Mileage Run - Jan 2026 - Chapter 04

After all the chaos of the past two days, I’m hoping things will finally calm down from here on out.

This morning started early: at 4:30am I took the shuttle from the HI to Athens Airport (ATH). With plenty of time before departure, I settled in for a proper breakfast at the Lufthansa Business Lounge at Gate B12.

Today involves just two flights before—hopefully—continuing on to AMM tomorrow.

At 6:35am, LH 1747 takes me from ATH to Munich (MUC). The aircraft is a six-year-old A320neo (D-AINU). Since my next flight doesn’t leave until early afternoon, I’ve planned a short excursion into Munich’s city center.

At 2:00pm, LH 109 departs from MUC to Frankfurt (FRA). What makes this flight particularly interesting is the aircraft assignment: a 787-9 (D-ABPS). The plane has just arrived from Mumbai and will be shuttling back and forth between Munich and Frankfurt a few times today before heading on to Rio (GIG) in the evening. As far as I know, this is one of the aircraft already fitted with Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabin—so naturally, I’m curious.

The flight to Munich itself is uneventful. Having already eaten in the lounge, I just have a coffee and close my eyes for most of the flight. The night was short.

Once in Munich, I store my carry-on trolley at the luggage lockers—I still want to head into the city. Unfortunately, the weather is just as unpleasant as it was on Friday in Zurich: 0°C and dense fog.

My Munich visit ends with a stop at the Augustiner Keller.

There’s just enough time for a Helles and an Obatzda. I simply love this place. Sitting in the large beer garden in summer is fantastic, and in winter the area is now filled with huts and shepherd’s wagons that you can rent.

From Hackerbrücke, I take the S1 back to the airport. On the way into the city, I had already bought a day ticket for €17.60, which allows unlimited travel between the airport and the city all day—very convenient.

Back at the airport, I make a quick stop at the Senator Lounge in the G concourse before heading straight to Gate G24, where boarding for the 787-9 is already underway.

As expected, the aircraft features the new Allegris cabin. However, since the Business Class cabin—apart from the four front suite seats—has not yet been approved by the FAA, all Business Class passengers are seated in Premium Economy.

I haven’t yet had the chance to fly Allegris. Curious, I ask the purser whether I might take a few photos of the completely empty Business Class cabin. He’s happy to oblige, so I take my time exploring the space. When I return to my seat, the purser comes back and asks if I’d like to actually try out the Business Class cabin during the flight. I’m genuinely surprised—and of course, I accept.

So I move from seat 11G to 1G, one of the center suite seats. Having the entire cabin to myself is a special experience. Overall, I really like the Allegris concept, but I do have two major criticisms.

First, the standard seats feel genuinely cramped. While it’s nice not to share foot space with your neighbor anymore, the regular single and double seats otherwise feel very tight. Even worse, there is absolutely no storage space—none at all. I honestly don’t know who thought that was a good idea.

The throne seats and the four suites are a completely different story. These feel spacious and offer plenty of storage right at the seat, which makes a huge difference.

All in all, it’s a fantastic experience to fly in an empty Allegris Business Class cabin, and I would have happily stayed there longer.

First, a few impressions of Premium Economy:

And finally, the Business Class double suite:

The remaining Business Class seats that are not yet approved:

The flight is genuinely enjoyable and makes up, at least a little, for the stress of the past two days.

Upon arrival in Frankfurt, I head straight to the Senator Lounge at the A gates to arrange a hotel voucher for my unwanted overnight stay.

The lounge agent is very friendly and apologizes once again for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, there are no rooms available at the Hilton, so I’m given a voucher for the Sheraton next door—breakfast and dinner included.

Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out with LH692 tomorrow morning and that I’ll finally make it to Amman. By now, I should already be on my second rotation. Let’s hope tomorrow is the day.