With airlines desperately looking for revenue wherever possible, we’ve seen a fair number of new airline lounges added to Priority Pass, which is great for those with premium credit cards.
It’s worth noting that a few Lufthansa lounges in the United States have joined Priority Pass, which could be useful during your next layover.
In this post:
Which Lufthansa lounges belong to Priority Pass?
Four Lufthansa lounges in the United States now belong to Priority Pass, though with limited hours. Specifically:
- The Lufthansa Business Lounge Detroit (DTW) is open to Priority Pass members from 6AM until 5PM Mondays and Thursdays, from 9AM until 5PM on Tuesdays, from 8AM until 5PM Wednesdays, and from 6AM until 6:30PM on Fridays
- The Lufthansa Business Lounge New York (JFK) is open to Priority Pass members from 11:45AM until 3:30PM daily, except on Wednesdays and Sundays
- The Lufthansa Business Lounge Newark (EWR) is open to Priority Pass members from 2:30PM until 5:30PM Mondays and Wednesdays, and 2:30PM until 9PM Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
- The Lufthansa Business Lounge Washington Dulles (IAD) is open to Priority Pass members from 2PM until 5:30PM daily
The only Lufthansa Business Lounge in the USA that doesn’t belong to Priority Pass is in Boston. For context, the Detroit lounge has belonged to Priority Pass for quite a while, while the other additions are new.
Are these lounges only joining temporarily?
We don’t officially know one way or another if Lufthansa lounges joining Priority Pass will be temporary or permanent (similar to how more Alaska lounges recently joined Priority Pass).
My guess is that:
- This is a temporary effort to increase revenue and reduce losses for lounges, given the limited international travel demand right now
- I do think there’s a long term business model for extending the hours of these lounges and opening them up to Priority Pass members outside of hours where Star Alliance passengers use them
- However, in this case some lounges are opening to Priority Pass members the same hours where Lufthansa passengers would have access, but then again, Lufthansa is operating a severely reduced schedule
- In the long run there’s no denying that admitting Priority Pass members would water down the experience for actual Lufthansa passengers, both in terms of crowding, and in terms of the incentive to cut food & drinks when Lufthansa is being reimbursed the same no matter what is being offered
Bottom line
It’s great to see that four Lufthansa lounges in the United States now belong to Priority Pass. This is a logical move on Lufthansa’s part — it gives the company extra revenue while keeping lounges open during a period of low demand.
Once international travel recovers, I imagine Lufthansa will either end its agreement with Priority Pass, or otherwise simply extend lounge hours, and allow Priority Pass members in when Star Alliance passengers aren’t using the lounge.
Will anyone be able to take advantage of these new Priority Pass additions?
(Tip of the hat to Mike)
The LH lounge at IAD is pretty terrible and sad
As "Ivan Y says:", those of us who fly frequently during Covid have noticed these and other changes.
My LH lounge, NUE, will be permanently closed so my favorite LH lounge is FRA: showers, beds...in a suite setting.
One would expect that every airline's best lounge is in a hub in the home country.
UA 1K here. Pre-pandemic, on domestic UA ticket at DTW or IAD, LH lounge staff would often try to send me to Business side instead of Senator side, even though rules say Senator.
The EWR lounge is still only doing chips and water as of this past Sunday. No need to worry about an additionally watered-down experience!
@ A
The LH locations at FRA and MUC are certain locations in certain terminals only. They expect more PP users to be long haul so in FRA the only lounge offered is in 1-B which seems to serve short haul flights.
We did a visit anyway, just prior to a tatl flight and it took us 45 minutes from lounge to gate. The exercise was priceless.
Yet still nothing in either Chicago airport aside from the international terminal.
JFK LH Business lounge is a joke. It offers unspecified "Refreshments". Complimentary snacks available only until further notice. Face masks must be worn. The lounge cannot guarantee that all passengers will always be able to sit together due to social distancing within the lounge. Closed: Wednesday & Sunday.
They all hate Priority Pass customers until they need Priority Pass customers. Be careful what u wish for
FYI this has been around for at least a month. The PP did not announce it but all of those were added sometimes in mid march.(IAD flyer accessed the LH lounge at IAD in March).
In my experience, these types of lounges cut back on Food and Beverage offerings during Priority Pass hours.
I can confirm that the DTW lounge serves a vastly reduced food selection during PP hours as compared to the generous spread put out before the LH flight.
I've used the Lufthansa Business Lounge in JFK a few times while travelling in EVA J and haven't been impressed. It's dated and sorely in need of a complete renovation and new amenities.
The Lufthansa lounge in Detroit is also used for premium class passengers traveling on Royal Jordanian’s flight out of DTW as well.
BA at IAD has limited PP hours as well with minimal food - only chips, cookies, etc. So LH will likely be something like BA. TK at IAD allows PP at most times, they just put up a sign during crowded times and deny PP members. AF at IAD also has PP - again at limited times.
Seems to be a trend.
@Alec I think Korean is definitely the best out of those 3 but it's never open to PP during the peak hours so I hardly ever use it. Air France's is not good and so ridiculously crowded since it's the only PP lounge that's open, so hopefully this will shift some people around. The lounges are less crowded for the later flights, like on TK, so I look forward to using the LH lounge then.
Most airport terminals are better than a crowded lounge with pre packaged carbohydrates. I’d rather walk and get some exercise then sit and eat garbage
Alec -- they probably rent it out to our *alliance airlines. I know JFK one is. I think if they carefully measure the traffic then they should be OK. Among the 3 lounge I visited in JFK terminal 1, other 2 are Air France and Korean Air, LH is the best. However, evening will be packed because the concentration of international flights. So if they only allow for entering before 3:30PM, it should be OK.
I'm surprised DTW even has one. They only have one *A flight out of North America (LH to FRA) a day right? And on a small a330
It is clear that PP will operate these lounges for the hours when LH does not need the space for itself.
LH is not supid and won't want to have PP pax around when it's using the space itself for the reason you mentioned the possibility of over crowding etc.
So during PP hours you will receive PP levels of service in terms of food, drink, newspapers whatever rather than what LH provides for...
It is clear that PP will operate these lounges for the hours when LH does not need the space for itself.
LH is not supid and won't want to have PP pax around when it's using the space itself for the reason you mentioned the possibility of over crowding etc.
So during PP hours you will receive PP levels of service in terms of food, drink, newspapers whatever rather than what LH provides for its own passengers. It will be PP contracted staff running the lounges not LH staff.
When the PP hours end you will be turfed out before the lounge is cleaned and preped for LH passengers. Much like for example when the VS lounges at EWR and IAD were also on PP for the hours when VS wasn't using it.
Aren't there already a couple of Luftwaffe lounges in Germany that you can access with a platinum card?
I agree with @Aaron regarding the LH lounge at IAD, at least pre-pandemic. Good selection of food and beverage, and being able to board LH flights directly from the lounge. At peak times it was packed, even worse than the TK lounge which was often standing room only. It may make sense for now. Hopefully not a long term thing though.
I use DTW lounge all the time, as these days with no Lufthansa flights to Detroit it's pretty much a United Club as that all it serves...United First Class passengers and *A Gold, which at this time is pretty much only United passangers. I have not seen many Priority Pass passengers there, even though as you said they were accepted there for a while. I think the limited hours for Priority Pass members have something...
I use DTW lounge all the time, as these days with no Lufthansa flights to Detroit it's pretty much a United Club as that all it serves...United First Class passengers and *A Gold, which at this time is pretty much only United passangers. I have not seen many Priority Pass passengers there, even though as you said they were accepted there for a while. I think the limited hours for Priority Pass members have something to do with it (although I think the new agreement hours are more generous), but also the location of the lounge in the terminal, which is on the far west end of the North terminal that is only convenient for *A flights as that part is occupied by United and their partner airlines (AC and LH) gates only. Maybe some Spirit passengers could use it if they have Priority Pass, but all other airlines gates are fairly far away. Than again, if you fly Spirit, you probably don't spend money on extra amenities like lounges, as that would defeat the purpose of cheap airfare.
The lounge itself is nothing special, especially when it comes to food offerings, but the skeleton staff there is wonderful and very friendly, and it's a clean, quiet place to relax before your flight.
LH lounges in the US are so crowded already, I'm not sure how this will work post COVID. Hopefully just a temporary measure. EWR in particular is basically useless in the evening around the time of the LH, LX, and OS departures. Not an empty seat in the place.
@Emily
True, though the Senator lounge at IAD is decent, though not as nice as many of the other foreign airline loungers at that airport.
Star Alliance Gold status gets more useless with every passing day.
It's worth noting that the DTW and EWR ones are only for those leaving from those specific terminals. Both airports don't have airside transfers to them.
I consistently feel that Lufthansa lounges in the US lack luster and any charm. Their redeeming feature was the sense of exclusivity but now that may also disappear.