Review: Lufthansa Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)

During my trip to Japan via Mongolia, I had the chance to check out several lounges at New York JFK Terminal 1 prior to my Air France A350 flight to Paris. One of the lounges that I checked out was the Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK, which is open to both Star Alliance passengers and Priority Pass members.

Lufthansa is pretty consistent with its outstation lounges, and this location is no exception. I found this to be a decent lounge, with lots of natural light, and a good selection of food and drinks. It’s not the most modern lounge in the world, but I still enjoyed my brief visit. Separately, I’ve reviewed the the Air France Lounge, the Primeclass Lounge, and the Turkish Airlines Lounge.

Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK location

The Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK is located in Terminal 1, and it’s really easy to find. After clearing security (hopefully by using the VIP ONE Lounge experience), you’ll see the lounge immediately past the checkpoint and to the left. If you’ve followed the signage in the direction of any of the gates, you’ve gone too far.

Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK hours

The Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK is currently open daily from 12PM until 11:30PM (except on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, when it’s open until 12AM). Note that those are the hours for the lounge, though Priority Pass members only get access to the lounge over select periods, so you’ll want to consult the Priority Pass website for those details (as the timing changes based on flight schedules).

Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK entry requirements

First and foremost, the Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK is intended for Lufthansa Group passengers. In line with Star Alliance lounge access policies, you can use this lounge if you’re a Star Alliance Gold member, or are departing in Star Alliance first or business class. So passengers traveling on airlines like Lufthansa and SWISS will be sent to this lounge.

On top of that, the lounge is open to Priority Pass members, but only over select hours. When Priority Pass members are allowed in, you can visit for a period of up to three hours. Keep in mind there are many premium credit cards offering Priority Pass memberships.

Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK seating & layout

The Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK is roughly 16,000 square feet. The catch is that the lounge is spread across three levels, with each level having different entry requirements:

• The first level has the Lufthansa Business Lounge, for Star Alliance business class passengers and Priority Pass members
• The second level has the Lufthansa Senator Lounge, for Star Alliance Gold members
• The third level has the Lufthansa First Lounge, for Lufthansa and SWISS first class passengers

So this review will focus exclusively on the Lufthansa Business Lounge section, since that’s all I had access to with Priority Pass. This part of the lounge consists of one long room, with roughly the first half of the lounge being focused on dining, and the second half of the lounge being focused on relaxing.

The dining area consists primarily of dining tables each with two chairs. There are some other seating options as well, from some high-top communal tables, to a few sets of leather chairs.

I do have to say, the furniture feels really cheap, if you ask me. Don’t the dining chairs look like something you’d expect for outdoor furniture in a home, rather than something inside an airport lounge?

The back of the lounge then features a bunch of lounging chairs, in a variety of configurations. This area also features some pre-reclined chairs, as well as a long, curved bench in the back of the lounge.

Then off to the side of the lounge, there’s an entertainment room with a bunch of chairs facing a TV, as well as another room with some more seating.

That’s the extent of the concourse level of the lounge. The one other thing I should mention is that the views are quite nice, as the lounge looks out over the apron.

Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK food & drinks

The Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK boasts a respectable self-serve selection of food and drinks, especially if you consider the lounge is accessible with Priority Pass. Most of the food and drinks are available on a buffet that’s located along the interior wall of the lounge, in the dining area.

There’s a menu that clearly lays out both the hot and cold options, which I always appreciate. Cold options included a salad bar (with cowboy salad, spinach pasta salad, and a spring mix salad), sandwiches (turkey sandwich and roasted vegetable wrap), a selection of bread and cheese, and dessert (cheesecake brownie blondie and lemon pound cake).

Then there were also five hot options, including sweet soy chicken with salsa, penne pasta, roasted vegetables, jasmine rice, and a couple of types of soup.

In addition to the more substantial buffet, there was a snack station with chips, pretzels, candy, and more.

There were also several drink options at the main buffet, including a couple of espresso machines, a soda fountain, and beer on tap.

By the windows there was a station with the other alcoholic options, including an extensive selection of self-serve liquor, as well as red, white, and sparkling wine.

Lastly, there was a table with some juice and whole fruit.

Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK bathrooms

The Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK has bathrooms in the very back left of the lounge. The men’s room had two sinks, two stalls, and three urinals.

The lounge also has a shower suite, though I didn’t have the chance to check it out during my visit.

Bottom line

The Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK is a respectable business class and Priority Pass lounge. The lounge has a solid selection of food and drinks, and has lots of natural light. Now, I do think the lounge could use a refresh at some point, as the decor leaves a bit to be desired. Then again, Terminal 1 is supposed to be closed in a few years, so I can’t imagine that investment will happen.

On balance, I’d say this is an above average Priority Pass lounge, and probably a pretty average international business class lounge.

What do you make of the Lufthansa Lounge New York JFK?