I took advantage of one Germanwings great offers a while back and booked a round-trip to MXP from CGN. It cost me EUR48!

4U is one of the better LCCs in my book. Here's a quick rundown of the trip. Sorry no pics, weather just didn't seem to cooperate.

Date: 11.11 (alaaf!)
Flight: 4U 824 CGN-MXP
Aircraft: A319 D-AKNU
Scheduled Departure: 06:55
Actual Departure: 07:10
Scheduled Arrival: 08:20
Actual Arrival: 08:25

My trip started with an S-bahn ride to the airport. The check-in area was quite busy. I wonder how many were Karneval Refugees like me.....I checked-in using their automatic check-in kiosks. As usual no seat assignment. I joined 4U's new frequent flyer programm, Boomerrang Club, after I booked my flight so I wanted to make sure I received points right away. I went to their service desk and the agent entered my number into the system and I was all set to go. As you all know the new liquid rules are in effect but there were still lots of people not sure what they were allowed to take onboard. 4U had people handing out clear plastic baggies and explaining to people the new regulations. I thought that was very nice customer service coming from a LCC. I wonder if any other carrier had done the same.

I made my way through security and to gate C10. The waiting area was full already which gave me an idea how the boarding procedure was going to be like and I wasn't disappointed. As soon as the announcement was made EVERYONE rushed the gate. This is probably the only criticisim I have for Germanwings. The open seating concept just invites people to be rude and obnoxious. Well I don't want to rant so I just say I was one of the last to board and found an empty aisle seat and made myself comfortable.

The flight itself was totally uneventful. The crew did their safety procedures, the captain welcomed everyone onboard the on board sales started shortly after take off. I didn't buy anything this time.

We had a smooth landing in MXP and parked at the A gates. I was expecting to take the bus to the terminal so it was a pleasant surprise to de-plane via the air bridges. I only had one small carry-on so I spent some time doing a bit of spotting. The depatures for the North Atlantic bank were just getting under way. I spotted two 767s from DL and US, a few from AZ as well as lots of MDs. For any MD lovers out there, MXP is the place to go before they all but disappear!

Milano is a great place for a quick getaway. I spent the day going from one Espresso bar to the other. Found a nice corner Bar near my hotel and watched the Inter-Milan-Roma game on TV. The Milanes take their soccer very seriously. Unfortunately Roma won 0-2.

The next day I spent strolling along the shopping streets around the Duomo and enjoy the nice November morning. I made my way back to Stazione Centrale to catch my bus back to MXP.

I've been to MXP a few times before. I like it. Only drawback is it's distance to Milano. The parking lot outside exit 11 offers a great view of the tarmac.

My return trip:
Date: 11.12
Flight: 4U 827 MXP-CGN
Aircraft: A319 D-AILN (logo jet for Cologne/Bonn Airport)
Scheduled Departure: 20:35
Actual Departure: 20:55
Scheduled Arrival: 22:40
Actual Arrival: 22:55

I was at the airport early to check out the evening goings-on so I was the second to check-in. No problem, took all but 1 minute. We departed again from the A gates, this time A9. The same procedure again for boarding, lots of pushing, shoving, elbowing to make sure you get "the perfect seat".

This flight too was uneventual. The crew were nice, did their job quickly but not in a rushed way. Upon arrival in CGN we parked at a remote stand so we were bused back to the terminal. I made my way directly to the train station and rode the S-bahn back into town.

All in all 4U delivered what they advertised: a comfortable flight, cheap prices, professional crews and good solid service. My next trip is in Dec to London. Will try to take some pics then.

This was just another uneventual flight! But thanks for sharing. I think that
a lot of flights we take are uneventual, but it is of great importance to report
them.

thanks: DALelite

^ you mean uneventFULL I guess???

Hi cgnnrw,

thanks for the short report, I was actually in Milano the same weekend, taking advantage of the special Business Class fares to MXP out of MUC - I paid about 11x your fare but got 6 flights (MUC-GVA-ZRH-MXP-ZRH-GVA-MUC) out of it instead of 2!   Plus of course 13750 Miles & More miles.  

Milano is a great city for a getaway. Really enjoyed it although the Saturday was a little too foggy (and depressing) for my liking.

Cheers,
Star

Quoting StarFlyer (Reply 3): Plus of course 13750 Miles & More miles.

Well I did get two full Boomerrang Points! Better than nothing  

Yes, Saturday's weather wasn't too great. Sunday was much better. Anywhere in Italy is to getaway from it all for a few days.

Quoting Spootter10 (Reply 2): ^ you mean uneventFULL I guess???

Yes, I meant uneventfull.....need to pay more attention to spelling next time.