AIRWAYS TRAVELER
4 5
4 In Business Class , the only meal service consisted of a selection of roast beef , accompanied by an alternative interpretation of a fruit salad . Bread and butter were served as well .
5 Flying in seat 2H , I was actually further forward than the Pilots on the upper deck . This unusual situation can only be found on Boeing 747 aircraft .
a shorter route , has become a popular event for aviation enthusiasts and Lufthansa fans alike .
The Airways team could not resist taking one of these iconic flights to the Balearic Islands . I had the chance to board one between Palma de Mallorca and Frankfurt , experiencing the product in both Business and Economy Class .
WHY UPGRADE TO PMI ?
When discussing this flight , a question often comes up . Of all the large European cities that generate enormous demand for air travel from Germany , such as London or Paris , why does LH fly the Boeing 747-400 four times in April to Palma de Mallorca , with its population of little more than 400,000 ?
Since the 1960s , Spain ’ s economy has grown almost exclusively around European tourism . The country ’ s warm climate and breathtaking landscapes , beaches , culture , and gastronomy have made the Spanish seaside resorts a prime choice for tourists seeking a comfortable and accessible vacation hub . Cities like Malaga , Alicante , and Barcelona and the Canary Islands are excellent choices for British , Nordic , or Dutch travelers to spend their holidays .
However , across the Balearic Islands — the archipelago that sits off Spain ’ s eastern coast , in the Mediterranean Sea — Palma de Mallorca stands out as the destination of choice of the largest number of German tourists in all of Europe . Son Sant Joan airport ( PMI ) becomes the third busiest in Spain during peak season , receiving hundreds of flights per day just from major German cities like Frankfurt , Munich , Dusseldorf , and Hamburg . At peak hours , and with just two operative runways , air traffic controllers have to deal with traffic congestion that can see up to seven airplanes on short final to land . In winter , on the other hand , one will rarely find two arrivals coinciding through the day .
Many German airlines , such as Condor or Eurowings , have invested heavily in the island by establishing aircraft bases and even subsidiaries in Palma de Mallorca .
The high seasonal demand has led Lufthansa to upscale the aircraft that operates its four April flights from Frankfurt from an Airbus A321 , which seats just 200 people , to a Boeing 747 , capacity 371 .
PREPARING THE FLIGHT
I traveled on April 23 , 2023 , the last of the four April Sundays on which Lufthansa was flying the
28 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE AUGUST 2024 www . airwaysmag . com