Note: I’m sharing my experience about what international travel is like nowadays, since it’s something a lot of people have questions about. If you do choose to travel, please make sure you take appropriate precautions, not just to protect yourself, but also to protect others. Also consider the risks and constantly changing rules surrounding travel, which can significantly complicate things. See the introduction post in this series for more background on the precautions we took, and the potential risks.
We were scheduled to have a roughly 80 minute connection in Munich, as we were arriving from Montreal and departing for Bodrum. I figured I’d provide a brief rundown of our experience at Munich Airport, as well as the Lufthansa Lounge, given how much lounges around the world have adjusted service.
As was the case in Montreal, the airport was deserted. I’ve never seen a major global hub in Europe this empty. We didn’t have to go through security in Montreal or Munich, so we just headed straight for the lounge.
Munich Airport terminal
Munich Airport terminal
Munich Airport terminal
Munich Airport terminal
As of now only a very limited number of Lufthansa lounge locations are open. Fortunately in this case a lounge in the non-Schengen area was open, and was only a short walk from both our arriving and departing gate.
There were floor markings leading into the lounge to provide proper physical distancing, though fortunately there was no line to get in (I have seen pictures of literally dozens of people lined up to enter the lounge, so I guess we were traveling at a good time).
Lufthansa Lounge Munich
All guests were directed into the Senator Lounge, as the Business Lounge was closed (the former is typically considered to be more premium and is open to Star Alliance Gold members, while the latter is typically open to Star Alliance business class passengers).
Despite the limited lounge capacity, there were maybe a dozen people in the entire lounge, so it was quiet. It seemed pretty clear that a significant amount of seating had been taken out of the lounge, from individual tables to seats at communal tables.
Lufthansa Lounge Munich
Lufthansa Lounge Munich
Lufthansa Lounge Munich
Lufthansa Lounge Munich
Lufthansa Lounge Munich
Not surprisingly, the food selection had been altered significantly. The buffet that was once packed with food and drinks now had very few options.
Lufthansa Lounge buffet
The only thing on offer in the main part of the buffet was bottled water. There were “out of order” signs for the coffee and soda machine.
Lufthansa Lounge buffet
Then there was a small display with packaged snacks. In the white paper bags were:
- Pretzels
- Pretzels with chili cheese, iceberg lettuce, and cucumber
- Pretzels with salami, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, and goat creme cheese
Then there were also small containers of fruit salad.
Lufthansa Lounge buffet
Lufthansa Lounge buffet
To the right side of the buffet were packaged Twix, Kit-Kat, granola bars, and snack mix.
Lufthansa Lounge buffet
Lufthansa Lounge buffet
All other drinks in the lounge were served at the bar, with the option of soda, beer, and barista made coffee drinks.
Lufthansa Lounge drink menu
Lufthansa Lounge drink menu
Lufthansa Lounge drink menu
I ordered a cappuccino to drink.
Lufthansa Lounge drink
Our layover was pretty short. I spent a bit of time on my laptop, and then about 30 minutes before departure we headed to our gate, which was a five minute walk away. We decided to board last, since the flight wasn’t very full, and there’s no reason to spend more time in a short haul Lufthansa aircraft than you need to.
I won’t write a separate review of the next flight, since it was pretty typical for intra-Europe business class. As was the case on the transatlantic flight, the meal service was more or less as usual. The difference was that the hot portion of the meal was served with its aluminum cover, though now that I think about it, maybe Lufthansa has always done that on shorter flights? The choice was between fish or chicken.
Lufthansa business class lunch
Lufthansa business class lunch
Lufthansa business class lunch
Lufthansa Lounge bottom line
Lufthansa has modified its lounge experience in a reasonable way. The lounge had significantly more spacing between tables than in the past, and self serve options were limited to bottled water and packaged snacks. All other drinks were available from a bartender.
In general this was a seamless journey for us. Airports in Montreal and Munich were deserted, and our flights were pretty empty as well. It’s not always going to be that way, though — I’ve also heard of packed lounges and packed flights across the Atlantic, even during this time.
What do you make of Lufthansa’s current lounge setup?
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