Last week, I reported in my blog entry on flying Sun Country Airlines in First Class from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Minneapolis that Star Alliance Gold Card holders are permitted to access the Lufthansa lounge at Terminal D in DFW Airport.
I got a few comments and questions pertaining to that item, so I will address it here, as well as include some pictures of the lounge which I took during my visit.
Since I had a few hours to kill at DFW, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to visit the lounge just to inquire about whether I would be eligible to access in the future if I were to be flying on a Star Alliance flight out of DFW (hypotherically on a Star carrier serving DFW such as United, Air Canada, Avianca, etc).
Technically, the Lufthansa lounge at DFW is not a Star Alliance-branded lounge, but rather a contracted/shared lounge owned by Lounge Club. Along with the other major foreign flag intercontinental carriers serving DFW, including British Airways, Emirates, KLM, Korean Air and Qantas, Lufthansa passengers proceed to the ‘Airline Clubs’ marked entrance near gate D-22 at the center of the terminal.
Elsewhere, Terminal D houses the AMEX Centurion Lounge as well as the Admirals Club with American Airlines.
I rode the elevator up to the 5th floor to speak with the lounge agent. I did not expect to actually be granted access to the lounge that day, but low and behold, I was surprised! All I had to do was show my Star Alliance Gold card (which I did using the United app on my mobile) and the lady at the check in desk directed me to room 4, which was for Lufthansa guests. Just to be clear, I explained to her that I was flying on a non-Star domestic carrier that afternoon, but she told me that as long as I had Gold status, I was permitted to enter!
I’m hoping that this is actually a policy, but she told me that the only thing I had to worry about was making sure that I left before 4:00PM, which is when the lounge closed (as LH439 to FRA leaves around 3:30 PM each day). This was pretty incredible news, as I fly out of DFW airport often (Dallas is my hometown).
Inside the Lounge
Each airline is quartered off into different rooms, and within the Lufthansa compartment itself, there are two areas: one is reserved for all lounge visitors, and a separate, smaller room for Lufthansa FIRST class passengers. I’m pretty sure that the only difference between the two is that the FIRST section offers a few more finger-food items like roast beef sandwich sliders and antipasto dishes whereas the main lounge does not.
Hours of operation are from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily. Per the Lufthansa website, the lounge offers the following amenities in its entirety:
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Meeting room
- Office units
- Copy machine
- Credit card phone
- PC with internet access
- Wireless network
- TV
- Local magazines and newspapers
- International magazines and newspapers
However, one must also remember that Lufthansa offers a reduced schedule on some of its long-haul routes during the slow periods in January and February. It’s flight numbers to DFW on LH 438/439 do not operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays until early March.
Most of the amenities in the lounge are self-serve, including snacks (such as potato chips, popcorn, pita chips, pretzels and nuts) as well as soft drinks, coffee, tea, bottled beer and white wine.
The beer selection was extensive with an ample selection of domestic and imported beers capable of catering to all tastes. In addition, complimentary spirits were available — but subject to ordering from a lounge attendant rather than self-served. A list was available including everything from Amaretto to Chivas to Seagram’s to Campari. I’m not sure if there is a limit on drinks, since I only had two beers at that hour.
Fortunately, the lounge wasn’t too crowded at that hour and there was ample storage space for luggage and plenty of power outlets available to charge-up devices. There was also a children’s play area with a TV set in a separate room.
The views, however, were the true selling points of the lounge. Aside from the Virgin America LOFT @ LAX, which offers the most stunning glimpses of the tarmac (moreso due to the diversity of aircraft movements at Los Angeles Int’l) the DFW Terminal D Lounges offer incredible views as well with clear displays of the three runways on the west side of the airport.
While DFW isn’t necessarily “spotting-haven,” there are some fun opportunities alloted during the operating window of the lounge to see some rare-bird sightings, even though 98% of the traffic at DFW comes from domestic US carriers. One is bound to see Emirates and Korean Air departing for Dubai and Seoul, respectively, and soon, Qatar Airways to Doha and Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi will soon be added to that list this summer and fall.
Aside from this, one can also see some other foreign flag arrivals via Qantas, British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM, as well as widebody take-offs and landings by the 800lb gorilla at DFW, American Airlines.
Out of hommage to LH 0438, I captured the bird as it landed at DFW from Frankfurt that afternoon.
The agents serving the lounge were incredibly nice. There was a very sweet lady who did several rounds asking customers if they needed any additional service items, who deserves to be commended for her enthusiasm.
At any rate, I am still not 100% certain whether my permission to visit the lounge was valid or not, but I am glad I had the chance to experience it. I wonder if other foreign flag carriers serving DFW, such as BA and Qantas, similarly permit American Airlines and OneWorld travelers similar privileges.
