JFK Lufthansa Senator Lounge Has The Best Cookies!

We finished our Global Entry interviews quicker than we expected, so we had an hour and a half before our Lufthansa flight to Munich started boarding.

So we went over to Terminal 4 and found the Lufthansa Senator (Business Class) lounge right after you get through security.

We weren't flying business class, but my father had his United Airlines status card with him that shows the Gold Star Alliance status on it. Star Alliance Gold members get access to any Star Alliance business lounge.

Anyone with United Gold or above gets automatic Gold status with Star Alliance. When you have Star Alliance Gold with United, you get to access any Star Alliance lounges when flying on international flights (except United lounges when you're flying United domestically, oddly enough).

However, last year my father got his United status matched by Turkish Airlines for free. Why did he do that when he already has United status? Because using Turkish Airline's version of  Star Alliance Gold Status get us access to United lounges even when flying domestically. And Turkish status lasts 2 years so we'll have status through 2014.

Additionally, my mother also has Star Alliance Gold status through Aegean Airlines. Even though we rarely ever fly Aegean Airlines, we credited certain flights to them to get Gold Status (20,000 miles in any 12 month period) on them. To get Gold on United, it would require 50,000 miles in a calendar year. But not every flight gives 100% mileage credit on Aegean, so you have to check which airlines and fare classes give you 100%, 50% or 0% Aegean credit. Most discounted economy tickets on United only give you 50%.

But nevertheless, the Lufthansa Senator Lounge in JFK is pretty nice, especially compared to United lounges in Newark and definitely better than the TAM lounge (Rio De Janiero) or Air Canada (Vancouver). In addition to a full bar, there's plenty of open seating and a nice snack buffet with enough to keep a small kid eating for hours.

 

 

But of course, my favorite part were the sweets. In addition to M&Ms, pretzels, wasabi covered peas and muffins, they had some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had.

Not a long post, but just wanted to make a note so that we'd remember next time we're flying through JFK. If you're ever early for your Lufthansa flight (or any other Star Alliance airline at Terminal 4), you should stop by the Lufthansa Senator Lounge and grab a plateful of freshly made chocolate chip cookies and don't forget to share with your parents.