Airport Lounges Reviews

Review: Reopened Lufthansa First Class Terminal Lounge Frankfurt

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Lufthansa First Class Terminal Lounge Frankfurt

One of the great treats of flying Lufthansa First Class is visiting one of the fabulous Lufthansa First Class lounges. The very best of the best is at the exclusive Lufthansa First Class terminal at Frankfurt airport. I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Lufthansa First Class Terminal ahead of my incredible Lufthansa First Class flight to Houston on the 747-8. Check it out – I didn’t enjoy either experience at all lol.

If you’re arriving via car just let your driver know that you’re flying first class and they’ll drive you straight there. I was staying in the Sheraton across the street and walked over. I entered one level below the main check-in and took the elevator up. Upstairs, you’ll be greeted immediately, your passport and paperwork collected for security and immigration, and greeted on the other side by lounge personnel. In total, I’d say from the time I was greeted until I was seated in the dining room was less than 5 minutes.

Lufthansa First Class Terminal Details

  • When: September 2021
  • Where: Frankfurt
  • Access:
    • Lufthansa First Class passengers
    • Hon Circle members on Lufthansa, Swiss, or Austrian

This could be sacrilege to say, but I wasn’t overly wowed by the First Class Terminal lounge. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic lounge, but the way people have spoken about it, I was expecting a considerable differentiation between it and other Lufthansa First Class lounges. Honestly, aside from the expedited security, I didn’t think the lounge was any better than The First Class lounge in Frankfurt Terminal 1 departure A, or even the Lufthansa First Class Lounge I visited in Munich prior to flying the A380. I’ve also been fortunate to experience the tarmac transfer to/from both of those lounges so that could be why…but just purely from an aesthetic and experience stand point – it was very much on par.

Lufthansa First Class Terminal Bar

When you enter the lounge you’ll see a full service, very high end bar directly to your right. You’ll note the a distinguished selection of high end whiskeys on the top shelf. If it wasn’t mid morning I may have treated myself to something nice.

Dining Room

The first time I visited a Lufthansa First Class lounge I was gobsmacked by how delicious the buffet selection was, and the high quality food served to order. I visited this lounge within a week of it reopening and was disappointed that the buffet was significantly stripped down and the breakfast menu was as well.

 

I chose smoked salmon lox which were quite good, but I would have been wiser to have them atop an omelette or scrambled eggs. The rye bread wasn’t the right pairing for me and I ended up just eating the salmon on its own.

There are snacks placed throughout the lounge as well

Seating/Work Areas

There is a variety of work areas from quite private to lounge chairs and recliners in front of large tvs.

Cigar Lounge

There is a cigar lounge, but I regretfully forgot to photograph it, but I have a picture form another Lufthansa First Class Lounge that is essentially the same thing…a big glass room with a view that you can light stogies in at the airport.

Sleeping areas and showers

If you have a long layover and would like to get some shut eye there are bedrooms you can reserve to take a little nap and shower suites where you can freshen up.

Tarmac transfer

The best part of visiting the Lufthansa First Class Terminal is the tarmac transfer. When its time to board your flight, someone will come and escort you downstairs to a waiting chauffeured car. There are mercs, vans, and Porsches.

You’ll then be dropped off right by your waiting plane.

Overall

Let me be clear – this is an incredible experience. From the moment you enter the Lufthansa First Class Terminal you’re treated with deference, class, and tended to like a first class passenger. To some extent, my disappointment in the experience isn’t the experience itself at all, but rather a result of the consistency that Lufthansa has across the board that is sheer excellence. But you don’t really experience anything differential here within the walls of the lounge that you’d miss out on elsewhere. The only thing you may miss out on, which I have been fortunate to experience, is the tarmac transfer and expedited security experience. However, if you were to be transferring through Frankfurt, as I have in the past, and end up in the Terminal 1 First Class lounge, but still get the iconic tarmac transfer, in my opinion you wouldn’t have missed out on anything other than bragging rights.

Don’t forget to grab a duck

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3 Comments

  • hp12c January 14, 2022

    Thank you for telling it like it is – FCT is great when originating in FRA, but when connecting through FRA, it’s not worth exiting the airport just to get the guaranteed tarmac transfer. Certain bloggers have talked up the FCT as if it’s the holy grail of lounges, but I’d rather save the time/walk and get the exact same experience (except guaranteed tarmac transfer) in T1. Plus, you get actual views from the T1 lounge!

  • Christian January 13, 2022

    Thanks for the review. You know, I’ve read numerous reviews about the first class terminal but I think I may like yours among the best. You mention the good points but you’re not fawning and I’ve never read a review that bothered to mention that the Sheraton was right across the street.

    Well done.

  • patrick January 13, 2022

    Hey Miles… can you use the 1st Class Lounge when ARRIVING or is it just for departures?
    Thanks!

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