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Consolidated "Access to Lufthansa Lounge at IAD" Thread [Merged]

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Old Aug 2, 2013, 9:15 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: nacho
Why does this lounge have its own thread?
Unlike most non–United Club Star Alliance (*A) lounges in the United States, the Lufthansa lounge at IAD is physically accessible to domestic UA passengers. This means:
  1. United *G members may access the lounge on domestic itineraries, even though they wouldn't be allowed free access to the United Clubs on such itineraries.
  2. Passengers who otherwise have United Club access, whether due to a paid membership or a foreign *G card, have the option of a vastly superior lounge in IAD.
What is the Lufthansa Lounge at IAD like?
There are two floors to the lounge: the concourse level, where you enter and check in, which also has the Senator lounge with ample windows; and the lower level, which has the Business lounge and showers. (The showers are very nice; on par with Senator lounge showers in Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub.)

The Senator lounge offers a complimentary buffet throughout the day, including hot dishes, salads, and dry snacks, and has draught beer and a full open bar including champagne, available upon request.

[Need description of FTL offering. Include photos?]

How do I get there?
The lounge is located at the center of the B concourse, from where non-US airlines depart, to the right of the Aerotrain escalators as you enter the concourse from the train.

Hours have changed seasonally, but, as of April 2014, are 8:20 to 21:30 except Mondays, when the lounge closes at 17:30. It also closes daily from 12:00 to 13:30. Some report the lounge opening earlier on occasion and some report it closing earlier on occasion.

From TSA/check-in, the B concourse is one stop away by Aerotrain, but in the opposite direction of the C concourse from where most United flights depart. Allow 20 minutes between the center of the C concourse and the Lufthansa Lounge. The longest part of the trip is the walk between the C concourse proper and its Aerotrain stop. Between concourses B and C, the Aerotrain makes two stops: one at concourse A and one at the main terminal/TSA/baggage claim.

How do I get inside?
With...
  • Any Star Gold (*G) card (including UA Premier Gold and higher) and a same-day departing *A boarding pass in any class to any destination, domestic or international. There are reports (April 2014) that the physical card is no longer necessary; a *G designation on the boarding pass reflected in the barcode may be sufficient. (Senator lounge, 1 guest)
  • A LH/LX HON/SEN card and a same-day departing or arriving *A boarding pass to/from any destination, domestic or international. (Senator lounge, 1 guest [plus spouse if HON] plus children under 18)
  • A LH/LX FTL card and a same-day departing *A boarding pass in any class to any destination, domestic or international. (Business lounge, no guests)
  • A LH Premium Economy boarding pass with ($35 adult/$20 2-12yo child) lounge pass purchased at the ticket counter. [Can it be paid at the entrance?] (Business lounge, no guests)
  • A United Club or Maple Leaf Lounge Worldwide membership card and a same-day departing *A boarding pass in any class to any destination, domestic or international. (Business lounge, 1 guest)
  • A same-day international departing *A First (Senator lounge, 1 guest) or Business (Business lounge, no guests) boarding pass
  • A same-day arriving LH/LX First boarding pass. (Senator lounge, 1 guest)

In all cases, each guest must also present a same-day *A boarding pass for admission.

Lounge access for travel in a domestic premium cabin is not regulated by *A; as such, UA F domestic passengers (without other credentials) do not have access to the LH Lounge according to *A.com, just as they do not have access to the United Clubs. However, the international requirement for C/F tickets is conspicuously absent from Lufthansa's own lounge access sheet (see below), and domestic UA F passengers have reported admission. (Senator lounge, 1 guest)
[If we get (semi-)official confirmation of this policy, we'll add this to the bullets.]

Provided the lounge does not get overcrowded, as is often the case on US-based LH lounges, you may exit and re-enter the lounge as often as you wish. Note that if you are entering on a lounge pass, which are issued by Lufthansa to their own elites for various reasons, re-entry might not be allowed.

(If your access question wasn't addressed by the above, first check the *A access policy and LH's official access policy [generally relying on the least restrictive policy of the two if they appear to conflict], and if they answer a question that this wiki couldn't, update this wiki to help others! And if they don't, ask in the thread!)

So, can I use the lounge upon arrival in IAD?
Only LH/LX SEN/HON (on any *A carrier) and LH/LX F passengers have access to the lounge upon arrival at IAD without regard to onward travel. See the list above for more details. There are reports, however, of passengers not meeting this criteria presenting their arriving boarding pass and still being admitted.

Furthermore, note that, by virtue of not having access to the terminal, no international passenger whose journey ends at IAD has access to the lounge; they will be ferried by mobile lounge to the International Arrivals Building, which deposits passengers landside. [Can pax without checked bags choose to clear CBP in concourse C regardless? Also, do arriving passengers on LH/LX/*A F/C connecting at IAD to Y-class flights have access? According to LH.com, pax arriving in C on LH/LX can use the lounges in Germany and at JFK upon arrival to freshen up. Is the same courtesy extended at IAD?]

How does the Senator lounge compare to the newest Senator lounges in FRA?
Not favorably. The Senator lounge is like the old FRA lounges (cramped, and before a LH flight departure, crowded). Perhaps due to the crowding, LH offers its departing F pax preboarding from the Senator lounge, something which the FRA/MUC FCT/FCL does not offer but is common among LH's outstation lounges. So, enjoying champagne and macadamias at the nose or upper deck while waiting is a nice feature of the IAD Senator lounge.

This sounds too good to be true!
Lufthansa agrees! If the rumors are true, as of January 1, 2015, LH's Business Lounges will become its *G lounges, which means non-LH *Gs will be directed downstairs to the Business lounge after that date. There's some discussion of exceptions, most notable being that *G traveling in longhaul business class will still be admitted to the SEN lounge. Lufthansa has been more generous than most *A airlines in admitting *Gs to its designated *A First class lounges—not even UA's own 1Ks get to visit United's first class lounges without a first class ticket—so this change will bring Lufthansa somewhat more in line with the rest of the alliance. Went to the LH IAD lounge in June 2016 with TK G and SK BP flying Y, we were directed into the Senator lounge.
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Consolidated "Access to Lufthansa Lounge at IAD" Thread [Merged]

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Old May 17, 2009, 10:48 am
  #181  
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Originally Posted by UAX_Brasilia
Yes, but according to the Star Alliance, the RCC card should have been enough.
Where does it say that? You have to be flying the respective carrier, as far as I know, to get access to the lounge.
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Old May 17, 2009, 10:51 am
  #182  
 
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Originally Posted by lucky9876coins
Where does it say that? You have to be flying the respective carrier, as far as I know, to get access to the lounge.
From the Star website:

Paid Lounge Membership Customers:

Customers have access to any Star Alliance member carriers' owned Business Class lounges.

1. Customer must present a valid paid lounge membership card

2. Customer must also present a boarding card for a same day Star Alliance flight departing from the local airport.

3. Customer is entitled to one guest
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Old May 17, 2009, 10:55 am
  #183  
 
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Originally Posted by UAX_Brasilia
Yes, but according to the Star Alliance, the RCC card should have been enough.
Actually according to *A, it isn't. You need *G. LH gives its own *S members LH lounge access but this only applies for them in LH lounges.

Having said that, UA RCC's site states that RCC membership will give you business lounge access at LH - I'd assume by separate arrangements (I'd expect the cost for UA isn't that great since anyone doing extensive international flying would hit *G status fairly quickly). So either UA or LH is wrong here - either LH has a restricted policy for Dulles, goofed, or UA isn't correctly stating the arrangement.
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Old May 17, 2009, 10:57 am
  #184  
 
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Originally Posted by Jalinth
Actually according to *A, it isn't. You need *G. LH gives its own *S members LH lounge access but this only applies for them in LH lounges.
Did you read my post above?
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Old May 17, 2009, 11:00 am
  #185  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
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LH:

FTL = *S and gets access to LH Business Lounge

Sen= *G and gets acces to LH Business and Senator Lounge
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Old May 17, 2009, 1:02 pm
  #186  
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Originally Posted by lucky9876coins
Where does it say that? You have to be flying the respective carrier, as far as I know, to get access to the lounge.
That question is hotly debated, e.g., here and here (page 10), but I think that RCC members are supposed to get access *A business lounges when flying any *A carrier. This is based on the (admittedly confusing) .bomb RCC page, as well as the (much clearer) Star Alliance page cited by UAX_Brasilia.

UA Premier is not enough, but RCC should be.
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Old May 21, 2009, 2:59 pm
  #187  
 
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Please click one of the Quick Reply icons in the posts above to activate Quick Reply.
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Old May 21, 2009, 3:01 pm
  #188  
 
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There's alcohol in the lounge!! Becks beer, lots of bottles, and a full bar. No self service, but it still great!!
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Old May 21, 2009, 3:20 pm
  #189  
 
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I will have 90 minutes of connecting time b4 my next flight in IAD. Will I have enough time to go visit LH lounge?
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Old May 21, 2009, 3:26 pm
  #190  
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Originally Posted by SESTAR
I will have 90 minutes of connecting time b4 my next flight in IAD. Will I have enough time to go visit LH lounge?
Yes, that's plenty of time. Allow about 15 minutes to walk each way, though.
Originally Posted by Uniter
There's alcohol in the lounge!! Becks beer, lots of bottles, and a full bar. No self service, but it still great!!
So do they have a bar set up somewhere, or is there someone walking around the lounge seeing if anyone wants anything?
lucky9876coins is offline  
Old May 21, 2009, 4:15 pm
  #191  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
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Originally Posted by lucky9876coins
So do they have a bar set up somewhere, or is there someone walking around the lounge seeing if anyone wants anything?
I haven't seen anyone walking around (yet), but I'm not sitting in the area by the food. I just stood around the food area until someone opened one of the doors that allow the servers to replenish the trays. I asked for a drink and he brought it out to me.
benny248 is offline  
Old May 21, 2009, 5:16 pm
  #192  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: SAN
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Originally Posted by lucky9876coins
So do they have a bar set up somewhere, or is there someone walking around the lounge seeing if anyone wants anything?
I will be there on Sat, I wil check it out
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Old May 21, 2009, 5:38 pm
  #193  
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Originally Posted by Uniter
There's alcohol in the lounge!! Becks beer, lots of bottles, and a full bar. No self service, but it still great!!
Uushsh! Missed it by 48 hrs.
cesco.g is offline  
Old May 21, 2009, 6:04 pm
  #194  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Reutlingen, Germany
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Posts: 558
They even serve Champagne! Since UA is not offering that any more I had a glas here on my layover in IAD. And a shower as well.
German Magazines, good Food a LH747 parked in front of the window. I almost forgot I was on a UA trip...
tmeyer is offline  
Old May 21, 2009, 6:32 pm
  #195  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Washington, DC
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Originally Posted by tmeyer
They even serve Champagne!
That's great, of course, but when I asked about "sparkling wine or champagne" 90 minutes ago, the guy replied "we have white wine." Next time, I'll know to push a bit harder.

I agree, though, that it was awesome sitting there with the 747 just feet away from the window!

I'm in the RCC now and it just isn't the same.
benny248 is offline  


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