Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge A50 (Schengen), Frankfurt Airport
By Chris C., December 7 2018
Country
Germany
City
Frankfurt
Airport
Frankfurt am Main
Alliance
Star Alliance
Airline
Lufthansa
Cabin-class
First
Notes
The Good
- No boarding calls keeps the lounge quiet
- All-day self-serve alcohol
The Bad
- Food and beverage almost identical to the Lufthansa Business Lounges
X-Factor
- Office-like spaces for when there's work to be done
Introduction
The Lufthansa Senator Lounge A50 at Frankfurt Airport could best be described as "better than business class but not quite first class", given business class passengers have no access here unless also holding the right frequent flyer card, yet the airline's own first class flyers have access to a separate lounge that's a cut above.
Interestingly, a Star Alliance Gold frequent flyer booked in economy class can visit this Senator Lounge, whereas a full-fare business class passenger without status cannot – an interesting approach, given that for most other airlines, the reverse would be true.
Located in the part of Frankfurt Airport that primarily caters to German domestic and European flights, here's what's on offer at Senator Lounge A50 if your boarding pass or frequent flyer card gets you inside.
Location & Impressions
As its name suggests, you'll find this Lufthansa Senator Lounge near gate A50 at Frankfurt Airport, not far beyond the main security screening check.
While the Lufthansa Business Lounge and Lufthansa First Class Lounge are to the left after security, this lounge is to the right, with its own separate entrance:
For those unfamiliar with Lufthansa's airport lounge hierarchy, Senator Lounges are mid-tier facilities, sitting one rung above the Lufthansa Business Lounges, but a rank below the First Class Lounges.
This location is open from 5am until 10pm daily.
Access
With 14 lounges across Frankfurt Airport alone, this particular Lufthansa Senator Lounge is accessible to guests travelling within the Schengen Area, including both German domestic flights and those to other European countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
Given the other lounges available here, this space primarily serves the following guests on these Schengen flights:
- Star Alliance first class passengers departing on a same-day flight.
- Miles & More Senator frequent flyers departing on or arriving from a Lufthansa, Star Alliance or eligible codeshare partner flight the same day.
- Star Alliance Gold cardholders departing on a same-day Lufthansa or Star Alliance flight.
While Miles & More HON Circle members can also access Senator Lounges, in Frankfurt, these top-tier travellers can instead relax in the Lufthansa First Class Lounge in the same terminal before or after an eligible flight, as can passengers with a same-day Lufthansa or SWISS first class flight.
Business class passengers of Lufthansa and other Star Alliance airlines have no access here, unless also holding a Star Alliance Gold frequent flyer card. Without one, a business class boarding pass provides access only to Frankfurt's Lufthansa Business Lounges.
Dining
Arriving mid-morning, I found breakfast on the go, offering a selection of cereals...
... fresh fruits, yoghurts and juices...
... meats and cheeses...
... a range of breads and pastries...
... and hot items like bacon and eggs:
Espresso coffee is available, but machine-made...
... and while you can obviously enjoy a bite to eat anywhere in the space, a line-up of dining tables around the corner from the main buffet makes this an easier task:
Alcohol is available throughout the day, including the mornings if you so desire...
... with the selections including spirits, liqueurs, beers on tap, red and white wines...
... along with Prosecco and French sparkling (which is not Champagne):
As the day progressed, breakfast turned to lunch with a section of fresh salads joined by hot dishes in the chicken and beef curries, accompanied by rice:
Given I was travelling from Germany to Italy, it seemed appropriate to enjoy a German pretzel together with a glass of the (Italian) Prosecco, albeit in a regular wine glass as flutes weren't available.
Those with a sweet tooth won't be disappointed by the separate snack corner, with everything from muffins, biscuits and cookies through to lollies, nuts and other nibbles...
... and, as tends to be a staple in every Lufthansa and SWISS airport lounge, an ice cream freezer:
That said, aside from a slightly larger selection of spirits, the food and beverage offering here is almost identical to the lower-tier Lufthansa Business Lounge in the same terminal, which I also visited that morning.
Work
Given the minimal difference in dining, business travellers will instead notice better working spaces here in the Senator Lounge, so while there are still plenty of benches where you can set up a laptop...
... other parts of this lounge are a bit more office-like, which is great to help you focus-in on any important tasks, such as over here in the working corner...
... or, for less of a 'cubicle' vibe, at one of the tables towards the centre of the space:
If you need to make a phone call with a bit more privacy, there are several stand-up conversation nooks hidden away...
... while tests of the lounge's complimentary WiFi network showed average download speeds of 19Mbps and uploads of 34Mbps, which is more than acceptable.
An absence of boarding calls here also keeps any interruptions to a minimum, keeping you on task.
Relax
If you've arrived early with time to spare or just want to kick back before heading to the gate, there's no shortage of comfy seats here – whether you take a day bed over in the lounge's rainforest corner, or one of the many leather chairs throughout the lounge.
Most of these seats provide easy access to power, and as I've found in many other airport lounges around the globe, the trick to finding a power outlet is to look for the lamps above – but as there's no USB power available here, keep your European power adaptor handy:
In some spaces, there may also be power available via a fold-up hatch in the floor, even if it's just to recharge your phone before you fly:
A selection of reading material is at-hand – mostly in German, but with the odd English title scattered through...
... and given there are no boarding calls here, you can monitor your departure on the flight screens throughout the lounge. Helpfully, they also indicate how long it takes to walk from the lounge to each gate, so you can plan your exit:
Flights departing from other concourses appear here too, useful for passengers who may have swung by this lounge before continuing with their journey, but if you are departing from another section of Frankfurt Airport – such as the B gates, which require you to clear outbound passport control first, be sure to allow plenty of time for that.
Overall, this lounge is a real mix, catering to both Star Alliance first class passengers and Star Alliance Gold frequent flyers travelling in economy, or in business class, because a business class ticket alone won't get you in here.
As such, this isn't a true first class lounge – and, to be fair, it doesn't pretend to be, given Lufthansa and SWISS first class flyers use a different lounge – but as far as lounges go for elite frequent flyers in Europe, this is one of the better ones, especially when there's work to be done before your flight.
Chris Chamberlin travelled to Frankfurt as a guest of Star Alliance and Lufthansa.
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
04 Dec 2013
Total posts 156
Fair summary. There's also usually a stand putting together little sandwiches and salads to order, to the right of the main bar.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 729
Stand up conversation booths, that's very retro.
07 Jun 2016
Total posts 29
Old style but oh so civilised and one would wish to find more of those in lounges. What’s not to like compared to having to listen to all those strangers phone calls
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Lufthansa Senator Lounge A50 (Schengen), Frankfurt Airport