My flight from Frankfurt to London was departing at 10:55AM, so I made it to Frankfurt Airport at around 9AM.
Frankfurt Airport exterior
British Airways departs from terminal two, and I quickly found their check-in desks, where the queue was fairly short.
Frankfurt Airport departures hall
Frankfurt Airport departures hall
Frankfurt Airport British Airways check-in
Frankfurt Airport British Airways check-in
I was quickly issued my boarding passes all the way to Los Angeles, and proceeded through immigration.
Frankfurt Airport departures hall
Frankfurt Airport departures hall
I headed for the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge, which is the lounge that most OneWorld airlines use in Frankfurt (always seemed a bit odd to me, but…). While the lounge is located after immigration it’s actually also before security, so you always have to leave a bit of extra time on departure. Right near the Japan Airlines lounge is the American Airlines transfer desk, and as I walked by I spotted the American station manager that I had met in Helsinki earlier in the year, so we chatted for a bit — small world!
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge entrance
I had used the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge back in 2010 when flying Delta BusinessElite out of Frankfurt, and not a whole lot has changed since then. The lounge is okay, with a good amount of seating, even during the morning “rush” before American’s flight to Dallas. There’s one large room with plenty of seating, and then a couple of smaller rooms with more seating.
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge seating
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge seating
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge seating
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge seating
There’s also a small business center, where I decided to sit during my hour in the lounge. On the plus side the Wi-Fi in the lounge was fast, so I had no trouble passing time.
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge business center
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge seating
The food spread was what you’d expect for a lounge in Europe. I get most excited about the noodles and curry offered by Japanese airlines in their lounges in Japan, though unfortunately the offerings aren’t as good abroad. For that matter I don’t think they had a single Japanese item on the menu.
The food spread consisted of cereal, croissants, pastries, yogurt, and some meat/cheese. Nothing overly impressive.
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge food spread
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge food spread
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge food spread
Then there was an open bar with booze and bottled beer.
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge food spread
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge open bar
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge open bar
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge drinks
Frankfurt Airport Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge drinks
At around 10AM I left the lounge for the gate. While there was a priority security lane there wasn’t actually anyone enforcing who used the lane, so it was just as long as the general one, since people would simply use whichever lane was shortest.
Frankfurt Airport priority security lane
The Japan Airlines lounge in Frankfurt is a fine partner lounge, though certainly not as exciting as my preferred Frankfurt “lounge,” the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, one of the absolute best airport lounges in the world 😉
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.