That is really the crucial point of the new "HON" level. When opening more and more new First Class/HON lounges I am firmly convinced that the service level for SEN will more and more decrease.
And in some years and at "smaller" destinations, the former Senators will find themselves in the overcrowded Business/FTL/SEN common user lounge due to the fact that all ideas, service capacities and service enhancement are concentrated on that HON level.
I think that is not the right behavior of such a large airline as Lufthansa. A SEN customer with e.g. 200.000 status point or may be 100 business class flights in Europe makes a revenue from minimum 30.000 until 50.000 EUR per year.
And this is no longer the best customer ?
I really don`t understand that. The better opportunity would have been to increase the square feet of the Senator Lounges, have a new limousine service at EVERY destination and try to make service enhancements for all the business class pax. I think they are really paying the bill: The fuel bill, the catering bill, the peronal costs etc. And I am firmly convinced an airline couldn't live of some thousand HON customers.
So they should strengthen the core business of business class, gold/senator and silver/FTL paxe. This is the ONLY way to get customer loyalty.