Review: Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf (OneWorld/SkyTeam)

November 14, 2016

2618

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The Hugo Junkers Lounge is on level 2 of the “Pier B” area at Düsseldorf Airport and, as it’s a 3rd party lounge (i.e not run by a specific airline or alliance), it acts as Business Class lounge for a variety of carriers across all three major alliances….although Star Alliance is the most underrepresented.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

Not only is the lounge open to premium cabin flyers and airline elites, but it’s also a Priority Pass lounge…

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…and, if you don’t have Priority Pass membership you can access the lounge for €25 (debit/credit card only, no cash).

The lounge is open between 5:00am and 9:00pm every day and can be accessed from the departures level by the world’s second slowest elevator (in case you’re wondering, the world’s slowest elevator is in a Home Depot-style warehouse in Cyprus – you need to take provisions it’s that slow!).

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

My A350 Cathay Pacific Flight from Hong Kong had landed at around 6:30am so it was still quite early when I arrived at the lounge and that may have something to do with the very dark feel the lounge had when I walked in.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

The lounge reception desk is immediately on the right as you enter the lounge and, while the staff at the desk were very friendly, the boarding pass scanners couldn’t handle my iPhone boarding pass.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

Fortunately the scanner had no issues with my Executive Platinum card (which I also carry in my iPhone) so I was soon looking for a place to sit down.

Once you’re past the reception desk the lounge spreads out to the left and to the right and I could soon see why it felt dark – all the furniture and panelling on the walls are dark and the down-lights aren’t particularly bright.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

The areas on the right side of the lounge offer a mixture of high tables and bar stools…..

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…and some tables and chairs mixed in with a few armchairs.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

The area straight ahead (as you walk in to the lounge) is where most of the armchairs are to be found and, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, is easily the lightest and nicest part of the lounge to spend any time.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

Hidden away to the right of these armchairs is a narrow area with a long desk at which you can work…..

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…and stare out across the airport apron at the same time. There was an Etihad Dreamliner parked up during my stay:

Etihad 787 Dreamliner at Düsseldorf Airport

As far as I could see the lounge was nearly devoid of power outlets and this small area was where most of the outlets were. If you’re traveling from a country outside of Europe then bring a universal adapter as, unsurprisingly, the power outlets are European.

There are a few more set of tables and chairs on the left side of the lounge:

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

And, if you’re in a larger group, there are some cafeteria-style tables in the far corner that may be a better fit:

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

The far left side of the lounge is where the food stations are but I can’t say that there was too much to get excited about.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

There were cookies and a selection of fruit on the central island……

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…..and, around the edges, the staff had laid out a continental breakfast:

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

There was a mixture of bread rolls and a variety of sliced breads….

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…there was a selection of jams, jellies & marmalade and some yoghurts….

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…and in a corner there was a choice of 3 cereals next to a toaster:

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

There was a big coffee machine sitting on the side…….

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

……but, if you’re ever visiting this lounge, I’d recommend staying away from the milk-based coffees as they were pretty terrible.

The tea selection is probably the best way to go.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

If a hot drink is not what you’re after then there’s a reasonable selection of chilled non-alcoholic drinks….

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

And a small selection of beers.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

In one corner of the chiller cabinet was a basic and somewhat unimpressive selection of spirits (not that those were what I was looking for at 7am!)….

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…and there were a couple of bottles of wine open on the side but I forgot to take a picture of those.

The lounge offers shower facilities in the form of a single shower but I was lucky enough to find it free when I enquired at the reception desk.

The shower room was a very good size and definitely adequate…..

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

…although I didn’t get a very good feeling about the quality of the cleaning staff when I realised the sink hadn’t been cleaned since the last guest had used it:

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

Still, on a positive note, the shower was spacious, the water pressure was good and the water heated up pretty quickly.

Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

Bottom Line

As far as 3rd party lounges go this one was average. If compared to all Business Class lounges (which includes all airline-operated lounges) then this one is probably somewhere between the bottom and third quartile.

The staff were very friendly but that was probably the high point of the lounge.

The decor was too dark for the amount of light that enters through the windows and the scarcity of power outlets is unacceptable for a business-heavy airport (Düsseldorf isn’t exactly a big tourist destination).

Despite what the pictures may show there was a point where the lounge was very busy, so much so that I thought I wouldn’t be able to take any photos and people were finding it hard to find a seat somewhere with a bit of light.

If there was ever any hot food offered I didn’t see it (luckily I enjoyed my breakfast on Cathay 3 hours beforehand so I wasn’t too hungry) and the cold offerings were acceptable if not very varied.

So that’s pretty much if for my thoughts on the Hugo Junkers lounge in Düsseldorf. I guess the main question to be answered is would I go back?

Yes…but only because a very average lounge is still better than sitting at the gate.

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