Tag 1: Let's go DOWN UNDER / Australia! Frankfurt - Singapore

June 22, 2018

Finally! Today is the day!
We - a travel-hungry family with 2 children (10 & 14) - are starting our journey to the other side of the world!
Australia, here we come!!! Let's go DOWN UNDER!

The planning started 1.5 years in advance, the route was set about 1 year in advance, and I booked the first accommodations in the Outback (where there is sometimes only one accommodation 300 km away) 10 months in advance (even though we didn't have a flight yet).
Shortly after, we also found the right flights. We were going to fly with Singapore Airlines via Singapore to Brisbane.
Because Australia is so darn big and we wanted to explore a lot of diverse areas, we had 3 domestic flights planned as well.
Booking the rental car in the Outback and Top End was particularly exciting. 10 months in advance, Hertz & Thrifty didn't have any 4x4 Jeeps available anymore, but we managed to get a car each from AVIS. Phew, lucky!
The biggest problem was packing our suitcases. While we do have experience with different climates and changing weather (Canada taught us a thing or two), it was difficult to predict the weather in Australia. Especially since we expected a moderate climate around 20 degrees Celsius on the East Coast, but in Sydney, winter is raging in July and other Australia travelers told us that the weather could be very rainy and cold.... hm... and then there's the Outback... around 20 degrees Celsius during the day, but a few days ago my weather app predicted 0 degrees Celsius at night. Yuck... In northern Australia, around Darwin, we can expect tropical temperatures of around 30-35 degrees Celsius. So, what to pack???
We decided to go with the 'layering' principle. It will be what it will be - we can't predict the weather.
So, we packed everything in the suitcase. From airy summer tops and shorts to swimwear, long pants, sweaters, fleece jackets, and raincoats & umbrellas, everything found its place in our 4 suitcases.
For space reasons, we decided to only pack 2 suitcases this time and instead packed 2 large travel bags that can be nested together when empty.
When we received the final confirmation of our flight, we found out that our booked Singapore Airlines flight is a codeshare flight.

We will (apparently) only fly twice with Singapore Airlines (Singapore-Brisbane / Singapore-Frankfurt), the rest will be operated by Lufthansa and SilkAir. Well, at least the in-flight entertainment for the kids will be in German!
Our taxi will arrive at 7 PM and take us to the airport in Frankfurt.

After passing through the security checks, we are sitting at the gate. Surprisingly, it is not very crowded here.

Shortly before departure, an announcement is made over the loudspeaker that the flight is overbooked. They are looking for vacationers who can fly one day later and will receive a compensation of €600 per person, plus the Steigenberger hotel in Frankfurt with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My husband sees dollar signs in his eyes.

We have planned 2 days in Brisbane, but even just one day would do. Should we add €2,400 to our vacation budget and fly one day later??? Well, we can ask....

Actually, I want to fly NOW, but on the other hand, €2,400 is a lot of money that we could really use in Australia. So, we decide to take the flight the next day. However, we fail to make a connection for our next flight! The ladies at the counter search for all available options, but there is no connecting flight to Brisbane for tomorrow's flight.

Well, it wasn't meant to be....
So, we continue to wait for our plane, which turns out to be an A380!

Our plane departs from Frankfurt at 9:55 PM, with a 5-hour layover in Singapore, to Brisbane.
The initial excitement of being able to fly with the LH A380 quickly fades away when we enter the plane. Wow, they really installed a ton of 'economy seats' here.

After discovering our row with the number 55 (we're sitting 4 in the middle), disappointment sets in:

it wasn't even this cramped on the last Condor holiday flight!

Oh God, how am I supposed to sit or sleep for 12 hours in here???
We've already flown with the Emirates A380 to Dubai - no comparison to Lufthansa.... there was space, delicious food, proper blankets, giveaways, and a fully functional entertainment system. Luckily, we have a night flight and have to sleep, because my daughter's TV crashes every 20 minutes and needs to be manually 'rebooted', which visibly annoys the flight attendant after 2 hours.
Note: there isn't even a USB plug for the phone in the LH A380...
Well, we can't change it. Literally: close your eyes and get through it!
The food is unfortunately terrible - I'm not very sensitive, but this time I hardly touched my food as well. At least the pre-order for the kids' meals and my vegetarian meal worked.
We sleep - albeit poorly - for about half of the flight. And we're freezing!!! Even with the Lufthansa blankets that have holes in them, it's still 16 degrees Celsius. The blankets are so loosely woven that you can see through them. They don't warm you up at all...
Luckily, we all brought thick socks and fleece jackets with scarves/neck warmers. It's really freezing!!

For the record:
Overnight: Night flight Lufthansa A380
Distance: 10,252 km
Time: 9:50 PM to 4:15 PM
Flight duration: 12h 20
Conclusion: Never again Lufthansa A380!!!