- Introduction: A Whirlwind Aeroplan Adventure
- How To Redeem Aeroplan Points Like A Pro
- Review: SAS Lounge Chicago Airport (ORD)
- Review: Austrian Business Class 777 (ORD-VIE)
- Review: Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere
- Review: SKY Lounge Vienna Airport (VIE)
- Review: Austrian Senator Lounge Vienna Airport (VIE)
- Review: Austrian Business Class A320 (VIE-FCO)
- Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: Gulf Air Business Class A321LR (FCO-BAH)
- Review: Gulf Air Lounge Bahrain Airport (BAH)
- Review: Bahrain Airport Hotel (Priority Pass)
- New Bahrain Airport Terminal: What A Nifty Hub!
- Review: Gulf Air Business Class 787-9 (BAH-SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Lounge T3 (SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class 787 (SIN-SGN)
- Review: Le Saigonnais Business Lounge Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN)
- Review: Bamboo Airways Business Class A321neo (SGN-HAN)
- Review: VATC Sleep Pods Hanoi Airport (HAN)
- Review: Song Hong Business Lounge Hanoi Airport (HAN)
- Review: Bamboo Airways Business Class 787 (HAN-FRA)
- Review: Sheraton Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt (FRA)
- Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Frankfurt (FRA)
- Review: Air Canada Business Class 777 (FRA-YYZ)
- Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto Transborder (YYZ)
- Review: Air Canada Business Class 787 (YYZ-MIA)
Prior to my Air Canada 777 business class flight from Frankfurt to Toronto, I decided to check out a couple of lounges at Frankfurt Airport. In addition to visiting the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, I also decided to check out one of the non-Schengen Lufthansa Business Lounges, which I’ll be reviewing in this post.
As a Star Alliance Gold member I could have used a Lufthansa Senator Lounge, but I reviewed one of those at the airport recently, so figured I’d check out the business class lounge options. Let’s get into the review…
In this post:
Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt location
There are four Lufthansa Business Lounges currently open at Frankfurt Airport, between the Schengen and non-Schengen areas of the terminal. Frankly the decor and food & drinks are so consistent between them that you might not even be able to tell them apart.
I visited the Lufthansa Business Lounge Concourse B West. This lounge is in the non-Schengen area, so you need to clear passport control to enter this lounge (and therefore wouldn’t use it if you’re only traveling within the Schengen area).
After clearing security and passport control, I followed the signage in the direction of gates B41-48. Oddly the signs listed the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and Lufthansa Senator Lounge as being in this direction, but didn’t list the Lufthansa Business Lounge, even though it’s also this way.
Eventually you’ll find yourself in a circular area for gates B44-48. Right there on the left you’ll see the entrance to the Lufthansa Business Lounge. There’s a representative on the concourse level who will scan your boarding pass and admit you, and then you can either take the stairs or an elevator up to the lounge.
Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt hours
The non-Schengen Lufthansa Business Lounges at Frankfurt Airport are currently open daily from 6AM until 9:30PM, covering all scheduled Star Alliance departures from the airport.
Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt entry requirements
Lufthansa Business Lounges are standard Star Alliance business class lounges, so can be accessed by:
- Lufthansa business class passengers, as well as business class passengers on all Star Alliance partner airlines; no guests are allowed
- Star Alliance Gold members can also use the lounge and bring a guest when flying Star Alliance the same day; however, they can also use the (theoretically better) Lufthansa Senator Lounges
- Lufthansa Miles & More Frequent Traveller members (which otherwise only equates to Star Alliance Silver); no guests are allowed
- Those with the Amex Platinum Card can access the lounge when traveling in economy on Lufthansa, as part of the card’s overall lounge perks
Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt seating & layout
I don’t think there’s an airline in the world that’s more consistent with lounge decor than Lufthansa. The lounges almost all have the same sorta nice but also very sterile design, and this lounge was no different.
This lounge is in a sort of circular shape, as it covers the upper level of this portion of the concourse (which is also circular). The seating options are broken up into several zones. When you first enter the lounge, there are some benches with tables, as well as some chairs in rows facing one another. This is the area to be if you just want to relax, and aren’t looking to eat.
Further into the lounge is some high-top seating, as well as cafe-style tables with four seats each, perfect if you’re looking to grab a bite to eat.
Further into the lounge are more rows of seats facing one another, each with a side table.
As you continue around the lounge, there are some stools with communal workstations, and then there are also some desks with chairs.
There are also some phone booths, should you want to make a private phone call.
There’s also a large play area for kids, which parents will likely appreciate (though this seems like a lot of space to allocate to families, given how busy lounges tend to get).
There were also lockers for luggage storage.
It’s a perfectly nice lounge. As you can tell based on the pictures, I visited as soon as the lounge opened, so it wasn’t busy at the time. However, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt or Munich that wasn’t packed during peak hours, so I imagine that’s the case here as well.
The lounge had pretty nice views of the apron
Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt food & drinks
Much like with design, Lufthansa Business Lounges are also consistent when it comes to the food & drink selection. Everything is available from a buffet, with no a la carte options.
As far as food goes, breakfast options included muffins, cake, cereal, muesli, a variety of rolls and croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt, cold cuts, veggies, dips, eggs (scrambled and hardboiled), sausage, baked beans, and candy. I was saddened by the lack of pretzels!
As far as drinks go, there were Lavazza coffee machines, tea, a soda fountain, beer, wine, and liquor. You’ve gotta love how lounges in Germany have beer standing there on ice at 6AM.
For a business class lounge, I’d say it’s a pretty good selection.
Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt bathrooms & showers
The bathrooms were pretty limited given the size of the lounge. The mens restroom had a few stalls and urinals.
The Lufthansa Business Lounge also has five shower rooms. They’re functional and have L’Occitane amenities, but not about to win any awards for design.
Bottom line
The Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt is perfectly fine, with pleasant but sterile decor, and a good selection of food and drinks. The lounge doesn’t really have any x-factor, though, and you can expect that it will get extremely crowded over peak hours.
As much Lufthansa Senator Lounges are supposed to be more exclusive than Lufthansa Business Lounges, I don’t notice any real difference.
What do you make of the Lufthansa Business Lounge Frankfurt?
The Germans may be efficient, but when it comes to personal decency, respect, and just plain manners, they have much to learn. Unfortunately, my sense is they have no interest in learning new personal skills. A shame, yes, but, such is life. Do not expect any pleasantries from the staff at the entrance, much less any accommodation. In sum, expect them to act like jerks. If you do do, you will not be surprised.
Not all Lufthansa Business Lounges are similar.
One you reviewed here is big, has more selections and has both showers and lockers.
On the other hand, one in Terminal C has none of these things and is extremely bare bones
I was in B terminal Lufthansa business lounge in Frankfurt on Friday. Crowded out, nowhere to sit, ghastly. No soap in bathroom and no hand cleanser in machine outside. Nobody interested. Very, very hot - air con could not cope. Signage to lounge, should you ever want to go there, disappears at one point! Obviously it is not big enough but no info given, so did not know where another one would be.
Am I able to access the lounge on an arriving flight? Flying into FRA from JFK on Singapore Airlines Business Class. LoungeBuddy says I have access to the Lufthansa Business Lounges (as well as Air Canada Maple Leaf) on arrival in FRA. Trying to figure out if we can get into any lounges after going through customs and getting our checked bag before heading to Munich either via train or regional flight.
Yes but is the First Class Lounge open?
With the exception of the FCT, all the LH lounges in FRA are awful - including the FCL.
Probably worse is the service of LH hotlines (including the useless HonCircle one) and the LH C class seats!
The best LHG lounges are MUC -FCL, ZUR -FCL both, BRU -Business.
Ben, is the non shengen FCL open in Frankfurt? Do you know if centuiron members have access to the shengen FCL?
Gotta hand it you for finding pictures with not a soul there --- most times I'm in an LH Biz/Senator lounge they are packed to the gills --- only a couple times in the middle of the week around noon or 1pm has it been like a pleasurable experience. The rest of the time, it's more functional -- serves the purpose & very thankful they always seem to have the staff/resources to tend to things.
Amex Plats also get access. A coach ticket gets you the business lounge, a business ticket gets you the Senator lounge
Ben, at the beginning of your post I was asking myself; "did he reserved the lounge for him only"? Clearly you were the first to enter in the morning. I find it so anoying that all the times I'm there they are packed that way that I prefer to look for a bar outside and pay for anything, back in time. Luckly I have since a few years acces to First Class Lounges.
@ Nelson -- Hah, yeah, I always make a point to visit lounges right when they open (whenever possible), so that I can get pictures while respecting peoples' privacy. Admittedly that probably makes the lounges look consistently nicer than they are.
How did you take the pictures? I'm really curious. Was at the LH Bistro Lounge in FRA two weeks ago and have been told by the lounge manager, that I can't take pictures because of DSGVO. Not even of food. How food can have personal rights is beyond me, but he said the same is a rule for every LH Lounge in FRA. If you take pictures, you have to leave. Unbelievable but true. Never happened to me before.
@ Betty -- Oddly enough, can't say I've ever had an issue in Lufthansa lounges with taking photos. That being said, as you can tell, I also make a point of visiting right when they open, when they're still quiet.
Nice review! I've never understood LH Business vs Senator lounges. I'm *A Gold so I usually use Senator, but with the differences being quite minimal, I don't understand why they don't just unify it all. Not complaining tho!
You should check out the panorama lounge . It looks completely different
@Klaus: I was thinking the same but then I thought it is nice to keep that knowledge under wrap…… lol.
The last two times I flew TAP, I spent the 5 hours layover in that fantastic Panorama lounge, whilst there was a line to get into the one Lucky is writing about.
@ Klaus -- I have visited it, though I haven't reviewed it, as it was too crowded when I visited several months back. To be honest, I didn't think there was anything that special about it. What am I missing? I know the decor is a bit different, but not necessarily for the better, in my opinion.
I know you asked Klaus, but for me it had a completely different feel than a lounge, because of all those different rooms with a great variety of comfortable sofas and comfortable chairs with ottomans. It reminded me of a country club.
When I was there, every room was 1/3 full only.
Hi Ben, okay - then you had a different experience. I was a couple of times in the panorama lounge (2021 maybe) and it was always completely empty. So you are not missing anything. It just is a different design with all of those small rooms and the sofas and carpets. Food is the same.
I recently (last month) visited one of the LH lounges in the Schengen area and it was heaving! But at least they had pretzels :)
Ben, for the sake of completeness; Miles & More Frequent Travelers also have access to all Lufthansa group Business Lounges.
@ Sven.nl -- Great point, thank you! Updated the post to reflect that.
You say you don't notice any difference, but doesn't the senator lounge in non-schengen have a manned bar where the bartender can make cocktails, etc.?
Also, does this lounge not have the sleeping room? If they don't have that, I would say that is a big letdown, but I thought that it had a sleeping room... I think those are quite valuable for a long layover. (The Lufthansa sleeping rooms are not nearly as...
You say you don't notice any difference, but doesn't the senator lounge in non-schengen have a manned bar where the bartender can make cocktails, etc.?
Also, does this lounge not have the sleeping room? If they don't have that, I would say that is a big letdown, but I thought that it had a sleeping room... I think those are quite valuable for a long layover. (The Lufthansa sleeping rooms are not nearly as nice as the Brussels sleeping rooms, but still sufficient if you are tired.)
@ Grey -- Interesting, I though that just came down to the specific location, as I've been in Senator Lounges that don't have any rest areas or a staffed bar, and I think I've been in Business Lounges that do. Or am I remembering wrong?
You can get confused in Frankfurt. The Senator Lounge in Terminal B has a staffed bar but not the ones in Terminal A and Z.
One Business Lounge in Terminal A (former First Class Lounge next to Gate A26) has a staffed bar too. But I haven't seen it open since the Christmas travel peak.
I mean, it isn't a Senator lounge standard thing. But for Frankfurt and Munich (which are the most important hubs), I am pretty sure the non-schengen Senator Lounges have bartenders. Also the long-haul non-schengen Senator lounge in ZRH has a bartender at the whisky bar.
For the sleeping rooms, I thought that all of them had that in FRA, but since you didn't mention it in the review of this one, I wasn't sure...
I mean, it isn't a Senator lounge standard thing. But for Frankfurt and Munich (which are the most important hubs), I am pretty sure the non-schengen Senator Lounges have bartenders. Also the long-haul non-schengen Senator lounge in ZRH has a bartender at the whisky bar.
For the sleeping rooms, I thought that all of them had that in FRA, but since you didn't mention it in the review of this one, I wasn't sure if you just didn't mention it or if it doesn't have.
I definitely agree that at outstations, there is often not really a distinction between Senator and Business lounge, but at ZRH, FRA and MUC, the non-schengen Senator lounges do generally have a manned bar at least. Maybe not much of a distinction, but it is nice at least.
Oh I loved the sleeping rooms in Brussels!