First up: a disclosure. I have an issue with Munich Airport. It’s a bit boring, so it’s at the end of this review, but I thought I best declare it in case it somehow influenced this review. I don’t think it did.
Those fortunate enough to have the use of premium lounges at airports know that the quality of these places can vary enormously.
In China some years ago, I was in a lounge that offered not much more than a comfortable chair, a kettle and some instant noodles. On the other hand, I’ve also been able to enjoy rather spectacular offerings by British Airways at Heathrow, Etihad in Abu Dhabi and Qantas in Sydney, among others.
One has to lower one’s expectation however when one is dealing with a third-party lounge — one that is not owned or operated by the airline you are flying with nor, in this case, any other airline.
The Atlantic Lounge at Munich Airport serves business-class passengers from about 20 airlines and allows paid access to holders of certain credit cards.
Its look is slightly dated, but it is functional and comfortable. There is a range of snack foods, cold meats, cheese, yoghurt, bread and fruit, plus soft drinks, beer, wine and an automated espresso machine that serves up a decent brew.
It also has an internet connection that’s more than sufficient for business needs, and the bathroom facilities are clean and serviceable.
It’s all self-serve, but the attendant was pleasant and helpful, the food and drink supplies were regularly refreshed, and the place kept tidy.
In summary: no bells and whistles, but a much better option than trying to claim some of the limited seating space near the terminal boarding gates.
* Here it is: When I arrived at Munich from Genoa via Rome, in section C of terminal 1, I followed the signs for the hotel shuttle-bus stop. I went outside, saw the logo for my hotel on a large signboard and waited for the bus to come. Except it didn’t come; I saw it in the distance heading somewhere else. Then I read the fine print on the sign, which told me that this bus stop, which other signage inside the airport had pointed me to, was, in fact, not the bus stop for my shuttle bus. That was somewhere else, in the Munich Airport Centre — about 10 minutes walk away. When I got there, I couldn’t see any signs for a hotel shuttle-bus stop, so I went to the information desk. I admit I was frustrated a little agitated, and probably a bit rude, but the woman couldn’t seem to understand why signs pointing to a bus stop that wasn’t actually a bus stop should be a problem that would concern her. (Let’s not even start on the fact that the place where the shuttle buses actually did pull up was not well signed.) When I got outside, sure enough, I’d missed the bus I’d seen and had to wait for the next one. All up, 40 minutes standing out in the cold having other people blow cigarette smoke over me (a common problem when you’re at the entrance to a “non-smoking” venue). Not happy.
