sentom

france usa

Hello, I will be flying C class CDG to FRA and then connecting ( 3 hours later) FRA to BKK on TG First, and i'm *A Gold (not LH though), which lounge would you recommend ? I understand I cannot use any LH F lounge ... Thanks for any tip - incl access to this new lounge ?

NewbieRunner

A SEN lounge in B where your TG flight leaves from. As *G you should also have access to the Tower Lounge but it's quite a distance away from the B gates.

mh492

When coming back from LHR four days ago, we arrived at gate A13 and then they put us into a bus and drove us to the non-Schengen B arrival. My first time arriving at a gate and still have to use a bus. Frankfurt is just crazy right now. Anyhow since I was in non-Schengen anyway and 3 hours before my flight to FMO, I decided to check up on the new Tower Lounge.

I don't really remember seeing the *G sign, but since it replaces a SEN and business lounge, I assume that it is *G. At least that is what the LH website says. However that declares the opening hours as 05:30-22:00 and in reality it closes at 18:30 since after that there is no more flight leaving from any of the gates. My arrival was after 2pm so the lounge was pretty empty (only one flight left for the day) and so it feels amazing big and spacious. However they actually let anybody into that lounge. So it can get packed in the morning. The lounge ladies actually confirmed that. So no US flights from FRA for me in the near future. I prefer MUC.

The view is nice, but the food selection is as limited as in any business class lounge. The warm sandwich stuff was not that bad actually. The number of showers is 6 or 7. Not sure if that is enough at peak times. However I prefer the new Welcome Lounge in that case anyway.

Primenumber

Hi guys and gals,

Has anybody actually been to that lounge? I assume it actually is open, as LH announced it on their webpage, but I am surprised that nobody posted a first-hand experience yet. I'll have some time in FRA on Apr 13 and will check it out then.

Have safe travels

Primenumber

mh492

I have been in that lounge on 2nd of April. Nothing special actually. It is just a business class lounge. The view is pretty nice though.

NewbieRunner

Yes, FRA is crazy. But A13 is a Schengen gate. They could have deposited you at A53 which is immediately above but there were probably some US bound pax in the area who apparently must be segregated.

The problem is you can only use the Welcome Lounge if arriving on a longhaul in the morning.

nzpilot

I was there this morning.

Rode the elevator up with a lounge attendant who also had never been in the lounge as it was the 1st day of ops. Based on others who claim to have visited it already, I'd say I misunderstood her. Must have been her 1st day there. Seemed to be the equivalent of the LH Senator lounge for biz class, but had a new name.
Everything was brand spanking new and smelled it. Not sure how long it will take for the shiny to wear off. Only 1 of the 4 courtesy computers tagged out as inop. V spacious and great view of ramp and r/w ops, perhaps hence the name “tower”?
By the time I explored the full extent of the lounge, all 3 of the sonic chairs were taken. I had never seen these before & they looked pretty slick with interior speakers that surrounded the occupant in a bubble of music.
Food was generally standard fare for an intl lounge, which of course, means it whips the RCC hands down. Nice new addition was a “grilled sandwich” bar which due to the morning hour was serving egg and bacon OR cheese and ham sandwiches. Each sandwich was heated immediately prior to serving by an attendant.
I had not been into FRA for a few months, so I quizzed the lounge attendant about UA ops in term 1A. She said that UA was now operating all of its flts from 1A except to/fm IAD which was out of C.
In any event, new lounge is an UG over the old Senator, and a mega leap over the old RCC.
No waiting for the showers (at least today).
Worth dropping by. Only downside is that it is clear at the end of the A term, but not bad this morn as we were flying out of gate 62.

Marin 1K

I was there on Saturday morning connecting from TXL to LH454, and it was packed. My most significant comment is that when I decided that it was time to leave to go to my gate, I found a line of 20-30 people waiting to take one of the two small elevators down to the gate level. This of course led to the inevitable people who physically pushed past people in line to jump into the elevator. The lounge itself was nothing flash, sort of a mix of Business and Senator lounges; I would say it's a downgrade from Senator lounges.

mh492

Actually the SEN lounge at A51 was pretty crappy. I never liked it and preferred to stay in A26 as long as possible. The new Tower Lounge is nice, but basically everybody's sister has access to it. As long as LH492 departs from B22 I don't have to deal with an over-crowded business class lounge.

NewbieRunner

Yes, this is rather strange, isn't it? I was there for the first time today as I had 4 hours at FRA and wanted to try out lounges I hadn't visited before. My flight arrived at C5 so I took the Skyline train to A Pier. When I got off the train there was a security check point and I told them I wanted to go to the lounge near A65. After consulting somebody they let me through. The lounge receptionist asked if I was flying to BOS and when I told her I had nearly 4 hours till my Schengen flight, she told me that the lounge closed at 18:30 but that I could go downstairs later.

The lounge was practically empty (but plenty of food left!) and I was the only one left just before 18:00 when a lounge warden came and told me that I'd better leave and go downstairs as passport control (by A65) would close soon and I might get trapped in A Pier.

f4freeJunior

Last time I was there they told me that the lounge closes after the last US flight has left.

ddschur

To those with experience, would it be better for a traveler from US with a 4 hour layover to go to the Tower Lounge in the terminal and proceed to the Welcome Lounge outside of baggage claim and come back through security??

hch

Defintively go to the welcome lounge first for the much nicer shover and breakfast. Then go back through security and use the lounge closest to your flight, which most likely is not the Tower Lounge as that one is only good for US-bound departures from the upper A gates.

that_guy

It's OK, actually a bit cramped. The sandwich bar is a nice touch, but overall, nothing special. A bit hard to find, actually, the entrance at the departure level is somewhat hidden.