Not many lounge options for this Oneworld gal when flying out of Hamburg, Germany to Helsinki, Finland. I was flying Finnair in business and so I was directed to the Hamburg Airport Lounge in the Airport Plaza. This lounge seems to be the catchment for many airlines, credit cards, Priority Pass and paid entry – other than Star Alliance (there are Lufthansa lounges) and Emirates. When I heard it was a ‘jack of all trades’ lounge I wasn’t really sure what to expect – I tried not to have very high expectations. And my expectations were spot on – the Hamburg Airport Lounge was a pleasant, basic lounge with a small variety of food. I could make a basic balanced meal, but there was not much variety to choose from. Not much had changed between 2023 and 2024.
What’s Healthy?
- Plenty of pickled vegetables in this lounge – peppers, cucumbers, and mixed vegetables. A great idea to add some different flavours to your meal. However it would have been good to see more fresh vegetables than just a few sliced cucumbers. Pickling vegetables can be good for retaining nutrients, but there has been some suggestion consumption may not be good for health due a possible association with cancer risk. So enjoy pickled vegetables in the lounge but also try and have fresh vegetables too if they are on offer.
- In addition to the pickled vegetables there were also olives and fresh cucumber slices available. While these are nutritious foods, unfortunately you can’t really make a meal out of them. These along with the pickled vegetables seem to be more like accompaniments or for a tapas style meal. It is hard to have half a meal made up of these.
- There were whole, fresh pieces of fruit available (apples and bananas on the day I visited) – great to have these available for a small snack if the time you visit is between meals or if you are not hungry.
- There was also a bottle of extra virgin olive oil available which was a nice addition. Extra virgin olive oil is a source of antioxidants, polyphenols and healthy fats – and been suggested as one of the contributing factors to the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet.



- Take a look at those slices of dense, dark bread – amazing! They were available both in 2019 and 2024, along with rye crispbreads in 2024. While there were white rolls, pastries and savoury breads available there were also these fantastic slices of dark bread. Dark, grainy bread such as this is likely to have more fibre than white varieties and also be more nutritious because it includes wholegrains and/or seeds. So try mixing it up by choosing darker, grainy breads instead of white breads often.


- There were slices of cheese available in a small fridge, along with sliced of tomato with balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. The cheese and tomato is a nutritious food to add to the dark rye crispbreads, or even have the tomato as a stand alone side salad.


- I arrived in the lounge at the very tail end of breakfast, just as they were starting to switch over the buffet foods from breakfast to lunch. These trays of yogurts and Bircher style muesli (I think) were in the fridge when I arrived however I didn’t get a chance to try them. I have left them here to show you what foods were on offer for you to try, however I can’t comment on the taste or nutrition of them as I didn’t get a closer look.

Not so great. Caution
- There were a number of snacks on offer that aren’t very nutritious including a bowl of lollies, a mix of pretzels/crackers and cheese flavoured corn chips. If you would like to have a snack then choose to use one of the small bowls and try not to refill them. The corn chips were also served with a processed avocado dip and salsa.


- The only hot food in this lounge was this warmer full of sausages (wursts) – this had not changed between 2023 and 2024. It was disappointing not to see a wider variety of hot foods as it really limits people who are looking for a hot dish. While sausages are well liked by many people (and I understand this), it is always good to have variety so people can choose more nutritious options if they like, but also have a warm meal too. Not only were there sausages but also slices of salami (available in the fridge) which are all processed meats.


- Plenty of breads on offer in this lounge. In addition to the grainy bread I mentioned in an earlier point, there were plenty of white breads available both in 2023 and 2024 including pretzels, white rolls and savoury pastries. Now I love a really fresh, warm pretzel with butter (melting on it) when I am in Germany – I am not suggesting that pretzels should never be eaten. What is important to note is most of the breads in this lounge are white based breads, which suggest low fibre and less nutritious than dark, grainy/seeded breads.





Final thoughts of Hamburg Airport Lounge
There was not a whole lot of variety on offer in the Hamburg Airport Lounge in 2023 – and there still wasn’t in 2024. In fact the foods on offer were nearly exactly the same when I visited in both 2023 and 2024. I actually couldn’t believe how similar it was. The Hamburg Airport Lounge was located in was located in the Schengen area (the Airport Plaza) but I believe could be access by non-Schengen passengers before they went through passport control. With the limited food choice it certainly did feel like a Schengen lounge – since I was flying on a short Schengen flight this was ok but if I was flying on a longer-haul non-international flight I think I would have been disappointed.

KLM Crown Lounge Schiphol Amsterdam (Schengen) Food and Nutrition Review
The KLM Crown Lounge Schiphol offers a variety of healthy food options, including chickpea snacks, vegetable sticks with hummus, and diverse salad vegetables. However, some offerings like pesto pasta and potato gratin are less nutritious due to lack of vegetables and high energy content. The lounge provides a balanced mix of Dutch flavors and accommodates dietary needs with labeled food options.