Since there were no showers at the LH lounge, I made my way to the nearest lounge with that facility: the Air Canada lounge on the other end of the terminal. I had heard great things about the place from none other than Lucky (where else, right?), and decided to check it out.
Unfortunately this also meant that I had to go past the local transfer security checkpoint and go through another to reach the lounge.
Introduction: Incredible India
Focal Point: Incredible India in 8 Pictures
AMEX Centurion Lounge – DFW
Lufthansa Business Class Lounge DFW
Lufthansa A330 Business DFW-Frankfurt
Lufthansa Business Lounge Gate B21
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Frankfurt
Lufthansa A380 Business Frankfurt – Delhi
Holiday Inn – New Delhi Int’l Airport
Air India Economy Delhi – Udaipur
Taj Lake Palace – Udaipur (PART 1/PART 2)
Focal Point: Lake Pichola
Hyatt Regency New Delhi
Air India Business Class Lounge – Intl Departures T3
Plaza Premium Lounge – Intl Departures T3
Air India 777 Business Class Delhi – Hyderabad
Westin Mindspace – Hyderabad
Focal Point: Golconda Fort
Focal Point: Raitu Bazaar
Plaza Premium Lounge – Hyderabad Intl Airport
British Airways Club World Hyderabad-London
No. 1 Lounge London-Heathrow T3
BA Galleries Lounge Heathrow – Terminal 3
AA 777W Business Class London – DFW
If you are arriving on the transfer buses or the inter-terminal train system, you will find yourself at a juncture when entering concourse B. To the left are most LH A380 departure gates:
To the right are your Star Alliance departure gates, and a sign guiding you to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge:
You have to walk quite a way to get to the Maple Leaf Lounge from this point and sometimes the security check point can take forever. I only made it without wasting time because of expedited security lanes for business class passengers. You have to walk past the McDonalds, and shopping areas before you see the Air Canada Lounge signs. It’s tempting to visit one of the Lufthansa lounges here, but this trek is well worth it. On a side note: even the dining and shopping in this area of the terminal is better than the ones near B21!
Once you get here, you really can’t miss the fashionable Air Canada branding and glass door entrance to the lounge:
Upon entering was a scaled replica of an Air Canada 787. I always find these to be a nice touch in AC lounges.
Access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is available to Air Canada business class Passengers, Star Alliance Gold (and above) members, and Star Alliance business class passengers. I was promptly admitted upon presenting my LH boarding pass to the attendant, who was very sympathetic to my having to walk all the way here to just use a shower. She even said “I think you’ll enjoy this lounge a lot more” and promptly directed me into the lounge, while she had an attendant check if the showers were available.
Simply put, the lounge has some of the finest decor and ambiance of any lounge I’ve seen. I absolutely loved that it had sleeping pods, large windows, dining tables, and a ridiculous amount of comfortable seating.
Furthermore, there were some real food options at this lounge, which included a ridiculous number of pastries, cookies, and breakfast items to satisfy all sorts of passengers. The options completely blew any other lounge in Frankfurt out of the water. Note: I really didn’t get a chance to look at the alcoholic beverages on offer, and I don’t believe they were out yet considering it was breakfast time in the lounge.
The shower suites at the lounge are also very nice and extremely clean. Water pressure and temperature were both very good.
I actually ended up taking a cold shower because they keep Frankfurt Airport ridiculously warm, making walks quite sweaty especially if you are wearing warmer clothes. I just don’t understand why airline cabin temperature and airport temperatures are significantly warmer in European and Asian countries. On the plane it discourages me from sleeping and on the ground it makes me always want to waste time taking showers. There’s my rant for today!
After the shower, I had a quick bite to eat (which consisted mainly of those irresistible macadamia nut cookies), and made my long walk back to the Lufthansa lounge, just in time for the boarding call.
Bottom Line:
The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is well worth a visit if you are connecting in or leaving Frankfurt Airport. It has by far the best food, beverage, ambiance, and seating options of any lounge outside the Lufthansa First Class Terminal. I’m really glad I was obstinate in wanting a shower because I think I discovered my new ‘go to’ lounge at the airport. I do worry about overcrowding at this lounge since “the cat is out of the bag.” However, I wouldn’t have made this trek if someone hadn’t told me, so I am willing to divulge this information to you guys 🙂
What’s your favorite lounge at Frankfurt Airport (other than the Lufthansa FCT)? What do you think of this lounge?
