Page 14 - SeniorsToday October

First Person
Lufthansa: A Case of German
Efficiency Gone Wrong
The disregard for older passengers and the inconvenience caused to their
families waiting at the other end of the journey is unacceptable, writes
Vickram Sethi
Germany is often lauded for its
engineering prowess and technological
innovation, with companies like
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen,
Adidas, and Siemens standing as
towering examples. However, Lufthansa
seems to stand in stark contrast, a blemish
on the otherwise sterling reputation of
German excellence. This airline, rather
embarrassingly, represents the very
definition of ‘dis-excellence’ —a tale of
shoddy service and irresponsibility that
left my wife and I utterly disappointed.
We were travelling by Lufthansa, flying
from Mumbai to Nice via Munich. With
over an hour between our connecting
flights, one would reasonably assume
that the German precision we’ve come to
expect would ensure a seamless transfer
of our luggage. Yet, upon arrival in Nice,
only two of our three bags arrived. After
14
filling in numerous forms at the airport,
two bags were delivered by 7 pm. The
missing third bag, which contained a pair
of shoes, a shawl, and a handbag, arrived
the next day —also at 7 pm. How is it
that all three bags, checked in together
from Mumbai, didn’t make it to their
final destination at the same time? The
mystery remains unsolved, much like the
frustration it caused.
Our return journey from Nice to Munich
was an equally unpleasant experience.
Though the flight landed on time, we were
left waiting for wheelchair assistance
that never came. Watching precious
minutes slip by, I approached the service
provider, only to be met with a shrug
and a dismissive response—someone
would come eventually, they said. That
‘someone’ never appeared, and as a
result we missed our connecting flight.