Frankfurt Rhein-Main

In the terminal I headed to the Transfer Desk near the customs at terminal B to ask about the gate for the flight to DUS and to check in. This was done by the agent without problem. He also told me, that the Combi Lounge in Terminal 1 A is open.
As the lines at customs were quite long, I take my usual way to Terminal A by taking the “Sky Line” form the Stop “Terminal AB” to “Terminal A”. You have to pass the lines right hand side and follow the signs to “Sky Line” (not Terminal A A 1 – A 26). The Sky Line stops at Terminal A, pass customs and then by elevator reach Level 2. The way is longer, but if the lines are long and especially by an early arrival this way it is from my point of view faster, than waiting at customs at Terminal 1 B. and taking the tunnel.
I again walk to the Business Class Lounge / Frequent Traveller Lounge (I think, it was the Combi Lounge after security, but I am not quite sure, because I never was there before and the timetable does not show a Lounge at this Level at this place). Be that as is may I was in a Lounge at 5.40 and signed the waiting list for the shower, hoping that there will be enough time.
I took a mineral water and sit down and just relax for some minutes. Then, a call was made, requesting all passengers on LH 800 to Düsseldorf to contact the front desk. The several passenger asking for the reason of the call and we were told, that the flight was cancelled and had the option of taking a train at 7.09 to Düsseldorf Railway Station or take a later flight. Thinking about the shower, I asked to be rebooked on the later flight and return to my place. I am not quite sure, but I think, in this moment a passenger with a Flyertalk Luggage Tag left the Lounge. I realised a little bit lat, otherwise I had had a better look.

At 7.00 I was called for the shower, which I enjoyed. There is no better thing, than a refreshing shower after a long flight.
I made several phone calls to inform my mother, who would pick me up, that she does not need to hurry, as I will not arrive before 10.35. The rest of the time, I relax, read the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and the “Die Zeit”.
Some minutes after boarding time should have been started I went to gate A 11. There the situation was chaotic. Not only, that several people of the earlier cancelled flight are rebooked on this flight, but there was also an equipment change. The scheduled Airbus was now a smaller Boeing 737, so that several people in the last two (?) rows need new boarding passes. Also, it seems to me, that some seats were given twice. I went to the separate Business Class Part, to have a seat and wait.
Twenty minutes later, Boarding started, it was absolutely chaotic.

22 January 2004
FRA – DUS
[Frankfurt – Düsseldorf]
LH 813 (Lufthansa); Boeing 737 – 300 „Bamberg”
09.25 – 10.25 [10.00 – 10.45]
Economy Class
Seat 10 C

Boarding was an absolute mess. I need several minutes to enter the plane, because someone tried to put the carry on in the overhead bin, which was full and so no one could pass. Another person tried to get to the window seat, so that the neighbours on seat B + seat C hat to get out of the row. As she and the other passengers were on their seats, she needs to look in her carry on , so that everybody in this row had again to get up. In this time, no one could pass. Several passengers could not put their carry on in the overhead bin, so the flight attendants had to take this carry on luggage. Also, the luggage of some passenger, who took the train was in the plane and had to be removed. Al this causes a delay of more than half an hour, before push back.
The plane was full in Business and Economy. Thank God we had not to wait any longer after pushed back and were in the air quickly.
During take off the curtain between Business Class and Economy Class stayed open as usual, but was not closed during the flight, so that every Economy passenger could see the “luxury live” of Business Class Passengers. Again – and also usual – there was no service in Economy. The flight itself was a bit bumpy but nothing to worry about. I only had to worry about my neighbour, a lady with a lot of bags, she could not put anywhere, because there was no place. We also had a dispute about the air duct, she closed all three at once after she took her seat, and I opened it again, but she closed it and told me, she did not like it. I told her, that this one if for me and she could close her, but not the one for me. Also she put some bags in front of my seat, but this was o.k.. I decided to read and ignore her for the rest of the flight.
(The service in Business was o.k., much routine, but friendly and with some nice words to some passengers.)
The flight was uneventful and we landed in time at Düsseldorf with only a delay of 20 minutes. As I was in the first row after Business, I was the first Economy Passenger who leaves the plane.

Düsseldorf International

The belt started some minutes after I arrived, but I waited, and waited, and waited – but no luggage. My mother called me during my wait, and I told her, that my luggage had not yet arrived and probably was not on this plane. I told her, better to park the car and wait in the Terminal, as I will need some time
So I had to go the Left Luggage Office of Lufthansa and there were several other passengers. I think, I saw some of them on the FTL lounge. The man queuing up in front of me was angry about some damage to his trolley. I cannot really understand him, because, I cannot see any big damage, but he was extremely unfriendly. He left with some angry words and I let the agent some time to calm down. To me, she was friendly and filled out the baggage report. She told me, that there were some problems in this flight because of the equipment change at the 9.25 flight and cannot see, where my luggage was in the moment. But Frankfurt had sent a Telefax about this and so she told me that the luggage will arrive in the afternoon and brought to me in the evening. She was right, at 22.00 the luggage was brought and so my journey to Cambodia ended.

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