Lounge Review: FRA Japan Airlines Sakura and First Class Lounges

Index to Genius1 Trip Reports

The JAL lounges at Frankfurt Terminal 2 are located to the right of immigration (but before security) on the level above check-in, next to Gate D5. There’s a central reception desk, with the Sakura lounge opening up to the left and a sliding door through to the First Class lounge to the right. Following the closure of the Cathay Pacific lounge in 2019 (which is now the third party-operated Priority lounge), the JAL lounges are the only oneworld airline lounges at FRA, and are contracted by AA, BA and RJ for their passengers’ use. This is expected to change once T3 opens in 2026 and all oneworld airlines move to that terminal.





Sakura Lounge

From reception, a corridor lined with photos of historic JAL aircraft leads past the Toto-equipped washrooms, two unisex shower rooms and a telephone room to the main lounge area. I love the concept of a telephone room, which I’d welcome coming back into fashion beyond East Asia to accommodate mobile calls and virtual meetings.







The lounge itself is one large open plan space, with separate areas for work, relaxation and dining. To cater for those needing to work, there’s a fairly uninspiring nook immediately on the left after the washrooms with space for four at a high-top table with European power sockets (as the sockets are throughout the lounge).



Past some café-style seating, the far end of the lounge features mostly leather armchairs of reasonably comfort, interspersed with handy side tables featuring integrated power sockets. Newspapers and magazines are of course offered digitally these days, and so as is the case in many lounges, the couple of news stands look a little sad devoid of any contents.



Roughly half the lounge is taken up by dining seating; four communal tables with integrated power and USB-A sockets, a number of tables for two, and high-top seating (again, with integrated power sockets) adjacent to the lounge’s only wall of windows which overlook the landside approach to T2. Aircraft landing on Runway 25R can be spotted on their final approach. The communal dining tables are a more recent addition to the lounge and replaced armchairs that were previously more prevalent.





The buffet completes the square of the lounge, where there are also a couple of high-top bar tables. Most of the photos in this report were taken in July 2023, at which time the hot part of the buffet and food chiller was tended with meals being plated on request. In a more recent visit in August this year, the lounge had reverted to self-service, although pandemic-era separation screens were still deployed throughout the lounge I guess in an attempt to offer a modicum of additional privacy.









In addition to self-service hot, soft and alcoholic drinks (the sparkling wine is just that – not champagne), there’s a food chiller with salad, wraps, ham and cheese, a hot buffet consisting of soup, a Western pasta dish and Japanese curry, whole fruit, nuts, pretzels, sweets, chocolate and two ‘proper’ dessert options. To note, all soft drinks (including water) are served in individual glass bottles with detachable tops, so there’s no option to take onboard your flight. The Japanese Muku curry with rice is consistently delicious and comes highly recommended, as does the plum crumble cake.







First Class Lounge

Whilst the Sakura lounge is open daily from 06:00-20:00, the First Class lounge only opens at 16:30 to coincide with JAL’s departure to NRT at 19:50. The lounge follows standard oneworld rules, and so is open to all Emerald members – the receptionist will normally advise you of when the First Class lounge opens (if it isn’t already) when you enter the lounge and invite you to use the Sakura lounge in the meantime. Thanks to the receptionist who let me in 10 minutes before the lounge opened to take the majority of the photos in this section.

The First Class lounge adopts a notably darker colour scheme when compared to the Sakura lounge, although seating density is unusually similar. Unlike the Sakura lounge, there is no art to brighten up the walls. Seating is mostly of the armchair variety, although there is a (wholly inadequate) single dining table for two near the buffet in the corner and high-top seating along the windows which offer the same view as the Sakura lounge.

















There are two private rooms on the right as you enter the lounge. The first of these (which is presumably by invitation only) is fixed in layout with a cream sofa and two matching reclining armchairs straight out of the 90s, whilst the second features standard armchair seating and is usually open to the rest of the lounge unless required for private use. The two spaces can be connected together if required.







According to the fire plan (which shows the original furniture layout rather than that in use today), a third semi-private area is located to the right of the drinks buffet between the Sakura and First Class lounges, but I have never seen this area in use so can’t confirm the setup of it. As with the Sakura lounge, power and USB-A sockets are relatively prevalent through the lounge but a little less apparent in the ‘open’ private room.



With the exception of whole fruit, nuts, pretzels, sweets and chocolate, the food buffet in the First Class lounge remained tended on my most recent visit in August this year, and offered two additional hot options over those in the Sakura lounge; an additional Japanese option of Muku tofu and an additional Western option of Bavarian sausage. Champagne is available here, with a slightly more expanded alcoholic drinks offering. This is a decent offering for oneworld Emerald members, but weak if departing in JAL First Class (when flights operate with that cabin) for which I’d expect waiter-service dining from an expanded menu to be offered, although this doesn’t seem to be the case.





For washrooms and showers you need to leave the First Class lounge and use those in the Sakura lounge.

Concluding Thoughts

Whilst the design throughout both lounges is now somewhat dated and is a little clinical, Japan Airlines offer a solid experience for a couple of hours before a flight from what is, of course, an outstation for them. I’d sit on the floor if it meant I could still have the Muku curry.