I had flown into Frankfurt airport on an Air Dolomiti Embraer E195, and would be leaving for Helsinki, so this was a opportunity to drop-in to the Business Lounge in Terminal 1, Concourse A (Schengen area), near A26.
There are in fact two Lufthansa lounge’s near each other. The “Panorama Lounge” near Gate A26, via stairs or elevator. This lounge is in a space formerly used by the First Class Lounge, and was refurbished in 2018. The space is considered quiet and airy with panoramic views of the apron. Furnishing are upscale and high ceilings and warm lighting, it creates a relaxed space often used by long-haul Schengen-connecting business passengers.
However I went to the “other” lounge near A26. This has the “standard” Lufthansa decor with wood accents that don’t quite overcome the very functional layout. It is used by short-haul business flyers, “Frequent Travellers”, and can be very busy at peak Schengen flight times (morning/evening). I picked this one because there were people waiting to access the Panorama Lounge, and I thought (correctly) that over lunchtime the other lounge would be quieter.
Flying in and out of Frankfurt Airport
Going through a large airport can be easy, very easy, or occasionally really a bit stupid.
I landed from Luxembourg in an Air Dolomiti Embraer E195, which parked on a remote stand. I think an area used by many Schengen flights. We were then bussed to the arrivals in Concourse B, Terminal 1. It took ages! I went up to level 2 of B Departures, and headed towards Gates A1-69. I walked through Concourse B and found the stairs that took me down to the underground connecting tunnel to Concourse A. There was a lift, but also a mass of people waiting for it. The walk though to Concourse A took about 10 minutes (a number of the moving walkways were not working). I finally found Gate 20, and dropped into a nearby lounge. Total trip time >20 minutes.
The really stupid thing was that we then were bussed from Gate A20 back out to a remote stand, where the plane to Helsinki was parked right next to the plane from Luxembourg.
What's in this Business Class lounge?
The lounge looked quite small, so I’m not surprised that it might crowd up during mornings and evenings. But around mid-day it looked fine, there was free seating everywhere. I had around 40 minutes to burn, so I took a place at a table near the small food buffet. Enough time to snack and read the FT.
There was a small salad bar with lettuce, spring onions, feta cheese, etc. The “main” was asparagus creme soup, Gazpacho, stir fry vegetables with feta cheese, and a Red Chicken Curry. I just dump some curry on the vegetables with feta. It turnout to be a very tasty combination.
I drank water, but the alcohol is not self-serve. There is a bartender and a decent selection of wines, etc. (decent in terms of selection, but I can’t vouch for the quality).
I understand that anyone can buy admission for €49 which I feel is a bit expensive, but I’m told that there are private rooms and shower facilities, so it may be worth it.
Overall, it was OK for a short stopover, but I can’t imagine spending hours there unless you are working. There were a lot of sockets around, and some decent table tops, etc.
