Lufthansa vs. United or Delta?

[JOHN GRENZ]

Heading to Namibia in June. Have always flown Delta or United before. Trying Lufthansa thru Frankfurt this time and on to Windhoek. Wanted to avoid Johannesburg this trip. Whole family, so three generations. Not taking guns. Anything different to be aware of about rules, restrictions, bags, backpacks, etc?
10 hours to kill in Frankfurt airport?

 

[Red Leg]

Lufthansa is one of my favorite rides - Delta, just reconfirming it over to Europe and back a few days ago, remains one of the worst. I should add that a Lufthansa flight crew also tends not to look like an overweight post menopausal support group. Your family may be too large, but a couple of day rooms in the airport Hilton can make all the difference during that layover. You can walk to it over a sky bridge from the international terminal. A nap, hot shower, and schnitzel with a cold lager can make all the difference prior to the overnight flight to Windhoek. Plus it takes an early bite out of the inevitable jet lag. And by the way, you have selected the best way to fly to Namibia.

 

[revturbo9967]

Ill let you know, taking the same route in 2 weeks. I have a hotel room in Frankfurt for the long layover.

 

[Tanks]

I am taking that flight. Have room booked at Sheraton and looking forward to their dry aged porterhouse steak and a nap after.

 

[Osama Mahdi]

Lufthansa is fine. Just try not to buy a €74,000 watch while you’re bored during that 10-hour layover—lol.

 

[Scott CWO]

Heading to Namibia in June. Have always flown Delta or United before. Trying Lufthansa thru Frankfurt this time and on to Windhoek. Wanted to avoid Johannesburg this trip. Whole family, so three generations. Not taking guns. Anything different to be aware of about rules, restrictions, bags, backpacks, etc?
10 hours to kill in Frankfurt airport?

When are you going? A friend and I are taking that route starting on June 12th.

 

[JOHN GRENZ]

Lufthansa is fine. Just try not to buy a €74,000 watch while you’re bored during that 10-hour layover—lol.

Should not be a problem with that. Never liked wearing one. Plus being retired I don’t care what time it is.

 

[JOHN GRENZ]

When are you going? A friend and I are taking that route starting on June 12th.

We’re leaving Rapid City on June 6, Frankfurt on the 7th, and Windhoek morning of the 8th. Leaving for home on the 19th.

 

[DAK]

I took the Lufthansa/discover flights from SEA-FRA-WDH last April-May for a leopard hunt and had a great experience as well, much better cabin crew than delta, even in their delta ONE suites. The layover is definitely long, as someone who just slept in a chair in the airport, getting a room as some have suggested would have been a great idea. I didn’t get the temporary German import permit for my rifle though I know many have. Had our flights been disrupted necessitating leaving the airport for a hotel, that permit would have been critical as I understand it.

 

[DAK]

Heading to Namibia in June. Have always flown Delta or United before. Trying Lufthansa thru Frankfurt this time and on to Windhoek. Wanted to avoid Johannesburg this trip. Whole family, so three generations. Not taking guns. Anything different to be aware of about rules, restrictions, bags, backpacks, etc?
10 hours to kill in Frankfurt airport?

What outfitter are you guys using and are there any particular species you’re targeting?Three generations in Namibia, that’s a dream of mine man, hope you guys have an absolute blast!

 

[JOHN GRENZ]

What outfitter are you guys using and are there any particular species you’re targeting?Three generations in Namibia, that’s a dream of mine man, hope you guys have an absolute blast!

Going with Orpa Hunting. Met them at a show in Nebraska and had read good hunting reports here on trip reports. Eland, kudu, hartebeest, blue wildebeest, warthogs, nothing to extreme. Son wants eland and kudu even though he has taken 3 kudu on previous trips to South Africa. 14 year old grandson wants everything plus Bird hunting. He’s big into pheasant and waterfowl here. Plus he’s on the high school trap and skeet teams. 11 year old granddaughter wants a zebra rug for her bedroom. She does great on whitetail deer so I have confidence in her shooting. My most exotic I guess would be klipspringer and baboons. Side trip to Etosha Park.

 

[DAK]

Sounds like an amazing trip! Best of luck and let us know how you guys do!

 

[cgcrook1]

Etosha is great we did 2 days and a night at Halali Camp which has a floodlit waterhole for night time viewing. Added after the hunt and it was amazing game viewing especially that time of year as the water holes attract a lot of various game. We saw black rhino, elephants and lions in just a few days.

 

[Oil & Dirt]

I flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Johannesburg a few years ago. Probably the best meal I’ve had on a plane. I had a considerable layover but most of the terminals weren’t open due to Covid. The stewardess saw my sleeping pills and tried to talk me into “pork rinds” to help me sleep. After a couple of times I obliged so she’d leave me alone. Being hard of hearing and hillbilly I was really surprised when she came back with “port wine”. I’m pretty sure they fueled the plane on the same stuff. A couple of those and I was lights out until Joberg.

Awesome taking your family, enjoy!

 

[Throwback]

Heading to Namibia in June. Have always flown Delta or United before. Trying Lufthansa thru Frankfurt this time and on to Windhoek. Wanted to avoid Johannesburg this trip. Whole family, so three generations. Not taking guns. Anything different to be aware of about rules, restrictions, bags, backpacks, etc?
10 hours to kill in Frankfurt airport?

It should work just fine and I think its the best option overall anyway. As some other have mentioned, I always get a room at the Marriott or Hilton in Terminal 1 itself but the Sheraton is just as easy. I fly through there for work regularly.
I am flying Houston to FRA May 11th, spend layover in a hotel room and then the Lufthansa flight to Luanda, Angola. After a few days there we fly Luanda to Windhoek for some hunting. Then later WIN to FRA on that Discover airlines flight, then back home on Lufthansa.

This will be the third year in a row dong this and all has worked fine. I never have checked bags so that makes it easier.

Seeing that Lufthansa's main hub is FRA this helps. If you are not flying to Frankfurt on Lufthansa just make sure whether or not your checked bags will be checked all the way through, or not, and/or if you have to claim them and then recheck etc....

Also, catching a connecting flight on the way back through FRA (if that is how you are going), I suggest at least a 90 minute connection time, minimum. You dont need a crazy amount of time but depending on the time of day those FRA security lines can take a while, and you are a large group too. I usually have 2-4 hours on the connection back and thats plenty. I have seen those lines take like 45 minutes or so when they werent even that long. The staff can be indifferent at times.

Cheers

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

The flights on Lufthansa are good, however my trip last year (IAH-FRA-WDH) was without a doubt the all time worst flight I have ever had. Lufthansa-Discover lost my bag in FRA for 10 days. I had AirTags and despite telling them exactly where my bag was located, they couldn’t get me my bag, which had my ammunition. On the return trip, my rifles got left in FRA, despite a 4 hour connection time. When my rifles arrived in Houston, a day later, Lufthansa couldn’t clear them through customs. I had to drive 200 miles back to Houston to clear the rifles myself.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Option 4: Emirates to Johannesburg and Airlink to Windhoek.

HH

 

[dogcat1]

I would suggest you book via a real hunting travel agent. They are worth their weight in gold if things go sidewise - which can happen.
Also, you should consider Ripcord or some other emergency evac service.
I never leave the country without it - made over 100 trips outside the US. Needed it once. Worth it.

 

[Rare Breed]

I flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Johannesburg a few years ago. Probably the best meal I’ve had on a plane. I had a considerable layover but most of the terminals weren’t open due to Covid. The stewardess saw my sleeping pills and tried to talk me into “pork rinds” to help me sleep. After a couple of times I obliged so she’d leave me alone. Being hard of hearing and hillbilly I was really surprised when she came back with “port wine”. I’m pretty sure they fueled the plane on the same stuff. A couple of those and I was lights out until Joberg.

Awesome taking your family, enjoy!

Lufthansa is one of my favorite rides - Delta, just reconfirming it over to Europe and back a few days ago, remains one of the worst. I should add that a Lufthansa flight crew also tends not to look like an overweight post menopausal support group. Your family may be too large, but a couple of day rooms in the airport Hilton can make all the difference during that layover. You can walk to it over a sky bridge from the international terminal. A nap, hot shower, and schnitzel with a cold lager can make all the difference prior to the overnight flight to Windhoek. Plus it takes an early bite out of the inevitable jet lag. And by the way, you have selected the best way to fly to Namibia.

Good to know! I have never even considered them for my flights each year to Africa, now I will

 

[Betterinthebush]

Good route, good flight, good service and cheap upgrades to business on both the return legs (Discover/Windhoek to Frankfurt and Luft/Frankfurt to LaGuardia) on overbooked flights. It was their business partner United that was shiftless and incompetent.

I’ll definitely take that route again when I return to Namibia for a hunt in Caprivi.