While Singapore Airlines’ First Class continues to set the standard in the skies, passengers flying out of Frankfurt will need to seriously adjust their expectations about the ground experience.
Since Frankfurt is a Lufthansa hub, SIA has decided against operating its own SilverKris Lounge, preferring instead to tap on one of Lufthansa’s many facilities. For First Class passengers, that facility is the Lufthansa Senator Lounge, and no, it’s not worth arriving early for.
| 🏰 The Romantic Road |
| 🍸 tl;dr: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt | |
| While the Lufthansa Senator Lounge is good for a shower and getting some work done, its poor food selection and overcrowding issues make it a mediocre experience at best. | |
| The Good | The Bad |
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Access and Operating Hours
Lufthansa actually operates four Senator lounges at Frankfurt Terminal 1, split into various zones:
- Lufthansa Senator Lounge A (Schengen)
- Lufthansa Senator Lounge B (Non-Schengen)
- Lufthansa Senator Lounge C (Non-Schengen, temporarily closed)
- Lufthansa Senator Lounge Z (Non-Schengen)
In theory, you could access any lounge you like, but Singapore Airlines passengers will find Lounge B the simplest option since it’s a (very) short walk from the gate typically used by SIA for its nighttime departures.
The Lufthansa Senator Lounge B is open from 0600 to 2130 hours daily, which means it shuts just as boarding is called for SQ325 at 2125. Access is available to:
- Star Alliance First Class passengers
- Lufthansa/SWISS First Class passengers (although no one in the right mind would pick this over the Lufthansa First Class lounge!)
- Miles & More Senator members
- Miles & More HON Circle members
- Star Alliance Gold passengers travelling on a same-day Lufthansa or Star Alliance flight
What’s interesting is that a Star Alliance Gold passenger flying in Economy Class would be eligible to use the Senator Lounge, while a Business Class passenger without status would have to visit the Business Lounge, which is technically one tier down. It’s perhaps more understandable when you realise that Lufthansa Senator lounges are nothing to get excited about.
During this period, Lufthansa is also selling access to its lounges online. Access through this route is open to any passenger who holds a same-day boarding pass with any airline.
Prices for the Lufthansa Senator Lounge B start from €49, but perhaps you should finish reading this review before pulling the trigger…
Lufthansa Senator Lounge B is located near Gate B42. The lounge is located one floor above the departures concourse; before heading up the escalator, a staff member will check if you have proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative COVID-19 test.
I showed my Singapore vaccination certificate, which was accepted without any issues. There was no need to fill in any contact tracing form (I think they realised how pointless that was, given most visitors would soon be in an entirely different country!).
Our boarding passes were scanned upstairs, and we were reminded to keep our masks on at all times in the lounge, except when eating or drinking.
Seating
Most of the seats in the Lufthansa Senator Lounge are leather armchairs with low backs. It’s not the most comfortable setup for prolonged working, but there’s a business centre for those who want to get serious work done.
There was also a TV area tucked away in the corner, although the TV screens were much too small to be practical.
Closer to the entrance were a series of L-shaped couches arranged to facilitate conversation; this was where most of the larger groups chose to sit.
The dining area consists mostly of two-top circular tables, although some booth and (shared) high table seating is also available.
Finally, the lounge has a business centre with individual workstations separated by frosted glass partitions, and a multi-function printer and scanner. They’re not quite productivity pods (which boast better noise and visual isolation), but they’ll do.
Power and Productivity
Wi-Fi in the lounge is complimentary, and speeds were incredibly fast. I managed to clock 83 Mbps down and 89 Mbps up, which makes it more than adequate for all kinds of heavy-duty internet usage.
Interestingly enough, the power outlets here accepted Singapore Type G plugs, as well as the European Type F.
Food & Beverages
While Lufthansa lounges were at one point operating as takeaway-only facilities, dining-in has returned once again. Unfortunately, F&B is undoubtedly the weakest aspect of the entire experience.
The hot food offerings were dire. A pot of rice, a pot of potatoes, some “colorful carrot stew”, and Argentinian Beef Stew with Corn. You’d be lucky to find a single piece of beef in the pot, so this was for all intents and purposes a vegetarian affair.
Cold options weren’t much better either, and there was nothing particularly appetising.
A separate table held snacks like nuts, popcorn, chips and gummy bears, though I didn’t feel like helping myself to the communal bowls. Curiously, there’s no requirement to wear gloves at the buffet, unlike other places I visited in Germany.
The wine list is a slightly happier affair, with three sparkling, two white and two reds to choose from.
While there’s no champagne on offer, there is a surprisingly decent prosecco from Santa Margherita. This bears the DOCG label, which means it’s one step above the usual DOC proseccos you find in the supermarket. Also stocked is the rose version, plus a few German red and white wines.
Two heavy-duty coffee machines with ground-to-order beans, plus a selection of teas and draft beers were also available.
Showers
While the Senator Lounge may not be all that amazing, at least it has decent shower facilities. We put our names down as soon as we entered the lounge, and waited about 20 minutes for a room to open up.
Once it did, I found myself in a spacious shower room with a walk-in shower and long bench.
Water pressure was very good, and I loved that the shower had a hansgrohe button mixer allowing both the hand and overhead shower to be activated at the same time.
Bathroom amenities are by L’Occitane, and stored in wall-mounted pump bottles.
There’s no bidet hose for the toilet, but at least it was clean and free of debris (I can’t say the same for the Lufthansa Business Lounge in Munich!).
Spa
The Senator Lounge has a Senator Spa facility, operated by CHI-MAS. Treatments are chargeable, even for First Class passengers, and they don’t come cheap. A 15-minute head massage starts from €30, while a 60-minute body treatment starts from €120.
The spa is currently closed due to COVID-19, in any case.
Conclusion
First Class passengers who come to the Senator Lounge expecting a commensurate ground experience will be sorely disappointed, as this is a Business Class lounge at best. Poor F&B options and overcrowding remove any chance of a premium feel, and this certainly isn’t a lounge worth coming to the airport early for.
But then again, it’s probably a feature rather than a bug. Lufthansa saves the very best for its own passengers, and the First Class Lounge experience it offers them is First Class indeed. The Senator Lounge is more of a dumping ground for everyone else, and it shows in the amount of effort put into catering and amenities.
Save your stomach for the flight.
I went there 2 weeks ago and had to queue for 10 minutes due to the safe distancing inside the lounge. That’s not too bad. If you’re unlucky, the time could be longer. We had a couple behind us that paid for ghe lounge and were still waiting when we went in.
I see where they get some inspiration from, the common use shower products looks like it’s saying in your face SilverKris Lounge. That said, although the LH FCL is now shuttered for renovation, couldn’t SQ at least arrange something with LH for their Suites/FC passengers to use the FC Terminal or FCL when its open? CX was great with such arrangement pre-pandemic, I flew them ex JFK and fondly remember my experience in the AA Flagship First Dining, lost in between sips of Krug (the only lounge in the world that offers this stuff without a surcharge, ironically). Alright time… Read more »
Good point – I shared that point with the SIA country manager for Germany few years ago already. LH is open to do this as by that time they allowed UA Global Service members flying UA Global First into the FCL. SIA just must be willing to pay $$$ which I guess SQ is not willing to do so 😉 So I asked him whether they can at least offer something similar for TPPS members but his feedback was that the lounge access is not a priority in their partnership…. But wish SIA and LH could deepen their partnership a… Read more »
CX didn’t always have this arrangement with AA. Back in the day it was a pretty crappy BA lounge in JFK
That was because they were flying out of T7 back then. At least they did something as soon as they moved into T8. SQ has been flying out of FRA for donkey years and did nothing for their premium flyers which speaks about their priority.
Great review Aaron. The only redeeming feature and what sets it apart from other Sen lounges @FRA is the bar area, where they can provide you with a decent coffee and some cocktails.
Well it does have a decent in door smoking area unlike many other lounges. During winter it’s helpful as the outdoor smoking area becomes too cold.
Impressive – now all these stinking smokers can kill themselves in comfort!