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| Printing our boarding passes at the hotel lobby |
Our flight out of Prague was scheduled to leave at 6:50am. So why did we need to be there early? Based on our two previous trips to Europe (Nov/Dec ’07 and earlier this year, Mar/Apr ’15), we learned to get a refund on taxable items we purchased during our vacation. The refund is NOT for every single item, but to be specific, higher end items such as the jacket I purchased in London at Mark & Spencer’s, and the bags and purses that Nancy purchased at Louis Vuitton in Prague. Depending on the amount of purchase, the refund could be as high as 19% return. |
| I was not looking at the camera lens, AGAIN!!! |
We learned that Global Tax Free office opens at 6am. Ouch! Our flight was scheduled at 6:50am. There was only one Global Tax Free refund booth, and it was located in the main public terminal before you enter security to get to your gate. The question was, “do we both wait for Global Tax Free to open at 6am, or do we go in through security and hang out at the airport lounge while waiting for the booth open?” We went with the 2nd option.
We found a place to rest at the lounge. I sat on this red chair, and I looked like one of the coaches from The Voice. “I want you!” We FaceTime’d with our kids (this was around 8pm Calif time). We simply couldn’t wait to see all of them.
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| FaceTime’ing with Evan |
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| Waiting to board our plane at Frankfurt International Airport |
– seats recline completely, with no fuss to change the position during meals
– the window seat has more space towards the huge window, which amplifies the space
And that’s exactly what we experienced. All that extra space especially helpful with such a long flight from Europe back to the US soil. Their catch phrase for the Airbus A380 – more space, more peace, more room.
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| Nancy walked up the spiral staircase to the Upper Deck |
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| The Upper Deck, we sat on the side, 2 seats in that row |
We had close to 12 hours of flight from Frankfurt back to LA. While Wi-Fi was available, I decided to continue sleeping for the 1st 2-3 hours of the flight. By the time, I woke up, they started serving our lunch. We had the Turkey breast lunch with carrots. It was a wonderful lunch. I decided to write my blog entry during the rest of the flight, and took in a couple of movies and a couple of shows on my monitor. The crew kept us well-fed and hydrated. With an hour left in our flight, we were served dinner – Shrimp scampi and mushroom pasta. Again, very delicious considering it was food served in the plane. I would fly Lufthansa again. They were very efficient, not a bad experience.
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| Flying over the Inland Empire, Southern California |
Back in the USA
The plane arrived at LAX close to 2pm. For the first time, we used our Global Entry pass. To those not familiar with the pass, US Citizens have to apply for this card and get approved. The perk? Upon arrival, you go to a Global Entry kiosk, as opposed to lining up with the rest of travelers to go through immigration. That’s a timesaver right there. Also, after you claim your baggage, there is a line for Global Entry cardholders as well as you exit the airport, another benefit that lets you expeditiously get your way out of the airport quickly. Thankfully, this Global Entry came to us at NO EXTRA COST. Because we were American Express Platinum Cardholders, we didn’t have to pay for the fees. Actually, we paid for the fees and then Amex reimbursed the fees that we paid a day or two after the charges appeared on our statement. So, there! Thank you, American Express.
That was our Day 14, our travel back to the US. I will conclude my blog with one more entry – the takeaways. I typically end my travel blog with my takeaways, my overall experience, what I will not forget. Thanks again for following.
