Emirates has operated a lounge at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) for many years. It was located in Terminal 2, which closed earlier this year. When the airline moved to Terminal 3, it had the opportunity to open a new facility. Rather than replicating the old lounge, Emirates used this new space to launch an all-new lounge concept.

While not travelling with Emirates, the airline kindly invited me into the space ahead of its official opening hours for the purposes of this review. This allowed me the opportunity to take lots of photos of the lounge without disturbing other passengers.

Access And Location

The Emirates Lounge is one of the most exclusive lounges at Frankfurt Airport, only open to a handful of Emirates’ own passengers each day. Access to the lounge is based on class of travel and airline status. Passengers with First Class or Business Class (excluding Business Class Special) fares are able to access the lounge free of charge. All other passengers can pay to access the lounge. From a status perspective, the following access rules apply:

The Emirates Frankfurt Airport lounge is slightly out of the way within the terminal. To access it, passengers must have passed security and passport control. They then need to go up two floors and will find it directly above the main duty-free area and the SkyTeam Lounge. As the lounge is only open for Emirates Passengers, its opening hours correspond to the airline’s three daily flights,

First Impressions And Layout

The first thing that hits you when you walk into the lounge is the amount of space that is on offer. The old Terminal 2 facility could, at times, feel quite busy. This new lounge, however, could comfortably accommodate all eligible passengers from an Airbus A380, and seemingly have space to spare.

The lounge also feels much more modern than its predecessor, no doubt thanks to the airline’s new design concept. Where the old lounge had a small dining area where space permitted, this one has a much larger dining section that doesn’t feel squeezed in. Of course, there are also areas to relax, unwind, and even meeting rooms. The absolute highlight of the lounge is its floor-to-ceiling windows, offering one of the world’s best airside views in my opinion.

Seating And Workspaces

Seating options vary throughout the lounge, from a high, bar-type table by one window to armchairs near the entrance. There is also a line of high-walled “privacy chairs” facing the large window. Finally, the dining area style tables finish off the space. Given how new the seating was, it was incredibly comfortable and clean. I did note that all of the bar stools and dining tables had hooks to hang bags from. The privacy chairs, meanwhile, had a small drinks table.

There was no dedicated workspace in the lounge, but it didn’t seem like this was an amenity that the lounge lacked. All of the dining tables would make for comfortable workspaces, while I chose to work on the high table by the window.

One thing that did particularly impress me was the availability of plug sockets, USB sockets, and even wireless charging pads. Nearly every seat had one in reach, something that is still sadly a rarity across lounges. The lounge offers the standard Frankfurt Airport WiFi Network. A speed test gave me a result of 245mpbs for download and 303mbps for upload.

Food And Beverage Options

Nobody is going to leave the Emirates lounge feeling hungry or thirsty. Let’s start with food. Frankfurt has a huge catering area. An island offers self-serve desserts and salads, while hot food is cooked at a live cooking station before being placed into self-serve dishes. There was a whole range of cuisines from around the world. While I didn’t eat, my friend described his plate as “very good, I’ll definitely go for seconds”. Emirates even had special food to celebrate Oktoberfest

There is also a wide range of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. In terms of hot drinks, there were plenty of self-serve coffee machines, as well as a barista at the central bar. Soft drinks included a range of juices and sodas, while there were also self-serve water taps dotted around. Alcoholic drinks included beers as well as spirits. The coffee machines make a range of drinks. I was disappointed to find that the only decaf coffee option is still instant coffee.

Additional Amenities

In terms of additional amenities, the Emirates lounge ranks somewhere in the middle. It has toilets and showers. There is also a range of literature available for all passengers to take. That being said, beyond the “meeting rooms”, there was nothing in the way of a nap area or dedicated work area. What was present was of exceptionally high quality.

One thing that particularly stood out was the toilets. Emirates has installed “Japanese style” toilets in the lounge. I was surprised when I opened the door to the cubicle, and the seat rose by itself. The staff in the lounge did an excellent job of keeping it clean, making plenty of rounds to collect used plates, cups, and more. There was also a selection of magazines for travellers to take.

Service And Atmosphere

All of the staff were a pleasure to deal with. I was also happy to see that I recognised the staff from the old Terminal 2 lounge. I had a lovely chat with one of the hosts about the differences between the old lounge and the new lounge. She mentioned that her favourite thing was the view of the ramp from the lounge.

I could not agree more. The old Terminal 2 lounge used to look out at another building, away from the ramp. Meanwhile, I believe that the Terminal 3 lounges have some of the best lounge views in the world, as I previously said in my review of the SkyTeam Lounge located directly below the Emirates lounge.

I can’t fully judge the usual atmosphere of the lounge, as it was not open to passengers for most of my visit. However, I can imagine that with the space the lounge has and the number of passengers using it, it would never get too loud. There was no music, announcements, or other distractions within the space.

Overall Value And Comparison

Overall, I think this is the nicest Emirates lounge that I have visited to date. You can see a real shift in the design language from the airline’s older facilities, and it looks good! Given the prices that Emirates charges for lounge access, I don’t think I would pay to use the lounge if not travelling on an eligible fare, but for those with access included, it is definitely a no-brainer.

It’s difficult to compare it to the other lounges in Terminal 3, given that most have fairly restrictive access conditions. I also think that as each serves a different clientele, they all excel in different ways.