I spent a really pleasant day and a half in Luxembourg. Getting the chance to walk around one of the smallest countries in Europe, to understand how their geographic location has influenced their culture and history, was a treat. Although it was extremely rainy, I still had the chance to walk around the city. I had planned to leave in the afternoon to Copenhagen on my return to the US. The opportunity to fly on a Dash 8 Q400 came up, so I made sure to fly on Luxair. Here is my Luxair Dash 8 Economy review from Luxembourg to Copenhagen.
Check In at LUX
Luxembourg airport is a very straightforward airport. In-person check in for my flight opened 2.5 hours before my 530pm flight. I took public transportation to the airport. Having arrived a few minutes before check in opened, I walked to the Luxair ticket office where they sold Luxair souvenirs. I bought a 737 and two pairs of Luxair themed socks. Once check in was allowed, I proceeded to get my boarding pass, as there had been issues with my mobile boarding pass generating.
Going through security was a breeze. There weren’t many people at the airport at 3pm, so it took me less than 10 minutes from boarding pass to getting past security.
Luxair Lounge
Luxembourg airport has only one lounge. It is the same lounge used for Luxair premium passengers, other airline premium passengers, and Priority Pass. Although I was flying in economy, I accessed through my Priority Pass membership. The lounge was extremely crowded (as you can imagine with only one lounge at the airport). I found a chair by the windows to sit and pass the time. Power outlets were not as readily available as I hoped, so I plugged in my phone to an outlet barely inside my field of vision.
In terms of food, there was a selection of cold sandwiches and pastries, as well as two hot food options. None seemed appealing to me, so I just gabbed some coffee (from a machine) and a Coca Cola from the self serve fridge. There were also some self serve alcoholic beverages, mid shelf tier. About 30 minutes before boarding, I headed towards my gate. There was a boulangerie near the lower level gates, where I grabbed a sandwich for the flight.
Boarding
By the time boarding came around, it was pouring rain. I had received multiple weather alerts, indicating high winds and lightning strikes were likely. I was worried these would delay my flight. Surprisingly, boarding started on time. Once they called my boarding group, I got on a bus and headed to the tarmac to board the Dash 8. It was raining sideways. As soon as the bus doors opened, people got pelted with cold heavy drops. The Dash 8 cabin was warm and bright, compared to the gloom and cold of the outside.
Cabin and Seat
The Luxair Dash 8 Q400 cabin is configured in a 2×2 layout. Like other European carriers, business class was just the first couple of rows. A small privacy curtain divided business and economy. I took my seat next to the engine exhaust. Legroom was reasonable (30″) and I did not feel cramped. The flight was full and boarding took longer given how slowly people got off the buses and got on the plane.
There were no power outlets in the seats and there was no Wi-Fi available.
Departure and Take Off
When boarding was complete, the captain came on the PA system and advised us of a 1h50m flight, but that we would be delated taking off given the weather. He noted he was not given a timeframe, as it depended on when the weather system moved far enough from the airport. As we waited, the flight attendants performed the safety demonstration.
While we waited, strong wind buffeted the aircraft. We could feel the aircraft shake with the wind, while lighting flashes were visible on the horizon. After a delay of about 30 minutes, the captain came on the PA to announce we would be taking off. Air traffic control wanted more space between aircraft departures, so there was an about 90 second gap between each aircraft departure. Once the propeller engines powered all the way up for departure, we took off into the cloudy and dark Luxembourgish sky.
There was a lot of turbulence on our way above the clouds. After more than half an hour, we finally broke the cloud cover and the flight was smooth sailing.
Onboard Service
On board service was spartan on this flight. As the turbulence had delayed onboard service, they limited drink options to juice, water or coffee. I requested water. Besides that, there was no other crew interaction other than to collect trash.
Landing and Arrival
We began our descent into Copenhagen about 25 minutes prior to landing. The captain came on the PA and said it would be a bit bumpy and for the cabin crew to perform landing preparations at that point. We landed in Copenhagen after some turbulence. After a short taxi to our gate, we deplaned and I headed over to my hotel for the night.
Deplaning in Copenhagen
Conrado’s Thoughts
Luxair Dash 8 economy is perfectly acceptable. I have not had a chance to fly on a Dash 8 since 2004, and a Dash 8 Q400 ever. The flight was slightly delayed given the weather, but otherwise perfectly fine. Although the lounge situation at Luxembourg airport is pretty bad, the flight experience in economy is on par with other airlines in the Lufthansa Group. I wish they would partner with other airlines, namely Star Alliance carriers, to accrue/redeem miles. That being said, I would fly on Luxair again without hesitation.
If you want to stay up to date with the latest airline news follow me on Bluesky or LinkedIn!
Also follow Boarding Area on Bluesky!
