TRIP REPORT: The Hamburg Airport Lounge, and another dose of the European Entry/Exit System – More Innovations in Hamburg

The Hamburg Airport Lounge, and another dose of the European Entry/Exit System
TRIP REPORT: More Innovations in Hamburg

In this week of passenger experience fun:

• Back to Hamburg Again. And yes, keeping it simple
• To Heathrow Airport with FlixBus and Terminal 5
• British Airways Galleries South, Terminal 5
• BA964 London Heathrow to Hamburg (Club Europe – New Configuration)
• The joy of the European Entry/Exit System and into Hamburg
• The Ibis Budget St Pauli (Refurbished)
• A walk through the Hamburg Dom Fair (Spring Fair)
• What you might have missed from Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026
• Off the Camera Roll – Exploring Hamburg during the quiet moments
• Escape from the Messe and Return to Hamburg Airport
• Hamburg Airport Lounge and European Entry/Exit System queues
• BA969 Hamburg to London Heathrow (Club Europe – Old Configuration)
• A Luggage Mess and a Messier Coach Ride Home
• Continued Innovation

Hamburg Airport Shared Lounge

Approaching the lounge, there was a little bit of a queue to get in – but thankfully, the lounge agent processed people quickly.

Once again, it was then a case of finding a seat – given the lounge was full of BA flyers who were waiting to go to London (as well as a few other destinations, given that this is the airport’s common lounge).

FIDS and Free WiFi 

Seating and news 

It’s a busy place. 

I found a seat facing towards the windows (with the shades down to reduce the sun) and made my way to the buffet for entertainment.

Yes. I like this picture. 

Well, I’ll add this much – they’ve cut down on items, with some items reduced. But at least the chicken sausage was there, so we can all celebrate that.

Chickenwurst. 

Sweet and Salty 

Salad Items 

mini pretzels.

Cold items 

Cake

Wine

COffee

Aclcohol

Hmm. Jägermeister machines.

Those who dream of the magical soup machine… that’s been gone for years at this point (and I last spotted it working in 2022). Which would have been nice at this point; I will not lie. Soup and some German bread are never a bad thing.

It’s also at this point that wearing work clothes is no longer enjoyable, and we’re becoming a burden. I therefore grabbed a tracksuit bottom and a t-shirt and headed to the toilets.

Toilet views.

Because there was no way I was going to be formal for another six-plus hours, especially with the coach journey ahead. Being formal since 8:30 in the morning is enough, especially when there’s a chance to change clothes.

LOT Embraer E195

Changed and refreshed, I topped up on drinks and nibbles and played the usual game of where the hell is my aircraft. This dictates a lot of things. Checking Flightradar24, it seemed that the A320neo that was due to take me back to London had just landed and was taxiing to the gate.

With the aircraft on the ground, I decided to get my backside in gear, given how bad the queues could be, and how they have been when leaving Schengen. And that was before EES was implemented, when 10-15 minute waits were not uncommon.

Down we go

Instead of taking the elevator down to the departures level, I walked downstairs and found an interesting “shortcut” via the public rest areas, facing out to the apron.

Resting grane

SWISS A220 

Relaxing seats 

Down we go.

Off to the B Gates. 

Because tights are needed at the airport. Sadly, the Lufthansa WorldShop has gone. 

Books

Helllloooo Sailor!

I could tell where the queue for the border began… and it was a long one, stretching back to the EES machines. Whilst the German Federal forces were efficient in getting people into Germany when I arrived, getting people out of the Schengen area during peak travel flows remains an issue at Hamburg Airport.

Once again, I went to a booth first, as each EES entry needs to be captured. In the implementation Hamburg Airport used, it is not a one-and-done thing, but it is needed for each crossing in and out of the EU. Use that knowledge for your own travels.

Which is pointless, really. All you’re saving at a booth is going through the biometrics capture at that point.

It took around 15 minutes to get to the front of the queue… which is typical for peak-time Schengen exits from Hamburg Airport.

With my biometrics confirmed, a stamp was thumped into the passport.

Exiting into the non-Schengen zone, I had made it in time to see that priority boarding had almost been completed and that the gate agents were readying to get the masses through.

I slipped into the priority lines and was buzzed through, allowing me to head down the jetbridge.

It was time to leave Germany.

Next:

BA969 to London Heathrow. Old Brown Cow time.

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