StarMegaDO4: Lufthansa LAX-FRA Departure And Star Alliance Lounge

This is the 3rd post in a series detailing the adventure of StarMegaDO4.  Previous posts are listed below:

StarMegaDO4: Getting Under Way

StarMegaDO4: Sheraton Gateway LAX Review

We’ve spent the last few hours hanging out in the Star Alliance Lounge in the Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX.  While I’ve flown in and out of LAX more times then I can count, I’ve never departed out of the international terminal.  I’ve eaten there a number of times, either at the Daily Grill or the sushi restaurant.  But, this would be my first time on the other side of security.

The Tom Bradley Terminal is a classic terminal complete with high ceilings and the old style departure boards.

There was no line at security and we were very quickly checking into the Star Alliance Lounge.  We had picked up a few MegaDOers along the way.  We all rode up the elevator and checked in together.

Nothing like a glass of champagne to greet us in our private area of the lounge.

There was a decent variety of food for us to enjoy.  Pasta with cajun chicken various cheeses, crab fried rice (probably my favorite) and plenty of sandwiches and other light fare.

The sparkling wine was a touch on the sweet side for my taste.  But, a bit of pineapple juice made out for a reasonable enough drink to bide our time until boarding.

Our group was about 100 strong, and we all gathered to hear the station chief address us.  We were supposed to be flying the new Boeing 747-8i from LAX to Frankfurt.  Unfortunately, the planes necessary to establish the route were delayed in delivery, so we would be traveling on one of the older 747-400s.  They, did, however, give us a commemorative pin of the 747-8i, which in no way replaced the coolness of being on the new plane.

There’s plenty more to come on our landing in FRA and the time in Zurich, along with the rest of the MegaDO.  For now, I’m heading off to sleep since I have to be up in 6 hours for our flight back to SFO.