When Lufthansa reopens its famed First Class Terminal in Frankfurt next month, it will simultaneously close its First Class Lounge in Terminal 1, A Gates.
Lufthansa Closing First Class Lounge (Again) When First Class Terminal Opens In Frankfurt
The closure will be temporary, but two Live and Let’s Fly readers who have visited the First Class Lounge in Frankfurt over the last week independently passed on this news. Both were informed of the closure by lounge staff.
While HON Circle members are starting to take to the air again, the number of first class passengers is naturally limited by the number of first class seats, which has been dramatically reduced due to aircraft retirements and limited demand.
Instead of operating both lounges, Lufthansa will re-open its First Class Terminal on September 1st, but close the First Class Lounge in the Schengen Area (the non-Schengen B-Gates First Class Lounge has been closed for the last 1.5 years). This makes it harder for connecting passengers to enjoy the lounge, though Lufthansa will accept connecting passengers who manage to clear passport control and walk over to the First Class Terminal. The move is also a blow to American Express Centurion (Black) cardholders, who have access to Lufthansa First Class Lounges, but not the First Class Terminal.
I had one reader ask if he could use the First Class Terminal when flying from Chicago to Frankfurt in Lufthansa First Class then connecting in Croatia Airlines business class to Zagreb. The answer was yes.
It is not clear if arriving passengers terminating in Frankfurt will have access to the Terminal. A lesser-known perk of the Lufthansa First Class Lounges in Frankfurt or Munich is that they are available upon arrival, even if you are terminating your travel.
CONCLUSION
Lufthansa will be welcoming guests back to the First Class Terminal in September after a long hiatus. But due to limited demand, the First Class Lounge near the A gates will be closing…hopefully not for too long.
That’s a nuisance with connections. For anything under two hours transfer time it’s really not worth the effort. And I’m surprised, I really expected the FC Terminal to actually close down permanently given how few seats there are now. Perhaps they are doing an expansion/renovation of the Terminal 1 lounge with that in mind for the future?
Doubtful. I think the lounge is pretty great already. I expect it will be closed until spring when demand (hopefully) improves.
I hope they do something like Terminal B where they have a first class section or some first class amenity.
Matt, are you sure that you can use the FCT when connecting on to Croatia Air? Limousine service is normally only to LH operated flights and no partners as far as I recall. Not sure they changes the rules now that FCL in A is closed but I am pretty sure prior Covid it was not possible to be driven to partner airline flight.
This was the specific question asked and he was told yes.
Correct, no driving from A during COVID-19.
Matthew do you know if the FCT is serving meals/amenities etc as normal/pre covid?
I was in the lufthansa business lounge back in July and it was super crowded and very bare bones. Also the swiss business lounge in ZRH was better but showers closed
I would expect a menu similar to the recent menu in First Class Lounge, a more limited a la carte service. The car service will back, but likely no buffet. Everything else should be the same.
https://liveandletsfly.com/lufthansa-first-class-lounge-breakfast/
As it currently stands, someone travelling from CDG-FRA-SFO (FRA-SFO in F) would have had to use the FC Terminal anyways as the non-Schengen lounge is closed, correct?
Currently, they would use the A Gates (Schengen) First Class Lounge, then have to walk themselves upstairs to the Z gates.