My Epic Two Year Journey To Fly On The Dying Breed of Airbus A340-600 Widebodies
October 2021 – Initial Plans:
In October of 2021, Covid seemed to be in its waning moments. Many countries had begun to re-open their borders, albeit many with strict mandatory testing requirements, but open, nonetheless. Being the travel loving, wanderlust filled person I am, I was itching to get back to international travel. So, after making sure I understood current Covid restrictions, I decided to book flights on Lufthansa, from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany and back for February 2022.
The point of this trip was to fly on Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-600, as I’d long wanted to, but had never had things work out. And having seen what Covid had done to the aviation industry, I didn’t want to wait much longer as four engine aircraft like the A340 were the first on the chopping block when Covid caused travel to all but disappear.
Unfortunately, this was all done about two weeks before the Omicron variant was announced to the world, which once again, changed many things where travel was concerned. This new variant brought on a whole new host of travel restrictions and because demand once again plummeted, Lufthansa downgraded my planned flights to Airbus A330-300’s.
January 2022 – Plans Change:
After waiting awhile to see how things played out, in January of 2022, I decided to move my flights back to May of 2022, as the A340-600 was still scheduled to operate JFK-FRA at that point. Since the main point of this trip was to fly on The A340-600, I didn’t see much benefit to spending $1,100 for two A330-300 flights. Plus, while I was in Europe, I planned to take several other flights that were on my bucket list, including Air France’s A318-100, Swiss’s A220-300, and Helvetic’s E-190-E2. Plus, Europe was still a patchwork disaster of different travel restrictions and rules… It just didn’t make sense to go in February.
May 2022 – It Just Didn’t Work Out:
In the end, the Omicron wave was relatively short lived and by May travel demand has roared back. Unfortunately for me, this had the opposite effect as before. Lufthansa had now upgraded my flights to Boeing 747-8’s. By this time, there were also no longer any waivers or credits for Covid when changing flights. Had I changed my flights again, I would’ve had to pay a hefty fee.
So, although I was disappointed to miss the A340-600, I was excited to fly the 747-8 for the first time. I took the trip in May, marking off the 747-8 & A318-100 from my list. Equipment swaps on Swiss and Helvetic caused me to miss the others. In the end, it was a great trip, but the A340-600 remained at large!
July 2023 – Let’s Plan Again:
Over a year later, I was planning a large “around the world” trip for fall of 2023, and I was determined to fit the Lufthansa A340-600 into the trip. I was not letting it get away again! Lufthansa had now been utilizing their A340-600’s out of their Munich hub for quite some time, so I incorporated a flight from Munich to Newark as part of the 24,500-mile journey. And I’m happy to report that this time, there were no equipment changes!
October 2023 – Success!:
Almost exactly two years to the day from when I booked the first trip from New York to Frankfurt, I flew on Lufthansa flight 412. Airbus A340-600 service from Munich, Germany to Newark, New Jersey.
Flight Date – October 3, 2023
Aircraft Operator – Lufthansa
Flight Number – 412
City Pair – Munich, Germany (MUC) – Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
Seat – 36K
Seat Class – Economy
Flight Schedule – 3:45pm-6:45pm
Flight Block Time – 9 Hours 00 Minutes
Actual Flight Time – 8 Hours 23 Minutes
Equipment – Airbus A340-642
Tail Number – D-AIHT
Equipment Age – 15 Years 5 Months
Livery – Lufthansa (1990 Livery)
Flying Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-600 In 2023:
Once in Munich, I’ll admit that I stood at the window looking at the A340-600 parked at gate L23 for quite some time. Personally, I think the A340-600 is one of the best-looking aircraft ever built. That long skinny fuselage, with those four large engines. Plus, the realization of something I’d been attempting to do for two years, was finally happening. D-AIHT, a 15-year-old Airbus A340-642, still wearing Lufthansa’s old livery would be the aircraft taking me to Newark.
Boarding started late, and I found my seat in economy. I’d be taking the 9-hour flight in 36K, directly behind the wing. The dated looking seat was actually very comfortable, and the A340 features 2-4-2. Something I as a usually solo traveler, much prefer over 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 seating layouts. With 31 inches of pitch, it is standard for long-haul international economy. For reference, British Airways also offers 31 inches of pitch on their brand-new Airbus A350-1000 economy seats. Lufthansa also provided a pillow and blanket. Every seat also had a built-in inflight entertainment system that could be operated by touch. The seat also provided a USB charging port next to the IFE screen, as well as a conventional plug underneath the seat.
The flight departed about 45 minutes late, but the captain informed us that we should still arrive on time, as the headwinds were not bad over the Atlantic on this day. About an hour into the flight dinner was served. I chose the beef and potatoes option, and I have to say… It wasn’t one of the better airline meals I’ve had. It was bland and overall lackluster. The pasta & mushroom dish I had on my previous Lufthansa 747 flights was much better. That didn’t spoil my attitude though! The next 8.5-hours flew by, and this was truly one of those moments where I wasn’t ready for the flight to be over.
The Only Reliable Way To Fly the A340-600
In 2024, Lufthansa is really the only “reliable/easily bookable” A340-600 operator left, and even with travel booming, the old four engine gas guzzlers time is short. It likely won’t be long before they are gone from the skies forever. And although that will be good in terms of efficiency, it will be sad to see the beautiful aircraft fade into history. I’m glad I was finally able to mark it off my list, and the full flight from Munich to Newark will be posted in 4K 60fps to Skylite Productions on December 16, 2023, if you want to see the flight in video form.
