansa Ju52 D-ANOY, > and LH Super > Constellation D-ALEM. > > There are no food or toilet facilities at the top of > the hill, so either > requires you to pay again. There is an aviation shop > and a reasonably priced > restaurant at the bottom of the hill at the > entrance. There is also a bus > tour available, think it cost 10 euros including > entrance to the hill, but I > didn't go on it. > > From the hill, both runways can be seen, although > the southern one is a bit > distant. Good binoculars are needed for > registrations, but inbounds from the > northern runway mostly taxi within camera distance. > I needed a 280mm lens > for a 737-300, and care is needed to avoid the lamp > standards, but nothing > (not even a Cargolux 747 - the only lump I saw there > - was missed). > > Some of the commuters park well away from the > terminal, such as Dolomiti, > Augsburg AW and Eurowings. > > MUC-FRA (Munich - Frankfurt) > D-AIRY A321-231 Lufthansa LH163 > One nice touch at Munich, which was absent at > Frankfurt, was free coffee at > the Lufthansa gates. > > The scheduled times were 1750/1905, and we pushed > back at 1752, arriving at > the gate at FRA at 1857, after a flight lasting 39 > minutes. Drinks service > was suspended before I got one due to a bit of rough > weather. > > FRA-EDI (Frankfurt - Edinburgh) > D-AVRN Bae RJ85 Lufthansa LH5954 > The flight left late because of a late arrival from > EDI, due to deicing, > according to the flight crew. Being at one of the > most remote stands near LH > Cargo, we pushed at 2226, well after the scheduled > departure of 2150, taking > off at 2237. Food service was a cold salad and a > couple of Warsteiner beers > - nectar!! Headwinds meant no time made up, > exacerbated by waiting for a Go > 737 to come off stand after being deiced at EDI. We > landed at 2333 (that's 4 > minutes short of 2 hours flight time) at pulled up > at the gate at 2347. > > Highlights of my sightings were : > > SAT 01 FEBRUARY 2003 MUC 1430-1700 > > D4-CBG 752 TCV = Cape Verde Airlines > EY-85692 154 TZK = Tajikistan AL > F-GPKM SF3 ECC = Europe Continental AW / > Crossair Europe > OK-XFB AT7 CSA = Czech AL > F-OGYQ 313 AFL = Aeroflot > RA-85674 154 SBI = Sibir AL > RA-85814 154 SVR = Ural AL > S7-ASY 763 SEY = Air Seychelles > D-AILK 319 KZW = Khalifa AL > > SUN 02 FEBRUARY 2003 MUC 0900-1700 > A6-MFM 738 UAE Govt (Think this is a BBJ2) > A6-EKW 332 UAE = Emirates > B-2382 343 CES = China Eastern > F-GPTB CRJ LIT = Air Littoral > LX-RCV 744 CLX = Cargolux > VP-BAJ 734 AFL = Aeroflot > RA-85770 154 PLK = Pulkovo AL > RA-85673 154 SBI = Sibir AL > S5-AAF CRJ ADR = Adria AW > SU-GBU 321 MSR = Egyptair > SU-RAD 320 SHK = Shorouk AL > SX-BLM 734 CUS = Aegean AL > TF-MDC M83 MDI = Icelandic MD Airlines > 4X-EAB 762 ELY = ElAl > 9H-ABP 320 AMC = Air Malta > > SUN 02 FEBRUARY 2003 FRA 1930-2130 > HA-LME F70 MAH = Malev > HL7526 772 KAL = Korean AL > I-BIMI 319 AZA = Alitalia > OY-MRJ 737 DAN = Maersk > RA-85742 154 AFL = Aeroflot > RA-85705 154 SBI = Sibir AL > RA-64017 204 SBI = Sibir AL > TC-SUA 738 SXS = Sun Express > > > Jim