- Introduction: Oslo In Winter
- Review: United “Polaris” Business Class 787 Houston To Frankfurt
- Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport Terminal A
- Review: Lufthansa A321 Business Class Frankfurt To Oslo
- Review: Park Inn By Radisson Oslo Airport
- Review: SAS Museum Oslo Airport
- Review: Clarion Collection Hotel Folketeateret Oslo
- How To Sled Oslo’s Korketrekkeren Like A Boss
- Review: Clarion Collection Hotel Bastion Oslo
- 10 Things To Do With Kids In Oslo
- Review: Radisson Blu Oslo Airport
- Review: SAS Lounge Oslo Airport
- Review: SAS Plus Oslo To London Heathrow On A 737
- Review: United Club London Heathrow
- Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago
We had four hours to kill at Frankfurt Airport before our connecting flight to Oslo so we made our way over to Terminal A and checked into the Lufthansa Senator Lounge. While traveling in a premium cabin or having elite status can get you in to some of Lufthansa lounges, a credit card with lounge access can also do the trick.
I find Frankfurt to be perhaps the most sprawling, convoluted airport in the world. I’ve connected there numerous times over the years, yet nothing ever really seems familiar. I’ve mostly given up trying to figure it out and instead just follow the signs to my next gate like a lemming.
So I’m not going to try to describe the process of getting to Terminal A. Suffice it to say we made it.
We arrived at the Lufthansa Senator Lounge where the attendant quickly scanned our boarding passes and welcomed us inside.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
We walked past the front counter and into the main part of the lounge.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
The lounge is very large with several sections for seating. When we arrived, it was virtually empty. I’d say there might have been 15 people in the entire lounge, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
Perhaps because I was still in a fog from getting off an overnight flight — or maybe because I’m not Ben — I didn’t think to shoot some pictures until the lounge started filling up an hour or two later.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Anyway, we took some seats by the windows near another family that also had a 3-year old. We figured our kids could all play together for a bit.
Then I headed up to get something to eat. I tend to find that Lufthansa lounges have consistently solid, if somewhat boring, offerings. I do appreciate that the food always seems real, not like what we tend to get in lounges of our US airlines. They even had a sign inviting people with food allergies or sensitivities to inquire about the ingredients. I asked one of the guys if there were onions in the potato salad and he confidently assured me there were not, almost like he had made it himself. And maybe he did.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
The sausages are a huge hit with my kids. They could eat them all day. Or in this case, for four hours.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
There was a station with made-to-order wraps and salads at the end of the buffet which I didn’t remember from past visits.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Next to that was a kids section that had plates and silverware closer to their level along with a selection of fruit which I thought was a nice touch.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
There were drinks at the main buffet as well as one near our seating area.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
With a four hour layover, we had time to shower which was really nice after an overnight flight.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
The shower may have been nothing fancy — certainly no rubber duckies — but it felt blissful.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
I wandered around a bit and then found the daybeds. With a four hour layover… oh who am I kidding? I’m a Dad. Dads don’t get to take naps.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
There were also some cubicles.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
The view from the lounge wasn’t bad.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A
Eventually it was time to make our way over to the gate for our flight to Oslo.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A Bottom Line
The Senator Lounge certainly helped us pass the time during our four hour layover. As a family, we really appreciate having a quiet, comfortable space to spread out and relax. It’s also great to have food and drinks available, and the shower was a bonus.
Am going through Frankfurt and have a two hour layover between flights. What business class access lounge would you recommend? Would I have time to take a shower?
Nikolaus: there is generally not much of a difference between Business and Senator lounges across the Lufthansa network. Usually, the SEN lounges have a slightly better beverage selection, and there might be a few more food options. With older, non-renovated lounges, the number of power sockets is much better in a SEN lounge, and the seats may also be different (while I still prefer the seats of non-refurbished Business lounges over the seats of non-refurbished...
Nikolaus: there is generally not much of a difference between Business and Senator lounges across the Lufthansa network. Usually, the SEN lounges have a slightly better beverage selection, and there might be a few more food options. With older, non-renovated lounges, the number of power sockets is much better in a SEN lounge, and the seats may also be different (while I still prefer the seats of non-refurbished Business lounges over the seats of non-refurbished Senator lounges). When talking about the concourse A lounges in Frankfurt, the main difference is probably the presence of a smoking cabin in the SEN lounge (while the gate A25 Business lounge offers two dayrooms with closable doors and an attended bar, probably because it has been converted from a first class lounge).
Travis: you can be glad that you didn't receive a warning from staff when taking photos - I did when taking pictures some years ago, shortly after the new lounges had been opened.
What exactly is the difference to the LH Business Class Lounges? Food, seating and the crowds seem to bee quite similar.
As far as food allergies are concerned, I would instead go to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at the B gates (non-Schengen). Every dish has clear allergy labeling, and the food, to my view, is mostly better than what Lufthansa offers. Still, as the Maple Leaf lounge is about one minute walk from the Lufthansa Senator Lounge B (while in FRA no two locations seem to be less than 30 minutes apart from one...
As far as food allergies are concerned, I would instead go to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at the B gates (non-Schengen). Every dish has clear allergy labeling, and the food, to my view, is mostly better than what Lufthansa offers. Still, as the Maple Leaf lounge is about one minute walk from the Lufthansa Senator Lounge B (while in FRA no two locations seem to be less than 30 minutes apart from one another), which is the only Lufthansa Lounge in FRA with a full service bar - You could easily sample both.
As a Gluten Free traveler I appreciate that the Maple Leaf Lounge has real Gluten-Free bread.
Robert Hanson -- I'm not much of a drinker to begin with, but I do usually try to at least take a picture of the bar. Guess I forgot this time.
The potatosalad together with the sausages (most of the time made out of chicken - so not real sausages) are medium to poor-quality products. And of course not self-made but delivered in about 20-30 pound containers to the lounges all over the Lufthansa Network.
The signs regarding food allergies are not there because of service but because it is the law!
OK, this is a "family" report. Which probably explains the glaring absence of any mention of alcohol. Which for most of us traveling without kids is the number one question about a lounge. ;)