Review: Lufthansa’s Senator Lounge H24, Munich Airport

This is our review of Lufthansa’s Senator Lounge opposite Gate 24 in Munich Airport’s Terminal 2.

On my way back from Munich to see Beond’s new all-business class plane, now in operation on flights to the Maldives, I decided to pop into one of Lufthansa’s many Senator Lounges at Munich Airport.

I also reviewed the Business Class lounge – click here. If you are reading this via email then you were not sent this article. Please click here to read it on the HfP website.

As one of Lufthansa’s hubs, Munich is home to a surprisingly large number of lounges. At Terminal 2 alone you have:

• Lufthansa Senator & Business Lounges K11 (Satellite Schengen)
• Lufthansa Senator & Business Lounges L11 (Satellite non-Schengen)
• Lufthansa Senator Lounge G24 (Schengen)
• Lufthansa Business Lounge G28 (Schengen)
• Lufthansa Senator & Business Lounges H24 (non-Schengen)

…. plus the Senator Cafe – a grab and go concept cafe-lounge.

It seems that flights to London consistently depart from H gates, as this was my second time in the Senator Lounge at Gate H24.

Lufthansa Senator Lounge H24 access requirements

The vast majority of Lufthansa’s airport lounges fall into two categories: business class lounges and Senator lounges. (First Class Lounges are strictly for those flying in First Class.)

If you’re unfamiliar with Miles & More status tiers, Senator is the ‘mid’ tier, between Frequent Traveller and Hon Circle. In reality, however, it is far from mid-tier, as you still need to be flying 100,000 status miles to qualify, making it closer to BA’s Gold status.

So, whilst Lufthansa’s Business Lounges are for business class passengers and those with ‘Frequent Traveller’ status, the Senator Lounges are for Lufthansa’s Senator members and any Star Alliance Gold members. (Star Alliance Silver does not confer lounge access, unfortunately.)

If I return to my British Airways analogy, that effectively makes Senator Lounges the equivalent of BA’s Galleries First lounge at Heathrow.

You need to be flying Lufthansa or another Star Alliance airline to get in.

Get in with your American Express Platinum card

This lounge also accepts American Express Platinum customers who are flying in Business Class on a Star Alliance airline.

Basically you get a free upgrade from the Business Lounge to the Senator Lounge! No guests are allowed.

You can find out more on this page of the American Express website.

Lufthansa Senator Lounge H24 location

Despite operating nine lounges in Munich’s Terminal 2, Lufthansa has made them relatively easy to locate by naming them after their closest gate.

In this case, the lounge is directly opposite Gate H24, after both security and immigration control. The terminal was relatively quiet when I arrived, which was pleasant. Simply follow the signs for the lounges and you’ll soon find them:

and

The lounge reception is shared between the Senator Lounge and Business Lounge next door. I got in by scanning my SAS Star Alliance Gold card and my Lufthansa (economy) boarding pass.

The lounge is open from 5am until 10pm daily.

Inside the Lufthansa Senator Lounge H24

The Senator Lounge is straight ahead. First up are some transparent-fronted lockers big enough for a backpack or (potentially) a trolley bag. There’s also a rack of newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times and Financial Times as well as various German publications.

The lounge then extends out in front of you. There are sadly no runway views as this is an internal lounge and the only windows are on the left, overlooking the terminal concourse atrium.

Along the windows are a range of armchairs whilst, in the centre of the space, you’ll find a dining area.

To the right is some high-top seating as well as more dining tables in a slightly more private (and comfortable) area.

The buffet is next to the dining area (more on that in a bit). This is followed by a large staffed bar.

and

If you need to get some work done then a dedicated corner at the back of the lounge is ideal and features two rows of high-top tables with regular charging facilities as well as a number of partitioned desks:

Finally, the last section of the space is dedicated to several rows of armchairs – probably the comfiest (albeit darkest) area to sit in.

Food and drink at the Lufthansa Senator Lounge

The buffet at the centre of the lounge is all self-serve whilst the bar is staffed. Ironically, the alcohol in the Business Lounge next door is self-pour.

There are 5-6 different hot options laid out, including red curry lentil soup with chicken and peanuts, meat, Leberkäse (meatloaf), meatballs, gnocchi pasta and semolina dumplings in a vegetable soup. So far, so German – bar the red curry soup.

Next to it is a salad bar with potato salad, coleslaw, hummus and an assortment of vegetables and toppings including tomatoes, spring onions, carrots, cheese etc:

Also available was a pop up stand offering small plates of baked camembert. I assume this must be a rotating offering but it wasn’t clear.

Pretzels and bread buns were also artfully displayed on a rack.

Along one side of the buffet you can help yourself to soft drinks and tea and coffee, and there were also two beers on tap.

For a sweet treat, you could head to the front of the lounge where a couple of cakes were available as well as numerous jars of sweet and savoury snacks. Totally bizarrely there was only one set of tongs for the whole thing – not exactly a win for hygiene and/or dietary requirements!

When it comes to drinks, you have a good choice at the bar. There five (yes five) sparkling wines available, including prosecco, a rose Italian sparkling, another Italian sparkling and French white and rose cremants.

This is followed by three German and Austrian white wines (including, of course, a Riesling) as well as a Spanish and Italian red.

Conclusion

The Lufthansa Senator Lounge at Gate H24 in Munich is an adequate if unspectacular lounge. Whilst I enjoyed the food on offer – it made a change from the usual chicken curry etc you get in UK lounges – it wasn’t discernibly better quality than what you would find in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow.

Whilst I spent most of my time in the Senator Lounge, I did pop over to the Business Lounge next door only to find that it was virtually identical, if a little smaller. The food offering was basically the same whilst alcohol was also self-serve!

Click here for our review of the Business Lounge.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (April 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.