Where is it?
The Airport Lounge is located in terminal 2 at Cologne Bonn Airport and is the only lounge in the terminal. Terminal 2 is used by most airlines not part of Star Alliance and the Lufthansa Group, including most charter airlines and low-cost airlines operating at the airport.
The terminal is fairly compact and easy to navigate and the lounge is not hard to find. After security control you turn left and you will soon see the stairs and the lift for the lounge on the left hand side. There are plenty of signs. The lounge itself is located on a balcony overlooking the transit hall.
Flying out of terminal 1? Then you can use the Airport Lounge in terminal 2, for example if you have a Priority Pass. There is no pay-in lounge in terminal 1.
To get to the lounge, first of all you need to be checked in for your flight and have a valid same-day boarding pass. Head for terminal 2 and the security control. The automatic gates will not let you pass, the display will tell you that you are in the wrong terminal. Instead you need to speak to a member of staff. Show them your boarding pass and tell them know you want to visit the lounge and they will open the gate manually for you.
After the lounge visit there is no proper exit from the transit hall, you will not find a single sign marked ‘Exit’ as departing and arriving passengers are separated at terminal 2. To leave the transit area to get back landside and to terminal 1 you need to go back to security control, where you came from. Tell the staff you have been to the lounge and that you want to exit and they will advice you where to go.
In practice it is all very easy as long as you know where to go and what to do. Just keep in mind you will need to pass security control again in terminal 1. Using the lounge in terminal 2 when flying out of terminal 1 is not really advisable unless you have at least 90 minutes before your flight.
How do I get in?
The lounge is used by most full-service airlines operating at the terminal for their frequent flyers and business class passengers.
It is also possible to pay for access and to use various lounge schemes such as Priority Pass and Diners Club.
What’s it like?
For a third-party lounge the Airport Lounge is not bad at all. It is located on a small balcony and with the high ceiling and plenty of natural light gives it a very airy and spacious feeling, even though it is really not that large.
The design itself is very typical for many airport lounges in Germany with a bit of an industrial feel to it with the interior and most furniture in silver, black and metal. Perhaps a bit uninspiring but thanks to the layout of the lounge you do not notice the design that much.
The best part of the lounge is easily the great view as you have a nearly unobstructed view of the apron at terminal 2 and one of the runways. You can easily follow the action outside the terminal from your seat in the lounge.
Food and drinks
The buffet area offers a reasonable selection of snacks and drinks for self-service. The food selection includes bread rolls, pastries, cakes, fruits, nuts, crisps and even some hot food, depending on the time of the day.
The drinks selection includes wine and beer, a reasonable selection of spirits, coffee machine, tea, juices and soft drinks.
Facilities
Free wireless internet is available and there are restrooms in the lounge.
A cool and rather unusual feature is that there are tablets on many of the tables where you can access info about the airport and flight departures.
Final impression
For a third-party lounge the Airport Lounge in Cologne is not bad at all. Nice layout, fantastic view, reasonable selection of food and drinks and friendly staff.
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