Review: Krakow Business Lounge Schengen (KRK)

Prior to my flight to Chicago I spent some time in the Krakow Business Lounge located in the Schengen area of John Paul II Kraków-Balice International Airport. It was crowded and I wasn’t hungry, so I did not stay long. Still, it’s a respectable lounge with a very reasonable selection of food and drinks.

Krakow Business Lounge Schengen (KRK) Review

This lounge is located past security in the main terminal. After clearing security, turn left and you’ll find the lounge between gates 9 and 10. As the only airport lounge in the Schengen area, this serves as a business class lounge for airlines as well as a Priority Pass lounge. Paid access (three hour limit) is also viable for PLN 120 (currently 26USD). Opening hours are daily from 4:30AM to 10:00PM except on Sundays when the lounge closes at 9:00PM.

Once your credentials are validated, the lounge-–with a bright lime green color scheme–is all on a single level with a buffet area in the middle and an L-shaped seating area around two sides as well as a bathroom in the rear.

There are no showers, but the restrooms were clean.

The buffet included:

• Cake
• Cereal
• Yogurt
• Whole fruit (pears, apples, bananas, plumbs)
• Sliced meat and cheese
• Vegetable crudités
• Salad (Caesar with chicken and green)
• Gherkins (or maybe pickles?)
• Candy
• Marco Polo bars

Drinks included:

• Tea
• Coffee (a nice Swiss-made Jure coffee machine, though I did not try the coffee itself)
• Beer
• Wine
• Vodka (or Wodka as they call it…)
• Gin
• Whiskey
• Cognac
• Water
• Soft Drinks

CONCLUSION

There’s a cookie-cutter non-Schengen lounge that was closed during my visit but has since reopened with more limited hours. I would never arrive early to use this lounge, but I’d rate this a solid average lounges with enough food to make a meal, a generous assortment of drinks, and the only drawback being the crowding during peak times.