Dirndls and beer on tap make the skies friendly again
Flying used to be such fun. As little children in the Eighties, my brother and I loved being invited into the cockpit to be shown the flight controls by the pilot. Grown-ups smoked and drank copiously on board and checked in as many suitcases as they wanted, at no extra cost. It was special.
In the present era of terrorism and no-frills air travel, however, the entire experience has become a dreary, nerve-racking trial, where everything must be paid for to the penny, from seat choice to watery coffee.
Which is why I applaud Lufthansa for injecting some frivolity and fun – and some actual personality – back into the airborne experience.
In honour of Oktoberfest, Munich’s infamous beer festival, which began yesterday, the airline has laid on flight attendants dressed in dirndls and offering beer on tap. The service, which began last Wednesday on flights to New York, will run until the end of the festival on Oct 7. It will also be offered on flights within Europe and to Shanghai and Singapore.
This is not the first time the airline has served beer on draught: wonderfully, it was part of the regular service in the Sixties. But getting a keg on board isn’t entirely straightforward, since it requires a special barrel suitable for altitude, with carbon dioxide pressure regulated by a valve that prevents “overpressure”. It sounds like a health and safety at altitude nightmare.
Also, the beer on tap is for business class only. But at least the stewardesses in their splendid dirndls can be enjoyed by all.