A Black Forest Dream

The dream of layers of dark chocolate with oozing  snow white whipped cream, the tangy flavor of cherry pit liqueur and the ripe cherries adorning the Black Forest Cake kept me occupied till the wee hours of the morning, as I jumped out of my bed when my mom woke me up! The whole house was buzzing with excitement as Grandpa picked up his walking stick and settled with a cup of steaming tea and mom applied a deep red lipstick on her lips. Only dad and I were the last ones to get ready. The taxi arrived, as I packed my game of Uno and the Teddy in my Barbie bag which was bulging now!

The airport was overflowing with people due to the summer rush. A very pretty and charming air hostess came to assist Grandpa, and mom told me that they are also called ‘poster girls’ for their style and professionalism besides truly representing their flagship carrier ‘Lufthansa’. The excitement built up as we were shown our seats that were very spacious.

The other hostesses helped the passengers till boarding completed. I was told by dad that we are traveling in ‘Premium Economy Class’ that had been recently introduced. Often I heard, dad discuss with Grandpa that we Indians tend to save money or tend to stretch it to enhance its value as it is not only comforting but can create a long lasting sensation of satisfaction! No matter how well placed one is or how well-heeled one is, no one minds freebies and extras!

Mom also haggles with the local vegetable vendors and the local groceries to seek discounts! My cousin Rohan, who is a new age buyer, looks for discounts on the internet when making most purchases! Dad looks for discounts to book hotels and sites that offer discounts. He often mentions that there are sites that can compare the prices of similar services or goods being offered on internet sites! It is almost addictive and over a period of time one does realize that savings make a difference! I watch the news and now know that not only the individuals, but also the institutions, companies and even governments look for deals while negotiating big proposals! Whether it is an arms deal, or a big project the sweet deals are always welcome! Every Indian no matter of what background, the moment he lands on foreign soil, gets his mental calculator working to convert the price into INR and does a quick mental check to evaluate the ‘cost benefit analysis’. ‘After all money saved is money earned’

Lufthansa, the leading international German carrier has set in the trend and come out with a ‘premium economy class’ The airlines offers more comfort, additional stowage space, more entertainment options,  extra leg room  , and more sumptuous food options  just to name a few. From the moment I boarded the flight I was pampered all the way in utmost comfort and luxury by the charming hostesses! When most of the other airlines just fill the space with more seats to maximize their returns, a classy few like Lufthansa reward the passengers with greater comfort at virtually no extra cost.

Most of the airlines the world over, entice the customers with a range of goodies to offer huge discounts when bookings are done over the internet with long lead times, especially passengers who have a fixed itinerary! They do not however, assure any extra benefits other than select seats that offer greater space to maneuver at a premium!  Currently Lufthansa offers the ‘premium economy class’  on a few select flights to top destinations in Europe, Americas, and far east  but by the mid Aug till autumn of 2015 almost every sector would be covered by the scheme. In times to come, other airlines too will join the race to offer greater rewards and emulate the leaders of the industry like Lufthansa that have set the benchmark, which would be difficult to beat!

The cozy seat where I had reclined after finishing the game of Uno with dad was slowly being pushed forward, as the announcement was being made, that the aircraft is about to land at Frankfurt! Mom was delighted as she had purchased a perfume at the duty free inflight World shop! My eyes sparkled with joy at the thought of melting Black Forest Cake country that awaited me!

PS: This is my post for Lufthansa/ Indiblogger sponsored contest! This is an imaginary journey of nine year old girl traveling with her parents and Grandpa to Germany for the first time!( http://premium-economy.lufthansa.com/en-us)