It is no wonder that the ever so perfect Germans get the world’s respect for so many things they do, but hardly ever its love. Three recent incidents on aircrafts of their national airline prove why.
First and smallest, on a lot of their short-haul flights they serve only a sandwich. Which is exactly what I mean: one kind of sandwich, with ham (pork!) and cheese. The fact that one is a gold member of their airline multiflyer programme with a choice of vegetarian food filed in their computer system does not make a difference. Luckily, there are lounges before take-off, one only has to think of eating to avoid getting hungry within the next three hours.
Second, flying to Frankfurt from New York on 24 December (leaving from JFK at 4pm on the 24th and landing at FRA at 8am on Christmas Day), I was astonished to notice that the airline of a predominantly Christian country does not even mention the word „Christmas“ once. I understand that political correctness now rules our lives, but are there no possibilities to say something like „to those of our passengers who celebrate Christmas we wish a very happy holiday“ or such? Especially on the way back to Germany it seemed somehow odd.
But not quite as odd as boarding a Lufthansa plane in Marrakech only to look straight at the papal crest, claiming that this plane was blessed by Benedict XVI after it had safely returned him to Rome a few months earlier. Sending that very aircraft to an Islamic country somehow contradicts the Christmas experience.
And all that with a crew whose uniforms (especially the female ones) look like … oh, sorry, I forgot: „Don’t mention the war!“
CULTURAL AFFAIRS FOR CULTIVATED PEOPLE 