Ahead of our return jaunt back home to Dublin, which I covered previously, we devoted ourselves to some ‘last lounge of the year’ quality time in the Lufthansa Business Lounge, ‘B-West’ as it’s so elegantly titled, near our gate, B24, at Frankfurt Airport.

First, a word about Frankfurt Airport. I don’t know how this airport doesn’t seem to have changed a single thing since I lived in Frankfurt way back in 2011. It looks just as antiquated now as it did then, and I still also don’t fully understand how it seems to be that anyone can walk from the departures lobby into the baggage claim area, and out through customs. How is this allowed in 2024?

We presented ourselves to the large, and very well- (though, unenthusiastically) staffed premium check-in area – where our check-in agent was clearly undergoing training. As a result, check-in formalities took a considerable amount of time, mostly spent listening to his supervisor correcting him and then her sitting back waiting for him to make inevitable mistakes. However, he was polite, and we didn’t care too much either way.

The rest of the departures flow to our non-Schengen gates was largely uneventful and uninspired – priority security queues that are entirely self-policed, a duty free where the staff placed the blame on unavailable items on someone called ‘Heinemann’ that I would later come to learn was the name of the duty free operator and not a rogue assistant, and a long, sterile corridor leading up to our gate.

To my great delight, having carefully avoided all signage for the ‘Senator’ lounges to which us lowly business class travellers would not be entitled, we discovered a business lounge, ‘B-West’, right beside our departure gate. A lone lounge assistant was positioned at the bottom of the stairs, and we were quickly admitted.

I’ve never heard anyone really scream and shout about Lufthansa’s business lounges, other than to say that they’re often very full and not peaceful – but after we entered through the double doors that look more like the entrance to a bank, I was stunned by the peace and tranquillity.

Beyond the help desk were empty tables aplenty, along with various types of seating throughout. There was barely anyone in sight – it was amazing.

Further round the corner, very practically, were workstations and enclosed phonebooths for taking, presumably, important business calls. Perhaps it says something about the national work culture that there were more people stationed in this area than in the main lounge areas, or that I ever saw at the food & drink stations. Although perhaps that also says more about me.

Speaking of food & drink, starting us off was a coffee dock area serving Lavazza, immaculately kept and all very tidy.

Next up, the main food area. To be honest, this was probably the only let-down of the area, although with so few people in our gigantic circular lounge, it also made sense – there was about two hot food options, with the rest made up of cold food, meats, desserts and breads. After two plates of the most unusual orange chicken curry, I could tolerate no more.

Of course, we’re getting now to my favourite part of any good lounge experience – but before we get there, there was also a large beer fridge where you could help yourself, including to some non-alcoholic options.

Finally, what a joy to behold!

Plenty of spirits, juices, mixers – including details, which a staff member sensing our excitement recommended to us, on how to make their signature cocktail, ‘Avionic’ – along with a varied selection of wine, and then beer on tap as well just in case the aforementioned fridge for some reason hadn’t been enough.

Before long, boarding time approached (which for some unfortunate reason is not posted on the in-lounge monitors) and we had to say farewell and descend directly down to our gate.

Only to find boarding would be another 15 minutes, and so we scrambled back upstairs for one last beverage for the road (or the air, in this case).

While the peacefulness and calm in this lounge definitely helped make it as enjoyable as it was, I found the Lufthansa Business Lounge to be very adequate and as ‘up there’ as any other European carriers’ home lounge – especially impressive when you consider they operate multiple lounges at Frankfurt Airport, and this is just one of many.