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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 nonUnited 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 loungesnot even UA's own 1Ks get to visit United's first class lounges without a first class ticketso 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 Nov 27, 2010, 11:04 pm
  #586  
 
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You won't have a problem. It is how I get in. Just make sure to show your *G card, whether it is from UA, CO, US, AC or any other *-carrier. You also need an onward boarding pass, so you cannot use this lounge if IAD is your final destination.
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Old Nov 28, 2010, 6:14 am
  #587  
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Yup, 1K card and BP. Not a problem when I used it earlier this month.
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Old Nov 28, 2010, 7:50 am
  #588  
 
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As a member of the CO PC, UA RCC, or US Clubs you should at minimum be able to get into the the business lounge downstairs. Also when using this type of admission rights, I think you can get in regardless of your travels. I know that there is a difference in the food options but the last time I was there things looked similiar.
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Old Nov 28, 2010, 2:09 pm
  #589  
 
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I highly recommend visiting this lounge if you have the time available. It is the type of amenity UA should be offering its Intl C & F customers.
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Old Nov 28, 2010, 2:21 pm
  #590  
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Flying TPE-NRT-IAD-EWR today and 1st time in the SEN lounge here in IAD. Wow, this place is fantastic! "Beats the RCC" goes without saying, but this place is better than the big SKL in ICN was. Salad bar, salami hot food, delicious minestrone, espresso machine (wait, is Lufthansa German or Italian? ), and big comfy leather seats. Wow!

The only lounges I've been to with better food offerings are the Concorde Room and BA Terraces in JFK...and the SEN lounge has better decor.

Thanks FT for directing me to this lounge!
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Old Nov 29, 2010, 11:50 am
  #591  
 
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Originally Posted by VA1379
You won't have a problem. It is how I get in. Just make sure to show your *G card, whether it is from UA, CO, US, AC or any other *-carrier. You also need an onward boarding pass, so you cannot use this lounge if IAD is your final destination.
Any way around the *G card? I am waiting on my card for this year (GM up until I made 2P and then 1P). Outbound int'l flight this week.
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Old Nov 29, 2010, 11:51 am
  #592  
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Originally Posted by drewguy
Any way around the *G card? I am waiting on my card for this year (GM up until I made 2P and then 1P). Outbound int'l flight this week.
You can try with just your BP, but LH is known for stringent admittance requirements, and turning away people without the card..
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Old Nov 29, 2010, 11:56 am
  #593  
 
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Originally Posted by FriendlySkies
You can try with just your BP, but LH is known for stringent admittance requirements, and turning away people without the card..
Most *A carriers have BP readers that show your status. If that works, they don't bother with the card. It didn't work for me with Aegean this summer, so I just pulled out my card. LH is probably similar.
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Old Nov 29, 2010, 11:57 am
  #594  
 
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Originally Posted by FriendlySkies
You can try with just your BP, but LH is known for stringent admittance requirements, and turning away people without the card..
They are relatively lax about this at IAD. Not like in Germany where they have non-LH-employee "bouncers" at the door.

I have asked LH why they are so obsessed about this and the answer was that the system may not have been updated (i.e. you are no longer *G) even though it says so on the BP. A pretty stupid excuse in my opinion. Even more so with UA because the only date that you an be dropped is Jan 31 and I think LH itself uses a calendar basis.

Other *A carriers have no problem scanning your BP.

When I first became *G many years ago I had UA send me an email (or letter) confirming that I was *G.
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Old Nov 29, 2010, 12:02 pm
  #595  
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Originally Posted by N1120A
Most *A carriers have BP readers that show your status. If that works, they don't bother with the card. It didn't work for me with Aegean this summer, so I just pulled out my card. LH is probably similar.
Originally Posted by gnaget
They are relatively lax about this at IAD. Not like in Germany where they have non-LH-employee "bouncers" at the door.

I have asked LH why they are so obsessed about this and the answer was that the system may not have been updated (i.e. you are no longer *G) even though it says so on the BP. A pretty stupid excuse in my opinion. Even more so with UA because the only date that you an be dropped is Jan 31 and I think LH itself uses a calendar basis.

Other *A carriers have no problem scanning your BP.

When I first became *G many years ago I had UA send me an email (or letter) confirming that I was *G.
I suppose it may be a YMMV situation. They asked for my 1K card when I visited the IAD lounge in early November.. Definitely worth the trek to the A/B terminal. So much better than spending time in the RCC!
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Old Nov 30, 2010, 3:54 pm
  #596  
 
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Originally Posted by FriendlySkies
I suppose it may be a YMMV situation. They asked for my 1K card when I visited the IAD lounge in early November.. Definitely worth the trek to the A/B terminal. So much better than spending time in the RCC!
Asked for my gold card, which hasn't arrived. Pointed to 1P on BP and gave my 2P card and that was good enough for them. The fresh from
the oven pretzels were definitely worth the trek from B to C3.
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Old Nov 30, 2010, 3:57 pm
  #597  
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Originally Posted by drewguy
Asked for my gold card, which hasn't arrived. Pointed to 1P on BP and gave my 2P card and that was good enough for them. The fresh from
the oven pretzels were definitely worth the trek from B to C3.
^ Glad to hear that they let you in! The LH lounge is definitely worth the trek, compared to spending an hour or two in the RCC! ^
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Old Nov 30, 2010, 3:59 pm
  #598  
 
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Originally Posted by drewguy
Asked for my gold card, which hasn't arrived. Pointed to 1P on BP and gave my 2P card and that was good enough for them. The fresh from
the oven pretzels were definitely worth the trek from B to C3.
There you go. That would never fly with LH in Germany.
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Old Dec 5, 2010, 7:14 pm
  #599  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
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failed on 12/4

Tried to gain access on 12/4 around ~3PM, was DENIED being a UA 1K..

Said they were 'full', there was a printout sign on the desk saying only passengers on the *A airlines flying out of B could be allowed it.

Guess it was part of the delays going back to the EU, as there were two LH flights to Frankfurt that day on the board.
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Old Dec 5, 2010, 7:26 pm
  #600  
 
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Thanks for the heads-up. I'll report whether they let me in tomorrow afternoon, presuming no delays during my connection.
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