Remade and remodeled: First look at Lufthansa's shiny new lounge at Newark Liberty
Editor's Note
It's a whole new concept in lounges from German carrier Lufthansa, and it just made its official debut at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
The new and improved lounge features a fancy bar, a bistro-style kitchen and a first-class dining area, as well as clean lines and modern furnishings. This lounge is inspired by Allegris, which is Lufthansa's new name for its revamped passenger experience, including its sleek new first-class and business-class cabins.
Lufthansa said it is spending some $2.7 billion in product enhancements in the next year and a half, including on lounges, new seats on many planes and upgraded catering. The Newark lounge is a good example of what Lufhansa is working on.
"We are so proud that we can now open up a new lounge in a new concept when it comes to design but also when it comes to customer experience," said Victoria Schuster, vice president of the customer experience program at Lufthansa. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at Newark Airport attended by Lufthansa leaders and folks from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The location of Lufthansa's new lounge at Newark
You'll find Lufthansa's shiny new lounge in Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport in the B3 Satellite that holds gates 60-68. The current lounge occupies the same space as the former Lufthansa lounge but now has 25% more space. The entry to the lounge is right around the corner from Gate 68. It's across the concourse from the Scandinavian Airlines lounge — they are the only two lounges in this part of the airport.
The opening hours are 2:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., seven days a week.
What you can expect at the new and improved Lufthansa Lounge
The refreshed lounge is inspired by Lufthansa's investments in new aircraft interiors, which are slowly coming into the fleet starting with new Airbus A350 planes. A few of the airline's Munich flights already feature the new and improved cabins.
The centerpiece of the improved lounge is what the airline calls the Skyline bar, which has lots of booze options, including a new cocktail Lufthansa debuted Wednesday called the Ziegler Avionic Lufthansa Aperitif. This cocktail has liquor as well as either (what tastes like) tonic or Champagne added in. It was described to me as an Aperol spritz-type drink.
"The inspiration of that bar is to see how we can get the people together," said Marcus Ceh, Lufthansa Group Newark project manager. He said the idea was to get people enjoying a drink together before a flight and to have a central social gathering place.
I'd call it one of the standout features of the space, and it reminded me of the bars that American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have installed at some of their newer lounges.
You'll see the new Allegris aircraft interior inspiration reflected in the color choices and the design elements of the lounge. You'll find shades of gray, pops of navy blue and metal accents throughout the lounge.
Lufthansa wanted the new, expanded lounge to feature more zones where guests can work, eat, socialize or just relax in distinct sections of the space.
"No matter if you're traveling alone or in a group, and no matter what your needs are, you will find a seating option here in the lounge that caters to your needs," said Schuster.
Indeed, you'll find two small rooms that are soundproofed — perfect for Zoom meetings or calls.
There are also little seating nooks spread throughout the lounge.
"We want to be a lot more flexible when it comes to the needs of the passengers," said Jessica Scheibach, the senior director of customer experience design and lounges at Lufthansa. "[We want customers to] feel like an oasis of calm, where they can really retreat and cater to all their needs. If they need a meeting space where they can have a call in silence, they can retreat there. If they just want to sit comfortably in a group setting, we have an area to do that as well."
While the shades were drawn during our visit, there are some views of planes at nearby gates if you look behind the curtain.
Navy, brown, gray and camel leather couches and seats are placed throughout. There are plenty of distinct seating areas with comfy seats and electric outlets galore.
There's also a conference table with lots of plugs.
I liked the clocks of the world featured on a few of the lounge's walls.
The bathrooms are modern but on the small side. Sadly, there are no showers in this lounge.
The lounge features an upgraded food selection set up in several buffet areas. There is a nice variety of food here, and there is an open kitchen space.
Some of the food is New Jersey specialties, like the candy bar, which has local favorites like saltwater taffy and M&M's. Did you know M&M's were born in Newark? Neither did I!
There was a tasting board that featured a selection of charcuterie, various types of bread — including some German favorites — and several types of salad.
The giant mural on one wall is actually a photograph of one of New Jersey's many farms. That was just one example of the effort to include elements of New Jersey in the lounge's vibe.
"We built the bistro area there, and the focus is on the farmland. So that's also where you see the picture of the farmlands in New Jersey in the back. And everything is based on that idea," said Suhr. Many New Jersey farm products are also incorporated into the menus at the lounge.
Another innovation is the new section reserved for a la carte dining for first-class passengers.
This section is for passengers on the two flights that feature first-class cabins flying out of Newark's Terminal B — a Swiss flight to Zurich and a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. You can also choose to dine here if you are a top-tier Lufthansa elite member.
Lufthansa executives told me the first-class section is where you'll see the strongest references to the new Allegris product. "You will see, for example, the leather upholstery; the dark blue leather is exactly the same one you will find in our first-class cabin on board," said Scheibach.
The menu looked amazing, with dishes like a brown sugar pork tenderloin with whipped parsnips and carrots, and harvest squash risotto with basil pesto.
I tried the butterscotch panna cotta they serve for dessert — it was divine. The impressive wine list for first-class dining is also below.
This was the most stylish and inviting section of the lounge, in my opinion, and there will be guests heartbroken that they can't try it if they aren't flying in first.
How to get into the new Lufthansa Lounge
Passengers seated in business class or first class on United Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian Airlines can access the new Lufthansa Lounge, though the number of flights that qualify and that leave from the B3 concourse at Newark are limited.
Passengers with Star Alliance Gold status in any program also get access to the new Allegris-inspired lounge (with up to one guest on the same flight). I had originally understood that United Airlines elite members were not eligible, but readers told me that United elite members do get access so long as they are traveling on a same-day ticket.
According to information in the American Express app, people with The Platinum Card® from American Express can use the lounge even if they are flying coach, as long as they will be on a Lufthansa Group flight. Cardholders must show their physical card for entry. Platinum Card holders are not allowed guests.
In fact, holders of the Platinum Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and the invitation-only Centurion black card have been able to access select Lufthansa lounges when flying on an Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa or Swiss flight since 2017.
The information for the Centurion Card from American Express has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Lufthansa told me that Priority Pass members cannot access the new lounge.
Priority Pass members continue to have access to Lufthansa Business lounges at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD), but that could change at some point as the lounges get makeovers.
Related: Is a Priority Pass lounge membership actually worth it?
Bottom line on the new Lufthansa Lounge
The new and improved Lufthansa Lounge at Newark is stylish and has some nice touches. The footprint of the lounge was expanded by 25% and now makes better use of the available space. It's a welcome respite in a part of Newark Liberty International Airport that doesn't have a lot of lounge options. It will be interesting to see how its lounge scene evolves over time, especially if Priority Pass members are eventually able to use the Lufthansa Lounge when they are flying out of gates 60-68 at EWR.
We're also excited to see this new design concept roll out at more Lufthansa lounges. The airline tells TPG that next up will be John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Dulles International Airport (IAD), though Lufthansa can't yet promise an opening date for either lounge. It did say that the planning and design phases are well underway, so stay tuned.
Lufthansa serves some 26 destinations in North America.
If you happen to be traveling through Berlin, there's also a new Allegris-inspired lounge now open at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).
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