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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 Nov 15, 2012, 10:46 am
  #811  
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: MUC <-> SFO
Programs: UA *G MM, SPG LTG, AA, LH
Posts: 446
Originally Posted by Condition One
Food offerings in the lounge have been upgraded. ...
What I found ironic was that on my last visit within the last week they were serving a 5-bean chili with squash... Really? Beans? And then you send people into an airplane for 5-12 hours?
roesner is offline  
Old Nov 15, 2012, 12:15 pm
  #812  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1K (MM), DL, AA, AS, HHonors, SPG, Kimpton, Hyatt, IC PC, Marriott Titanium (LT PLT), Hertz PC
Posts: 7,231
Tried to use this lounge but found it closed in the middle of the day. Used my DL SkyClub membership at the AF lounge instead.
GBadger is offline  
Old Nov 15, 2012, 3:02 pm
  #813  
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: United Premier Gold, AirBerlin Gold, Starwood Gold, Avis Preferred, CBP Global Entry
Posts: 497
I had no problem getting in on a domestic ticket last week. I didn't need a card either (*G or UC). The matron just scanned my mobile boarding pass and that of my companion (also *G). I forgot how much of a hassle it is to get to the far D gates from there; leave yourself a few minutes to move. Still, it's nice to have a bit of proper food and a drink brought to wherever you're perched.
glasnost7 is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2012, 8:28 am
  #814  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: PBI
Programs: DL Plat, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 427
FYI, used the LH IAD lounge yesterday and the hours posted are:

8:20 - 12:00
13:30 - 21:30

Not sure if this is news to anyone, but wanted to share.
CKinMD is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2012, 8:43 am
  #815  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Midwest USA
Programs: BA SIL, WN A, UA SIL, Marriott TIT (LT), Hilton DIA
Posts: 1,969
Was there on a domestic UA connection on Thurs Nov 15.

No problem getting in (upstairs/SEN). Showed 1K card and boarding pass. Catering much better than last visit 2 months ago.

Lounge closed at 1730. There was no IAD-MUC flight that day so it closed early.

Much nicer than hanging out at A gates for our (2 hour delayed) UEX flight.
nachosdelux is offline  
Old Nov 19, 2012, 8:57 am
  #816  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: PBI
Programs: DL Plat, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 427
Originally Posted by nachosdelux

No problem getting in (upstairs/SEN). Showed 1K card and boarding pass. Catering much better than last visit 2 months ago.
I agree about the improvement in catering. Even the plates were nicer than I remember!

Interestingly, on my visit yesterday, the attendant did not ask for my 1K card, she just scanned my BP and let me in.
CKinMD is offline  
Old Nov 26, 2012, 1:09 pm
  #817  
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,437
and the real improvement is that the food offering on both floors is the same now. Still equally packed during rush hour though...
libuser is offline  
Old Nov 28, 2012, 9:52 am
  #818  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
Originally Posted by CKinMD

Interestingly, on my visit yesterday, the attendant did not ask for my 1K card, she just scanned my BP and let me in.
Re the scanning, I did not have my card the other day (big no no, misplaced in wallet swap), and the attendant nicely explained that the computer either needed to swipe the card to pick up the *G status or the ticket needed to show Business/F to enter. She explained that their computer does not, on swiping a ticket, pick up the *G status, so the ticket needs to be Business/F (so the computer allows entrance) or they need to swipe the card. Luckily, my second ticket (after the connection) was in Business, so she swiped the connecting flight, and she then let me in. Anyway, an explanation that to me at least made sense.
spin88 is offline  
Old Nov 28, 2012, 11:14 am
  #819  
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: United Premier Gold, AirBerlin Gold, Starwood Gold, Avis Preferred, CBP Global Entry
Posts: 497
Originally Posted by spin88
Re the scanning, I did not have my card the other day (big no no, misplaced in wallet swap), and the attendant nicely explained that the computer either needed to swipe the card to pick up the *G status or the ticket needed to show Business/F to enter. She explained that their computer does not, on swiping a ticket, pick up the *G status, so the ticket needs to be Business/F (so the computer allows entrance) or they need to swipe the card. Luckily, my second ticket (after the connection) was in Business, so she swiped the connecting flight, and she then let me in. Anyway, an explanation that to me at least made sense.
That could've been why I didn't need one; was in F on a CPU.
glasnost7 is offline  
Old Nov 28, 2012, 5:06 pm
  #820  
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 120
Had a chance to stop in here finally. Usually too pressed for time to head here and then catch my UA flight. It was such a breath of fresh air from the UA lounge! Loved the delicious German beer on draft, although slightly annoying to track down the servers to pour for you (thank you dumb Virginia laws).

I posted some pics and a longer write-up here.
bigmarley4 is offline  
Old Nov 28, 2012, 8:56 pm
  #821  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 292
Originally Posted by glasnost7
I forgot how much of a hassle it is to get to the far D gates from there; leave yourself a few minutes to move
My previous strategy was to take the AirTrain from A > C and then walk to D. Last time I took the Airtrain back to the main terminal and then caught a moon buggy to D - ended up being a LOT faster.
IADOrange is offline  
Old Nov 28, 2012, 9:36 pm
  #822  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ORD,TPE (芝加哥,台北)
Programs: UA MileagePlus (1P)
Posts: 384
Originally Posted by bigmarley4
Loved the delicious German beer on draft, although slightly annoying to track down the servers to pour for you (thank you dumb Virginia laws).
This explain my question for a long time, thanks.
cchuang1980 is offline  
Old Nov 29, 2012, 8:42 am
  #823  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 739
Originally Posted by IADOrange
My previous strategy was to take the AirTrain from A > C and then walk to D. Last time I took the Airtrain back to the main terminal and then caught a moon buggy to D - ended up being a LOT faster.
There is also a moon buggy from A to D you can take.
Bob'sYourUncle is offline  
Old Nov 29, 2012, 8:47 am
  #824  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,852
Originally Posted by bigmarley4
Had a chance to stop in here finally. Usually too pressed for time to head here and then catch my UA flight. It was such a breath of fresh air from the UA lounge! Loved the delicious German beer on draft, although slightly annoying to track down the servers to pour for you (thank you dumb Virginia laws).

I posted some pics and a longer write-up here.
Are you *Gold?? If so why were you in the Business Lounge (Photo) and not the Senator Lounge upstairs. Thats we I always go with *Gold?? Thanks and Safe Travels
Flying Machine is offline  
Old Nov 29, 2012, 3:14 pm
  #825  
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 120
Originally Posted by Flying Machine
Are you *Gold?? If so why were you in the Business Lounge (Photo) and not the Senator Lounge upstairs. Thats we I always go with *Gold?? Thanks and Safe Travels
We are UC members through GF's work, but not yet *G. She just hit *G though so will try out Senator next time (we do SFO-IAD 6-8x yr). At the time we were both *S. The business lounge still 10x better than United lounge!
bigmarley4 is offline  


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