Lounges in FRA & MXP
 

Hi, I'm connecting in Frankfurt from a UA flight from the States to Milan on LH. I haven't been in the Frankfurt airport in 18 years. On the way home, I'll fly out of MXP (again, it's been 20+ years) on LH then back to the US on UA.

What are my best lounge options? These are business class tickets.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Lufthansa Senator's Lounge

FRA Senator's Lounge is quite good. I spent a couple hours there last month when I missed my original connecting flight.
Sorry, don't know about MXP but according to info on UA site in MXP as a Biz class pax you will have access to Club SEA Pergolesi VIP Business Lounge and the Star Alliance site offer other options. Guess you'd have to determine which is closest to your departure gate.

The LH Senator lounges in Frankfurt require Star Alliance Gold status. Business class passengers (if no Star Gold status) have access to the adjacent LH Business lounge. There are several sets of lounges in the different departure areas.

On the inbound flight, business class passengers on LH or UA flights are also eligible to use the LH Welcome lounge at FRA. We've never used it, as it is landside behind baggage claim. We usually don't have long enough connections and just use whatever is closest to our departure gate.

It's been a long time since I've been to MXP. The lounge finder on the Star Alliance website indicates that there is a LH business lounge.

As noted, the Senator lounge is only for elites. The business lounges are quite basic, but the airport sucks so it is basically what you have. Just find the one closest to your gate.

Thanks, everyone. Leaving tonight!

If you're leaving from or traveling through SFO, ORD or EWR, then visit the Polaris lounge before your flight. I've started having my meals there before flights - the food is better than on the plane, at least in Chicago.

...but the airport sucks...

Finally, something TG and I can agree upon.

ditto! The schlep from arrival to connecting gate can be quite a haul, and the quality of info from staff along the way is quite variable. On my last transit the info person sent me outside the secure area and I had to needlessly endure yet another security screening.

Well, surprisingly I didn't go through Frankfurt and in fact I am now hours--nearly a day--behind schedule in Newark. I think the Polaris lounge in SFO is nicer/bigger than the one in Newark. But I really wish I were landing in MXP right about now as originally scheduled. They had to swap out the aircraft and lost about 23 seats. It was a real clusterfluff.

They can get me to MXP in economy or fly me to Venice in business. Of course once in Venice I will then have to get to Milan. I've already lost my first night's hotel, because I canceled with fewer than 24 hours before arrival.

What would you do??? I am already verrry sleepy because I worked yesterday and got up at 5. Slept a couple hours from SFO-EWR but that's it. Having a hard time thinking clearly at this point.

Sorry for the awful trip so far, Leely.

I'm assuming you're trying to get to Milan. If it were me, I'd take the business class flight to Venice, then a taxi to Venice-Mastre train station, then a train to Milan. There's a train from Venice-Mastre at 11:02, 11:32, and 12:02 -- the train takes about 2 hours. (It would take you an hour to get from MXP to Milan.)

>>What would you do???<<. Business to Venice. If it was me and I;d already been through the wringer like that I want as comfortable a flight and as good service as possible. I'd see if they could give you some €€ towards the train to Milan (if that is where you are trying to get to). No harm in asking.

Thanks, janis and Don. That's exactly what I decided to do. And thanks to everyone else for opinions about FRA. Sounds as if it's not a well-loved airport.

Good choice. If you're not familiar with Venice, be sure to tell the taxi driver to go to Venice Mestre station. Venice Mestre is about 7 miles from the airport, and it's much closer than the station that people would go to for Venice itself (Venice Santa Maria station).