Review: Priority Lounge Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 (FRA)

During my Four Seasons Yacht via Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia adventure, I had the chance to check out the new Frankfurt Airport (FRA) Terminal 3, prior to my Turkmenistan Airlines flight to Ashgabat (ASB). Before that flight, I visited the Priority Lounge in the non-Schengen area of Frankfurt Terminal 3, which is the primary contract and Priority Pass lounge there.While I don’t want to suggest that it’s the world’s most exciting lounge, it’s actually a really good Priority Pass lounge. The lounge is large, has beautiful views, is modern, and has a solid selection of food and drinks, along with some cool amenities. This is a huge improvement over anything you would’ve found in the old Terminal 2. Priority Lounge Frankfurt locationPriority Lounge Frankfurt hoursPriority Lounge Frankfurt entry requirementsPriority Lounge Frankfurt seating & layoutPriority Lounge Frankfurt food & drinksPriority Lounge Frankfurt bathrooms & showersBottom line The Priority Lounge is located in Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3. Let me emphasize that this is on a completely different side of the airport of Terminal 1, and there’s no airside connection, so only expect to use this lounge if you’re departing from that terminal (which is where most non-Star Alliance airlines depart from).The lounge is located in the non-Schengen area of the terminal, so visiting requires first going through the check-in area, then clearing security, and then clearing passport control.Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 check-in areaOnce airside, you’ll find yourself in the central area of the terminal, so turn left in the direction of the J gates. You’ll also find signage for lounges pointing in that direction. Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 airside areaFrankfurt Airport Terminal 3 lounge signageRight before you get to the area with the J gates, you’ll see an escalator and elevator on the left leading up to the lounges. Priority Lounge Frankfurt escalatorPriority Lounge Frankfurt escalatorThe terminal is on level three, and in terms of lounges:The SkyTeam Lounge is on level four (it’s only open to Priority Pass members if traveling on a SkyTeam airline), and the future Qatar Airways Lounge will also be located on level fourThe Emirates Lounge (one of Emirates’ first new-style lounges) is located on level five, as is the Priority LoungeSo to get to the Priority Lounge, you need to go up two sets of escalators.Priority Lounge Frankfurt signageOn level five there’s then a long hall leading to the lounges, with the Emirates Lounge being the first, and the Priority Lounge being at the end of the hallway.Priority Lounge Frankfurt locationPriority Lounge Frankfurt entrancePriority Lounge Frankfurt hoursThe Priority Lounge Frankfurt is currently open daily from 6:15AM until 9:15PM, so that covers virtually all departures from the terminal. Expect that the hours may change over time, so be sure to always check the Priority Pass website for up to date hours.Priority Lounge Frankfurt entry requirementsThe Priority Lounge Frankfurt acts as the primary contract lounge for Terminal 3. So it’s a lounge that many airlines contract with for their premium passengers — if you’re in a premium cabin and have a flight on a non-SkyTeam flight or non-Emirates flight, expect that you’ll be sent here. Side note — Turkmenistan Airlines doesn’t offer lounge access at outstations, so that’s not how I entered this lounge.Beyond that, the Priority Lounge belongs to most lounge networks, including Priority Pass. Priority Pass members can visit the lounge for a maximum of three hours.Priority Lounge Frankfurt seating & layoutThe Priority Lounge Frankfurt is a great size — while I haven’t seen the size or capacity published anywhere, I can’t imagine it ever gets overcrowded, especially thanks to the “secret” part of this lounge, which most people don’t realize exists.The primary part of the lounge consists of one huge room, with floor-to-ceiling windows stretching the entire space, which sure is nice. The lounge has modern furniture, and this room is broken up into separate zones.Priority Lounge Frankfurt layoutHow nice are these views? And hello Turkmenistan Airlines 777!!!Priority Lounge Frankfurt viewPriority Lounge Frankfurt viewAs you first enter the lounge, there are some semi-private seats arranged in clusters, probably the ideal place to sit if you just want to relax, but aren’t looking to eat or drink.Priority Lounge Frankfurt seatingDeeper into the lounge is the dining area, with a bunch of cafe-style tables.Priority Lounge Frankfurt seatingThen there are also some more traditional seating clusters set up, with couches, chairs with tables, etc.Priority Lounge Frankfurt seatingPriority Lounge Frankfurt seatingHere’s what I found most interesting — in the very back of the lounge there was a hallway with a small sign pointing to the “Exclusive Lounge,” which guests were invited to use.Priority Lounge Frankfurt hallwayPriority Lounge Frankfurt signageThis was a huge lounge space as well, and there wasn’t a single person in the space during my visit (despite the lounge otherwise being fairly full). Obviously people just don’t realize this exists, though in fairness, it also doesn’t have much in the way of natural light.I’m curious if this is the long term plan, if this is going to be some sort of separate lounge, if it’s maybe reserved for passengers on select airlines over select hours, or what. Either way, it’s a tradeoff between having a very private space and natural light.Priority Lounge Frankfurt seatingPriority Lounge Frankfurt seatingPriority Lounge Frankfurt seatingPriority Lounge Frankfurt seatingI should mention that the lounge also has a relaxation area with some reclined seats, though there were people using them throughout my visit, so I couldn’t get a picture. The lounge also has some hotel-style bedrooms (as I understand it) that guests can rent, though they weren’t available during my visit, so I can’t speak to the quality.Priority Lounge Frankfurt food & drinksThe Priority Lounge Frankfurt has a respectable selection of food and drinks. There’s one main buffet area in the center of the lounge, which is where you’ll find most of what’s available.Priority Lounge Frankfurt buffetPriority Lounge Frankfurt buffetIn terms of food, options included a salad bar, instant noodles, and several hot dishes, including baked beans, vegetables, chicken, rice, stir fried noodles, soup, and more.Priority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionAdditional options included bread, finger sandwiches, sausages, snack mix, sweets, and brownies.Priority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt food selectionThere were also a variety of drinks, including self-serve beer, wine, liquor, a soda fountain, coffee, tea, etc.Priority Lounge Frankfurt drink selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt drink selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt drink selectionPriority Lounge Frankfurt drink selectionThere was then a second buffet in the “Exclusive Lounge” that was nearly identical to the main one, expect it seemed like no one had visited this at any point, given the lack of traffic this part of the lounge gets.Priority Lounge Frankfurt buffetPriority Lounge Frankfurt bathrooms & showersThe Priority Lounge Frankfurt has fairly limited bathroom facilities, given the large size of the lounge. The men’s room had a few sinks, plus several urinals and stalls. They seemed to be reasonably well maintained.Priority Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsPriority Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsPriority Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsThe lounge also has shower suites, but none were available to see during my brief visit.Bottom lineThe Priority Lounge Frankfurt Terminal 3 is a great new addition to the airport’s lounge scene. It’s the primary contract lounge in Terminal 3, and a massive improvement over the old lounge setup in Terminal 2. The lounge is modern, bright, and has plenty of seating options, with a solid food and drink selection.It’s nice to see the lounge situation at Frankfurt Airport improve, though there continues to be no airside Priority Pass lounge in Terminal 1, which is sort of unfortunate.What’s your take on the Priority Lounge Frankfurt?