Lufthansa Senator Athens Lounge
The Athens Lufthansa lounge comes in two flavours: Senator or Frequent Traveler. The Senator lounge Athens is much bigger than the Frequent Traveler Athens Lounge, but neither is exactly spacious. As a Gold Star Alliance member, many passengers pop in here for the food and beer, before relaxing in the more comfortable Aegean lounge next door.
The lounge is in the Schengen Area, but right at the very far end of the terminal, just beside the Aegean lounge. It is quite a walk from the central shopping area, and then on the left. At the reception desk left is the Senator lounge, right is the Business Class lounge.
The problem with the Lufthansa lounge in Athens is that it is small, with totally corporate old-style Lufthansa furniture. Think black armchairs, sterile grey decor, and a cold tiled floor. Atmospheric it is not. Just be thankful you're not in the box room of the Athens LH Business Lounge next door.
Lufthansa's Athens Senator lounge seats 35, with 20 in armchairs in the carpeted area around the walls, the rest on the dining chairs in the middle of the lounge. Neither are specially comfortable. There are a couple of pictures on the walls (oddly, one of Sydney Harbour Bridge, a route which Lufthansa axed many years ago) and a large TV.
There is a view out of the windows, but it isn't very interesting - it is just of the car park and the Sofitel opposite.
Food
The food is surprisingly good in the Lufthansa Senator lounge, with a mixture of Greek and German food.
There is a tub of hot soup on the main worktop, with hot rolls.
On the counter in front of the bar, there are sandwiches, with a mixture of ham and cheese. To the left of this are tubs with Lufthansa's famous 'lard and herb' mix. Or, if you prefer Tzatziki Sauce (Yogurt and Cucumber Dip).
On a strange three level tiered stand there is salad, with the usual cucumber, lettuce and tomato.
There are also deserts in small pots.
Bar
The bar on the Lufthansa Senator side is amazing £- very good indeed, with a much better selection than in Business.
There are three types of white (in a bucket of ice), and three red, on the worktop. There are tasting notes on a small card beside them. Sparkling wine is a German Cava.
There is beer on draft, with logoed glasses and all. There are two draft handles, with Krombacher, and Arcobrau. Beware of the head when you pull a beer.
The spirit selection is worthy of note, with no less than 13 spirits in bottles on the top shelf: free poor, with four types of Ouzo. However it is the whisky trolley that most people come in here for: it really is one of the best of any of the Lufthansa lounges. There are 12 different types to choose from on the trolley that is ceremonially wheeled out at 3pm each day.
It includes a rare Balvenie and a Glenrothes, as well as some more mundane types. A total of 23 sprit bottles means that the evening flights to Frankfurt can be somewhat 'lively'.
Bathrooms
None in lounge: go outside.
Business Facilities
Business facilities in the Senator lounge are basic. There are just two work desks, only one of which has a computer: it faces the main lounge so everyone can see what you are working on.
There is free wireless internet access.
There is one Flat Screen TV on the wall £- normally on CNN.
A newspaper rack has a full selection of Greek newspapers, and Die Zeit from Germany. There is only the FT in English. There are some German magazines too, including Stern and Die Spiegel.
Access
The lounge is before security. You can access the lounge on a Star Alliance flight, even if you are flying out of the Schengen area (eg, to the UK): all you need is a boarding pass to access the lounge, which is in the inter-Schengen zone of the airport, but of course you will then need to leave this area, and go through passport control before your flight.
Video: Lufthansa Senator Lounge
| Lufthansa Senator Lounge | ||
|---|---|---|
Loungeindex
rating:
6 out of
10
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| Location: | Schengen, before security after boarding pass check, near Gate B15 | |
| Open hours: | 0430-2000 | |
| Lounge for: | Lufthansa | |
| Access: | LH Senator, Star Alliance Gold, Lufthansa Business Class | |