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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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Old Sep 13, 2012, 12:00 pm
  #796  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Silicon Valley, CA and Mid-Ohio Valley
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Can I access the LH lounge in IAD using a United Club membership? Regardless of my class of ticket? Flying IAD-SFO sunday, would much prefer LH lounge.
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Old Sep 13, 2012, 12:04 pm
  #797  
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Originally Posted by Kylar
Can I access the LH lounge in IAD using a United Club membership? Regardless of my class of ticket? Flying IAD-SFO sunday, would much prefer LH lounge.
yes & yes (but need to be on a departuring *A flight)
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Old Sep 13, 2012, 12:12 pm
  #798  
 
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Yep, upgraded F on United. Yeee-haw.
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Old Sep 13, 2012, 12:54 pm
  #799  
 
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But I think you only get the business lounge, not Senator (although it it's not busy it won't make much difference).
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Old Sep 29, 2012, 4:40 pm
  #800  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
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The LH lounge at IAD did indeed open at 8:20AM TODAY; just another data point. In fact, there was a line of ANA customers waiting for it to open. There was an ANA agent working one of the two checkin desks and serviced only ANA customers flying to Japan (the other LH agent is taking care of other non-ANA business.)

It was wired that they took my boarding pass to make a photo copy; haven't happened to me before?! Does any one know why they did that?
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Old Sep 29, 2012, 6:20 pm
  #801  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
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I was at IAD Friday early for a 1PM UA flight. I went to the LH lounge around 10:30AM to try my luck. The first attendant took my MP *G card, and asked for my boarding pass. I gave her my phone w/ mobile BP (in domestic upgraded F); she couldn't get it to scan so she gave it to the second attendant to try. The first lady then served the next customer. The second attendant tried a bit and got the BP to scan and said 'ok, the club is downstairs'.

I thought *G got the upstairs (senator) lounge, but I didn't make a big deal out of it and went downstairs.
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Old Sep 29, 2012, 6:37 pm
  #802  
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Originally Posted by lax2010
The LH lounge at IAD did indeed open at 8:20AM TODAY; just another data point. In fact, there was a line of ANA customers waiting for it to open. There was an ANA agent working one of the two checkin desks and serviced only ANA customers flying to Japan (the other LH agent is taking care of other non-ANA business.)

It was wired that they took my boarding pass to make a photo copy; haven't happened to me before?! Does any one know why they did that?
Perhaps the computer was down? I've only had my BP & 1K card copied one time at the TG lounge in HKG.
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Old Oct 3, 2012, 6:52 am
  #803  
 
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Does anyone know if the Lufty lounge in Dulles has suit steaming facilities?
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Old Oct 11, 2012, 1:23 pm
  #804  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: IAD
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Food offerings in the lounge have been upgraded. I noticed that there's new silverware and china. The sweets section now has cupcakes (red velvet?), chocolate cake, lemon bars, and cookies. No more candy. Hot food included salmon, bratwurst and sauerkraut, some greens, and garlic mashed potatoes. Cold sandwich selection looks to be the same. Off to the side were samosas and some fried vegetables.

Glad I ditched my RCC membership two years ago! Thumbs up to LH!!!

Last edited by Condition One; Oct 11, 2012 at 1:42 pm
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Old Oct 11, 2012, 3:18 pm
  #805  
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Originally Posted by Condition One
Food offerings in the lounge have been upgraded. I noticed that there's new silverware and china. The sweets section now has cupcakes (red velvet?), chocolate cake, lemon bars, and cookies. No more candy. Hot food included salmon, bratwurst and sauerkraut, some greens, and garlic mashed potatoes. Cold sandwich selection looks to be the same. Off to the side were samosas and some fried vegetables.

Glad I ditched my RCC membership two years ago! Thumbs up to LH!!!
Cool ^ (and looking forward to the new vittles on Saturday)
goalie is offline  
Old Oct 14, 2012, 9:14 am
  #806  
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Not access related, but does anybody know if pre-flight First Class dining is still available? I remember seeing a while back in this club but I can't find anything on it.
nevansm is online now  
Old Oct 17, 2012, 2:47 am
  #807  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Flying LH F do I get 2 or 1 guests here? What about GF on UA? From what I can tell, the LH lounge beats even the IFL
dparkinson is offline  
Old Oct 17, 2012, 6:56 am
  #808  
 
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Originally Posted by dparkinson
Flying LH F do I get 2 or 1 guests here? What about GF on UA? From what I can tell, the LH lounge beats even the IFL
From LH's website:
http://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/Loung...access#ancAbT4

Lufthansa and SWISS First Class Ticket: One companion plus spouse / partner plus children under the age of 18
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Old Nov 14, 2012, 7:22 pm
  #809  
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Originally Posted by Condition One
Food offerings in the lounge have been upgraded. I noticed that there's new silverware and china. The sweets section now has cupcakes (red velvet?), chocolate cake, lemon bars, and cookies. No more candy. Hot food included salmon, bratwurst and sauerkraut, some greens, and garlic mashed potatoes. Cold sandwich selection looks to be the same. Off to the side were samosas and some fried vegetables.

Glad I ditched my RCC membership two years ago! Thumbs up to LH!!!
I noticed this as well it seemed to go with a change in caterer. The new plates look nice but do not follow the Lufthansa design as the should. There appears to be less of a premium searing area and new cutlery and hot items. Some may find it an upgrade but Lufthansa traditionalists who especially liked the use of first class service items in the biz class area for a minutely upgraded experience are disappointed.
SkyTeam777 is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2012, 8:03 pm
  #810  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
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Posts: 2,272
Originally Posted by nevansm
Not access related, but does anybody know if pre-flight First Class dining is still available? I remember seeing a while back in this club but I can't find anything on it.
I recall it occurring back in September for First Class passengers on the Dulles-Munich flight (departs around 10pm).
sannmann is online now  


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