Since my flight to Munich had been pushed back until 10:30 p.m., I took my time at my friend’s Chinese New Year’s gathering and didn’t end up at Boston’s Logan airpor until about 8:30 p.m. It had already started snowing outside, although the snow wasn’t sticking at first. Since Boston isn’t a hub of any US carriers, nearly all of its international flights are once daily flights that are operated by other nation’s airlines. There weren’t too many other flights leaving as late as my new Lufthansa departure, so security was a breeze and I was through in no time. The one thing I did notice is that all of Boston’s sports championship banners were hung up by the security checkpoint. There are so many that it felt like overkill and a bit snobbish. But, hey, I guess they did earn them (and like to remind the rest of the nation whenever they can)

I did feel a bit wistful holding onto my boarding pass, as this marked the end of the wonderful Business Class fare that I’d found the previous Labor Day. Nevertheless, I was excited to check out what Lufthansa’s outstation lounge here would look like, compared to the lounges I’d seen in Frankfurt and Munich. Well, my first impression turned out to be very crowded! Despite the short security lines, a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul and SWISS to Zurich still had to depart. The passengers from these two flights, and the full cabin of 48 from my Lufthansa flight, meant that there was hardly a seat in the lounge. I made the best of things by snapping photos of the dinner buffet spread. Surprisingly, it was left mostly unattended and I had no trouble getting clear shots. I could understand the low interest in most lounges (especially United clubs), but each of the lounge’s departing flights were short red eyes to Europe. I assumed more passengers would want to eat in the lounge ahead of their flights, but that’s not what I saw happening. 

Eventually, I settled at the bar because that’s where the open seats were. I ended up being really glad I did. Despite the packed lounge, the bartender wasn’t particularly busy and was up for chatting. I learned pretty quickly that even though Boston is a Star Alliance outstation, several high profile customers come through. I happened to walk over when he was chatting with another waiter about John Kerry’s visit the previous week, which surprised me. I asked him how he usually interacted with a famous guest like that. Of course, he told me that you try your best to treat them like any other passenger and not draw attention to them. He did have a couple more stories about celebrities that had passed through, although most weren’t up for chit chat and wanted to head straight to the more private section of the lounge that was partitioned off for First Class. I started off drinking by just asking the bartender to make me something citrusy. I should’ve been more specific, because I ended with a screwdriver heavy on vodka with a sprig of mint… It certainly helped time fly as the delay and conversation stretched on, but I wish I’d stuck to sampling the wines and bubly. I picked a glass of prosecco afterwards, and retreated to one of the armchairs now that the SWISS flight had left and some were open. Thankfully, by the time I’d finished the prosecco the boarding process was about to start.

It was only after boarding was called that the lounge naturally emptied out. This lounge is awesome in that there’s a staircase from one exit that leads straight to the departure gate that Lufthansa uses! Since there was a line I could monitor though, I felt fine taking my time on pictures of the now-empty lounge. Most of the seating was single occupant armchairs, with a few couches and taller chairs scattered here and there. All are a medium beige color, which isn’t my favorite but is a typical color for Lufthansa lounge seating. There were some wooden screens up and pictures of German forests and mountains, which is a touch I appreciated. Near the bar and buffet are a set of dining tables that were also mostly in use throughout my stay. I guess everyone else had just hit the buffet ahead of me. Lastly, there was a section earmarked for First Class, but the extra layer of privacy seemed like the only thing differentiating it from the rest of the lounge. I certainly wouldn’t pick Boston as the starting point of a First Class trip rather than the Lufthansa First outstation at JFK, or the Star Alliance First Class lounge at LAX.

I was expecting Lufthansa’s Boston outstation to be a bit more skimpy than its counterparts in Frankfurt and Munich, but I was surprised by how many services the lounge offered. The bartender was a huge plus for conversation (and I hope he does better on the rest of his drinks), which I think is important especially as a solo traveler. About half of the buffet spread looked good to me, which means I don’t think there’s a risk that travelers will leave hungry if they don’t want to. I guess they undershot their ultimate estimates of how packed this lounge might get, because I was surprised that it ended up filling completely by the time I’d arrived. Once I did get to a seat it was really comfortable, and I especially appreciated the chance to charge my electronic devices before boarding. Given the choice today, I would probably pick either the JFK outstation lounge or an airport with a United Polaris lounge for my next flight in a Lufthansa premium cabin. However, if I was departing Boston again I would leave a little extra time to enjoy this lounge again.