Concourse B, Washington Dulles International

Introduction

This is my review of the Lufthansa Lounge in Washington Dulles’ Concourse B. I was able to access this lounge because I was flying on United – but I also could access the lounge with my Priority Pass.

The lounge is split into two, with the upper part being a Senator Lounge, and the lower part being a Business Lounge.

In my review of the Heathrow Terminal 2 lounge, I wondered what the difference is between the Senator and Business Lounge – on this visit I was given access to find out for myself!

Visited

September 2022 at 13:00

Opening Hours

The lounge is open daily from 12:00 to 22:00 – but 13:30 to 22:00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

However! If you are a Priority Pass member you are not allowed in the lounge between 14:00 and 17:30 – similar to the BA lounge!

Entry Conditions

The Business Lounge is available to all or any Star Alliance Gold card holders, for passengers flying on Star Alliance carriers in Business Class – or of course passengers flying Business Class with Lufthansa.

Alternatively, the Business Lounge is open to Priority Pass members, aside from the times above.

Access to the Senator Lounge is also gained by flying in First Class with Lufthansa – or to Star Alliance Gold or Lufthansa Miles & More Senator members. There is no access to Priority Pass holders here.

How to Get There

For general reference, it’s opposite Gate B43.

The AeroTrain at IAD, that goes between the terminals, doesn’t go in a loop. So, depending on where you are, may depend which stop you get off at!

From the Main Terminal, it is probably easier to catch the AeroTrain to B-Gates. From here, up the escalator you will see the lounge in front of you.

If you’ve landed from C or D Gates, you may prefer to get off the train at A-Gates and walk through to B-Gates. In which case, you’ll find the lounge on the right-hand side, after quite a long walk!   

Whether it’s quicker to take the Aerotrain or walk, I’m, not sure!

Another option, if you fancy doing something different – is to take the Mobile Lounge from D-Gates to A-Gates or even Z-Gates and walk. This is quite a novelty if you’ve not done it before!

The Business Lounge

Layout

In many respects, the Business Lounge is ‘poor man’s version’ of the Senator Lounge (see below), it’s dark, dingy and not quite as pleasant as the Senator Lounge.  

There is mostly casual seating, with some televisions on it.

Close to the self-service food there is a modest dining area.

There is a small business area, which is good for working – but less ideal for taking calls in.

Close to an un-manned bar, there some high-table seating.

It’s a pretty small lounge, and easy to see why they stop access to Priority Pass holders at the times they do.

Food and Drink

Food

At the time I attended it was lunch sort of, and there were a few hot items on the menu;

• Minestrone Soup
• Beef Meatballs
• Sweet Potatoes
• Some vegetarian dish
• Pretzels

There was also some self-service snacks. But that was pretty much it!

Drinks

Predictably, the drinks were all self-service too, with some beers, wines and soft drinks – though there was an un-manned bar when I visited! I’d guess it’s manned from about 14:00 to 17:30.

Wifi

I used the Wifi and found it to be pretty good.

Showers

There are no showers here I was told!

Conclusion

This part of the lounge has Priority Pass written all over it. It’s not huge lounge, the food isn’t great, there are no showers. It’s an “OK” lounge – but an inability to access it when most flights depart to the Europe is rather problematic!

As a Business Class lounge, even compared to the BA lounge – I’d be disappointed!

The Senator Lounge

Layout

Unlike the Business Lounge, the Senator lounge is a lot more light and airy!

The Senator lounge offers some nice casual seating overlooking the apron.

There is some high-table seating close to the self-service food area.

Unfortunately I didn’t find anywhere ‘office friendly’ for working in, other than the high tables. Perhaps Lufthansa consider First Class isn’t deemed for working people?

Food and Drink

The food and drink is really what sets the Senator lounge aside from the Business lounge.

Food

There is quite a good varied selection of self-service food. Some of the hot food is a repeat from the Business Lounge – but there were other items such as salads, snacks, cheeses and sandwiches available too.

I’ve never really been thrilled about German cooking either – but I’m sure it’s better than the offering down in the Business Lounge, even if the wine is cheap!

 The big gamechanger is the dining area, which is offered to First Class passengers. Sadly, I wasn’t able to eat here as it’s reserved only for passengers flying First Class with Lufthansa – and the dining seemed closed.

The menu included 3-course meal, Piper Heidsieck Champagne (£26/bottle) and some Sonoma-Cutrer wines – which I’ve since found cost less than £20 per bottle. Not that First Class!

Drinks

On the drinks side, there is some self-service options but there is a bar, which has anything you may want! How far they go down the cocktail route, I’m not sure! It’s not quite as good as the bar in the Turkish Airlines lounge!

Wifi

I used the Wifi and found it to be pretty good.

Showers

There are no showers here, despite being a First Class Lounge! Rather disappointing in my view.

Conclusion

This is an OK lounge, let down by not having showers, anywhere to work – and to a degree cheap wine and not great food (in my opinion) – for a First Class lounge, that is.

That said, it’s certainly better than the lower Business Class offering.