Pictures: Lufthansa opens new lounge in Dubai’s Concourse D

German airline Lufthansa unveiled its new senator and business class lounge at Dubai International’s new Concourse D terminal on Thursday.

The facility, the result of a “multi-million-euro investment” and the only one outside Germany this year, is certainly an improvement on the previous offering in Concourse C.

The 514sqm lounge assigns more space to the senator section, which contains separate lounge areas (power points and USB sockets by your feet), central dining areas, drinks area lined with stools and a forest-canopy visual backdrop. To the left, the business class lounge is more of a regular space with lounge chairs and food/drink counters. It can seat up to 170 passengers.

The timing of the launch is unfortunate given Lufthansa will axe Dubai-Munich flights in April, although that may be to the benefit of Frankfurt and Zurich passengers.

Senator and Star Gold cardholders, SWISS and Star Alliance business class passengers can also access the facility, and Premium economy passengers for a charge.

Lufthansa also demonstrated an electronic baggage tag during the opening of the lounge on Thursday.

Director of Product Management Airport and Passenger Services Bjorn Becker said the carrier has conducted trials across more than 200 sectors since October and the service is available across its network.

The electronic tag appears on the side of the Rimowa suitcase after the passenger’s details have been synced through the airline’s app. “Its reliability rate is actually better than the paper tag,” he said.

The only snag is the case isn’t cheap, costing around €600-700, and it’s another €50 on top for the electronic display.

But it’s likely to be seen as a welcome innovation. As well as saving time, in theory the greater tracking capabilities should see lost bags consigned to history – although until electronic tagging is widespread, Lufthansa is investing more in service recovery, in which passengers will receive faster communication on missing bags and other measures such as the ability to be “instantly compensated”.

“Instead of wasting time filling out reports, we will know when your bag goes missing and we’ll have all your data, and where you want it delivered,” said Becker.

Special e-bag drops are already in place in Munich Airport, which aims to open its new T2 satellite terminal next month (this terminal will feature five lounges).

The lounges in the new Concourse D, located up an escalator, provide premium passengers with an escape from the retail floor. The terminal is expected to be fully operational with 70 airlines this month. Passengers take a short journey on the Skytrain from Terminal 1.