Luxair flight LG8021: Luxembourg to Paris CDG
A review of the wondeful Dash 8 on one of Europe's least know airlines
Luxair is the flag carrier of Luxembourg, one of Europe’s smallest (and richest) countries. Luxembourg is just a stone's throw from France, Germany, and Belgium. The country only has one commercial airport outside Luxembourg City, the capital.
I flew on one of the shortest routes out of LUX to the French capital airport, CDG.
Checking in and special assistance
I did not take photos of the check-in area as it was hectic, and I wanted to respect the privacy of fellow passengers and the ground staff.
For context, I have a condition that makes me eligible for special assistance; the initials are NF1. Therefore, I will create the NF score out of 10 to see how much the airline adapted to travelers with hidden disabilities. Please note that I can walk, so I never request a wheelchair, so the assistance is different.
Let's see what gets complicated with this context out of the way. I’m very familiar with LUX, as I’ve flown many miles out of there—but I haven’t flown with Luxair in a while. I was surprised when I noticed no dedicated particular assistance lane.
So I had to use the “normal” lane, which was very crowded. This is very stressful and uncomfortable when you have a neurological condition. I typically need more space and time to get all my stuff organized.
After about 15 minutes of waiting, and despite having informed Air France, the codeshare partner of Luxair (LG) with which I actually booked my ticket, I realized the information was not transmitted from one carrier to the other. So, I was not entitled to any assistance.
Luckily, the lovely check-in agent notified the gate colleagues that I would board in Group 1 and effectively get preboarding.
So far, the Airline has 3/5 possible points for the on-ground experience.
Luxair is one of few airlines in Europe that prints a boarding pass featuring its brand upon request —a touch that makes it extra collectible.
Boarding and inflight
Security is not managed by Luxair, and since I was not acknowledged on the IT side of things as a special assistance passenger, I was not escorted through the security process. However, this did not impact my experience much, as Luxembourg is never really busy (unless you depart at the same time as the A350 to China), so I was through in just under 5 minutes.
The staff is also friendly, but this does not affect LG’s score, and LG's has nothing to do with that side of the process. After waiting around in the Luxair lounge for just under two hours, it was time to board my flight.
Fair enough. There was no preboarding, but as I was allowed to board Groupe 1, I was the third person to board. This allowed me to get all of my stuff correctly placed in the aircraft and take my time to make myself comfortable for the 45-minute hop over to De Gaulle.
Luxair’s Dash are in a 2-2 configuration, and my seat was 3F, just behind the business class seats. The seat next to me stayed vacant throughout, a nice coincidence that would allow me to get even more comfortable.
The flight itself was very uneventful. The crew passed by and gave me a pack of crisps and a small bottle of water—more than enough for a very short hop!
Overall, I found the experience onboard comfortable, as it was an evening flight. The crew was friendly but not too pushy - so everyone had their boundaries respected. The safety card is in front of you and pasted onto the tray - it’s challenging to miss and ergonomically placed. The dimmed lights make the atmosphere less aggressive.
Overall, I give Luxair a 4/5 for the experience onboard.
Conclusion
Luxair is a friendly airline with very nice service and professional staff. Their home base is small and not too crowded, making it very manageable. Travelling with them was a breeze. However, better collaboration between them and interline partners may smoothen the process and make it less stressful for their disabled customers.
Therefore, I grade Luxair an 8/10 in accessibility. They will serve as a very decent benchmark for future airline reviews.