Our last Intra-Europe for this trip is a Lufthansa A321 flight in Economy from Tallinn to Frankfurt. Orginaly this was scheduled to be an A321neo, but was swapped day of departure to the older A321ceo. Due to the exit row placement, the A321ceo has fewer seats than the A321neo for Lufthansa, that didn’t matter for us. Intra-European flights are not super exciting, even on full service carriers like Lufthansa have minimal service in economy.
We chose this flight because Lufthansa is the only airline that flies between Tallinn and Frankfurt. The timing was right for our trip too.
Bottom Line: Economy on the Lufthansa A321 is fine. Nothing more or less. The seats are tight, there is no entertainment or power, and the drink service is minimal.
Tallinn Airport
We arrived at the Tallinn airport about an hour before our Lufthansa flight down to Frankfurt. TLL is a great little airport that’s easy to navigate. We already had our boarding passes so we headed to the departures area and through security.
We spend about a half hour in the Business reLounge here at TLL. I’ll have a full review here soon. We wanted to grab some sandwiches before getting on the flight so we headed to the gate about 10 minutes early.
The Tallinn Airport is really great, it’s cozy and comfortable but not crowded. There’s lots of little nooks and crannies in the airport where you can relax and enjoy yourself. I’ve been in lounges that are significantly less pleasant than the main concourse here at TLL.
I especially liked the ping pong table here in the concourse, while we were waiting for the flight some kids starting playing. I think that’s great, what a nice way to pass the time in the airport.
Our Lufthansa flight down to Frankfurt was running a few minutes behind and arrived at the gate while we were waiting. Our plane was scheduled to be an A321neo, but looks like we’ve been swapped to the older A321ceo.
Lufthansa A321 Boarding
The gate area was very busy and boarding was called as soon as the plane was cleared of the arriving passengers.
Lufthansa boards by groups. Group 1 and 2 are for First and Business Class passengers, then 3,4,5 come after. They board window seats first, then middle seats, then aisles. Because we were a little delayed, the boarding process was a little disorganized. At least I hope that was the reason. We boarded when our zone was called.
Lots of snow here on the ground in Tallinn. It’s been like that for much of our trip, I’m a little sad to leave Estonia behind, I’ve loved our trip to the Baltic countries.
Lufthansa A321 Economy Cabin
The Lufthansa A321 economy cabin is arranged in a 3-3 seating configuration. Very standard for the vast majority of the narrow body planes flying.
We’re sitting on the left hand side of the plane in an aisle and middle seat. I will say, these seats are very slim, don’t have a ton of cushion, and really are not that comfortable.
We stowed our bags overhead and then settled into our seats.
Lufthansa A321 Economy Seat Review
The Lufthansa economy seats are not great. They are very slim and leg room is tight, even for me and I’m not that tall.
The Lufthansa A321 doesn’t have any sort of in seat entertainment. There’s also not power provided to charge devices. All in, it’s a pretty spartan economy cabin.
Lufthansa A321 Pushback and Takeoff
The plane boarded quickly and the flight attendants gave the safety presentation as we pushed back and then headed for the runway.
I apologize for the poor photos, I’m not in the window seat. We took off just about 15 minutes late and then pointed South West towards Germany.
In the air the lights were dimmed and the flight was pretty smooth as we climbed up to our cruise altitude.
Lufthansa A321 Economy Drinks and Snacks
Lufthansa offers a buy on board program for drinks and snacks. We brought some sandwiches from the airport along so we didn’t buy anything.
Lufthansa Economy Entra-Europe Buy on Board menu.
Lufthansa Economy Entra-Europe Buy on Board menu.
Lufthansa Economy Entra-Europe Buy on Board menu.
Lufthansa Economy Entra-Europe Buy on Board menu. I thought the menu was decent, nothing hot though, just cold items. The prices weren’t bad, especially just for drinks. I still think easyJet is the best for buy on board programs(review here).
A bottle of water was provided. So it’s not like it’s exactly the same as a low cost carrier, but it’s basically the same.
I dove into my ham and cheese panini as it’s dinner time. I brought this from the airport, not a buy on board so I cannot comment on the quality of items offered in flight.
Lastly, the flight attendants gave out little chocolates. These are again milk chocolate, I’m not a huge fan of milk chocolate, but I do like something sweet after dinner.
Lufthansa A321 In Flight Review
The Lufthansa A321 doesn’t have power or in seat entertainment so I watched a movie on my phone while keeping it charged with my portable power bank
The cabin was quiet and dark for the flight. Quite a few people were catching some sleep during the flight.
Lufthansa A321 Lavatory
About 25 minutes before landing, I went to the rear lavatory. This isn’t a super new plane so the bathroom was a little worn, but was clean enough, even at the end of a flight.
Lufthansa A321 Economy Landing and Arrival
We descended into Frankfurt still delayed about 15-20 minutes late. Not a huge deal for us, we’re not making a connection or anything. Again, apologizes for the poor photo.
And at the gate here in Frankfurt. We walked out of the airport and to the rental car counter, we’re driving down to Sinsheim to visit the teknik museum.
Lufthansa A321 Economy Final Thoughts
I’m really not sure how to feel about Lufthansa Intra-Europe flights. In economy, it’s no better than any low cost carrier. Seat assignments are not included, leg room is very tight, the seats are hard, and the flight was slightly delayed. If easyJet or AirBaltic flew this route, I’d gladly ride with them instead of Lufthansa.
As always, a direct flight is better than a connection, so clearly if Lufthansa is the only airline on a certain route, I’m going to ride with them again. I’m just not that impressed with their offering in economy on the A321.
Follow Our Trip
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Lounge Review: United Polaris Lounge ORD
Flight Review: Lufthansa 747-8 Business Class Upper Deck. ORD-FRA
Lounge Review: Lufthansa Panorama Lounge Frankfurt
Flight Review: Austrian Airlines A320 Business Class. FRA-VIE
Hotel Review: 25 Hours Hotel Vienna Museumsquartier
Flight Review: Austrian Airlines ERJ195 Business Class. Small Plane, Great Food. VIE-VNO
Hotel Review: Artagonist Hotel Vilnius
Lounge Review: Narbutas Business Lounge VNO
Flight Review: airBaltic A220-300 Economy. VNO-TLL
Hotel Review: Hotel Telegraaf Tallinn Estonia
Lounge Review: Business reLounge Tallinn Airport
Flight Review: Lufthansa A321 Economy. TLL-FRA
Hotel Review: Hotel Sinsheim Am Technik Museum
Hotel Review: LUME Boutique Hotel Frankfurt
Flight Review: Delta Air Lines A330-200 Delta One-Business Class. FRA-DTW