4U 0356 CGN-STN 5 MAR 11 (ECONOMY)
Posted: 19 Jun 2011, 16:39When I went to Cologne in March it was to their Festival - and a great time was had by all! It's a lovely city, dominated by its cathedral and definitely worth a second visit. Especially as I developed a taste for Kölsch...
I had chosen to fly back to Stansted just to try out Germanwings, who email me twice a week with offers. So I decided to give them a go.
First things first: Would I get to the airport on time? (Don't panic: I did.)
The trip back to Cologne Airport was easy, as you'd expect in Germany. I wanderered over to the main station on a lovely morning.
I had checked in earlier using Germanwings mobile app, and had a mobile boarding pass. Now I just had to hope that my battery would hold out. (Don't panic: it did.)
The station at the airport looked stunning as usual.
Terminal 1 on a Saturday afternoon has surprisingly few facilities - it's more than adequate for the demand, but definitely not much to keep you lingering.
It did have a deliciously retro departure board though!
There was no lounge so my Priority Pass card didn't see the light of day, and the "international departures" area was unlocked about an hour before we departed. This part of the airport was quite deserted, so if you are flying back from this terminal, don't be tempted, like I was, to arrive earlier and soak up the atmosphere of a busy airport!
Germanwings however could not be faulted.
The lady at the departures gate looked at my mobile pass and laughed and was very good natured. "Ah, you have one of these ones. I will have to remember your face!" Would she? (Don't panic: she did.)
The plane was spotless. I have never flown on an aircraft where you could eat your dinner off the floor, seriously, it was a pleasure. Germanwings cabin crew were polite and slightly aloof, but not in a BA way: the exuded confidence and poise.
The flight was uneventful. I tried some of the BuyOnBoard snacks which were fine, and I would happily fly Germanwings again.
