No stairway to heaven here, this just leads you to the mezzanine level of the SkyCourt, where the SkyCourt Lounge and Plaza Premium Lounges are. Photo by: Evan Berman

After a fun time in Budapest, it was time to head onward to Munich. Before my Lufthansa A320-200 Economy flight, it was time to visit the lounges at BUD Airport’s Schengen Terminal 2A. I visited 3 of the 4 in the Schengen zone, the only other was the Mastercard Lounge to which I do not have access.

This lounge review is part of the Eastern European Experience. For more information on the trip, follow these links:

Intro

Flight: United Economy Class B737-800 CHS-ORD-SEA

6 Hours in Seattle

Centurion Lounge, The Club SEA, and United Club: SEA Lounges

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B787-9 SEA-IST

Istanbul Airport’s Famous Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge and IGA Pop Up Lounge

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B737 MAX 8 IST-BUD

2 Days in Budapest

Hotel: Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center

SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium SkyCourt, and Platinum Lounge (Schengen): BUD Lounges (This Article)

Flight: Lufthansa Economy Class A320-200 BUD-MUC and A321-200 MUC-ZAG

24 Hours in Munich

Starkbierfest Munich

Hotel: H+ Munchen (Wyndham)

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge MUC

Flight: Croatian Airlines Economy Class Dash 8 and ATR 72-600 (Twin-Prop Plane) ZAG-SPU-ZAG-SJJ-ZAG-BEG

2 Days in Split, Croatia, the Beauty of the Adriatic

Delicious Food in Split

Hotel Vestibul Palace in Split, Croatia, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (Hyatt)

Primeclass Lounge ZAG

6 Hours in Zagreb

Wine Tasting and Learning about Croatian Feelings

2 Days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Restaurants in Sarajevo

Hotel Aziza Sarajevo (AABooking)

Business Lounge SJJ

Air Serbia Premium Lounge and Business Club: BEG Lounges

Flight: Swiss Airlines Economy Class Embraer E190-E2 and A220-300 BEG-ZRH-LJU

2 Amazing Days in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Food Scene in Ljubljana

Day Trip around Slovenia: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Bled Castle, and Lake Bled

Hotel Emonec Ljubljana, Slovenia (Rocketmiles)

Flight: Air Serbia Economy Class ATR 72-600 and A319-100 LJU-BEG-SKP

1.5 Days in Belgrade, Serbia

Restaurants in Belgrade

Hotel: Hyatt Regency Belgrade (Hyatt)

3 Hours in Skopje, North Macedonia

Primeclass Lounge SKP

Flight: Wizz Air Economy Class A321-200 SKP-MXP

14 Hours in Milan and Monza, Italy

Hotel de la Ville Monza, Italy, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (Hyatt)

Sala Montale and Emirates Lounge MXP

Flight: Emirates First Class A380-800 MXP-JFK

Conclusion

Introduction:

I arrived at BUD (Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport) at 11:10am local time for my 1:20pm departure. On my way to the airport for an earlier flight, I noticed there was a non-stop option with Lufthansa for just 6,500 United miles and $35 in taxes and fees, compared with my original plan of flying Austrian Airlines with a tight 45 minute connection in Vienna and arriving later despite an earlier departure. In case you were worrying, dear readers, I have not gone soft and still believe 2 hours is much too early to arrive at an airport! 😉 As I had plenty of time before my flight, I decided to check out each of the Schengen Zone Priority Pass lounges and compare them. In order of appearance, I visited the SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium Lounge, and Platinum Lounge.

Both the SkyCourt Lounge (surprisingly enough) and Plaza Premium Lounge were located in Terminal 2 SkyCourt, while the superior Platinum Lounge was located in the Terminal 2A Schengen portion. Terminal 1 no longer operates commercial flights, since the bankruptcy of Hungarian airline Malév in 2012. The SkyCourt connects Schengen Terminal 2A with non-Schengen Terminal 2B, which strangely hosts check-in desks for all oneworld flights and WizzAir, no matter whether they are or are not within the Schengen zone.

SkyCourt Lounge:

The SkyCourt Lounge is convenient to the area immediately after security. Since this was a Schengen flight, there were no customs so I headed to the large SkyCourt. The lounge itself was perfectly adequate and I loved the variety of seating options available– everything from a seat at the bar to a chair in front of a desk for getting work done, as well as couches to relax. The only downside? This was by far the busiest of the 3 lounges I visited, likely due to the combination of Priority Pass and SkyTeam Business Class Access. Thankfully, the Lounge was the largest of them as well at 2,906 ft² (270m²).

Location:

As mentioned in the intro, the SkyCourt is the central area of BUD Airport which connects the Schengen Terminal 2A with non-Schengen Terminal 2B. Both this lounge and the Plaza Premium lounge are located upstairs, above the main food court area. Once you go up the stairs, turn right and keep going until you find the above door. If you see the Mastercard Lounge– which appeared to be closed when I was there– you have gone too far.

The lounge is open from 4:30am-9pm every day.

Access:

Most times when I fly internationally and am not in a Premium Cabin, I utilize Priority Pass. The lounges in Budapest are perfect examples of why it is so useful for frequent travelers looking to get away from the chaos of the terminal. One of the following is required to gain access to this lounge:

• Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, Diners Club, Lounge Key, Lounge Buddy, and Lounge Pass members may enter. I used Priority Pass to enter
• Business Class or First Class on a Star Alliance or SkyTeam airline
• SkyTeam Elite Plus or Star Alliance Gold passengers travelling on an airline in the respective alliance in any class
• When available, pay $37 to enter

Food and Drinks:

The food was just ok, easily the weakest of the 3. I had pancakes with nutella (there was also jam topping) and deli meat and cheeses. Bagels were also available but I did not partake. To drink, I had a bottle of still water and a Heineken. Other options were mini bottles of sparkling wine, and water (both still and sparkling).

Wi-Fi:

I did not have to get any work done during my time in the lounge, but the speeds were fast enough to surf the internet undisturbed. I was not blown away by the speed but it was solid.

Bathrooms:

I did not visit the bathrooms during my time in the lounge. They were tucked away in the back right side of the lounge. Do not expect anything fancy like showers or a spa!

Amenities:

There were no amenities to speak of. The lounge overall was a decent place to grab a bite to eat, something to drink, and wait before heading to your flight. It is certainly not worth arriving early for!

Plaza Premium Lounge Schengen:

After I finished eating at the SkyCourt Lounge it was time to head over to the Plaza Premium Lounge. There are 2 at the airport, 1 in the SkyCourt and 1 in the non-Schengen Terminal 2B. This was my biggest disappointment of the lounges. Plaza Premium is a Hong Kong-based group that runs lounges all over the world and they are usually quite high quality. For example, my recent experience in Siem Reap, Cambodia (REP) featured made to order noodles, fish, or chicken along with a terrific wine selection so it was disappointing to see the lack of choices and quality here. I can assume that international (or in this case non-Schengen) lounges will generally be better than domestic lounges but that is certainly not always the case!

Location:

Like the SkyCourt Lounge, the Plaza Premium Lounge is located upstairs in the SkyCourt. This is straight ahead when you go up the stairs to the mezzanine level or to the left of the SkyCourt Lounge. The lounge is open from 7:00am-8:00pm daily.

Access:

Plaza Premium Lounges used to all be included in Priority Pass, however, they are no longer affiliated with the program. Thankfully, if you have an AmEx Platinum or Capital One Venture X Card, you can still gain entry for free. In reality, this is a positive development as the fewer people that have access (outside of the US, there are many fewer Platinum Cards and almost assuredly no Venture X Cards, compared to many who buy Priority Pass), the higher quality the lounge is since it is less expensive to run. That is why First Class Lounges are generally much nicer than Business Class Lounges, which are much nicer than mere outstations or contract lounges. As such, here are the options for entry:

• Business Class with a oneworld airline (this would only apply to Finnair and Iberia as the others, such as British Airways, would depart from the non-Schengen terminal)
• Via a Plaza Premium membership:
  • AmEx Platinum or Capital One Venture X Cards have this included. This is how I entered the lounge.
  • You may also pay for a membership, though prices range from $90 for an “Americas” membership (you would not be able to enter this lounge) to $500+. I would not recommend this unless you frequently fly through an airport with one of these lounges and cannot get the US cards.
• Pay $37 when walk-ins are available.

Food and Drinks:

There was self-serve food at the Plaza Premium Lounge. Unfortunately, the only options were goulash, tomato soup, or meats. I had a cup of the goulash which was decent. The drink selection was equally average. There were only 3 wines available and none of them seemed particularly great.

In the end, I just ate the bit of goulash, watched people come and go outside (more in view section) and headed to the Platinum Lounge.

Wi-Fi:

I ly in the lounge for a few minutes, most of which involved eating, drinking water, and looking around.. As such, I did not test the wifi. However, wifi is usually a strong suit of Plaza Premium Lounges!

View:

The view made for excellent people-watching. You can see several jet bridges in the distance but no planes took off or arrived while I was here. Instead, the view was focused on the people, mostly crew but some passengers, walking back and forth just outside the window in the lounge. Why was that happening? To the left of the edge of the photo was the designated smoking zone (remember, I switched rooms because the guests who stayed before me had smoked inside), while the right side connects on towards the non-Schengen Terminal 2B.

Amenities:

There were no amenities in this tiny lounge.

Platinum Lounge Schengen:

I saved the best for last with this lounge. Despite the name, this is not one of AmEx’s Lounges. This lounge is in Terminal 2A, not the SkyCourt, which means it is most convenient to wait before your flight. If I were visiting BUD in the future flying within the Schengen Zone, I would only visit the Platinum Lounge.

Although the appearance may suggest otherwise, this is the contract lounge for Lufthansa Group and a few other airlines. Additionally, Priority Pass and other lounge passes are also accepted. The food selection was decent, but this was the only lounge with a staffed bar and self-serve wine selection was excellent!

Location:

As mentioned, this lounge is in Terminal 2A. It is located across from gate A8. The hours are 5:00am-8:00pm daily.

Access:

The access for this lounge is similar to the SkyCourt Lounge:

• Oneworld Business Class & First Class passengers as well as Sapphire & Emerald frequent flyers may enter when flying oneworld in any cabin.
• Star Alliance Business and First Class passengers as well as Star Alliance Gold members may enter when flying Star Alliance in any cabin.
• Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, Diners Club, Lounge Key, Lounge Buddy, and Lounge Pass members may enter. I used Priority Pass to enter
• Purchase a day pass for $32.

Food and Drinks:

I was quite pleased at the drink options here. I always enjoy learning about local drinks and Hungary is quite famous, especially in recent years, for their Red Wines and Dessert Wines. I was eager to try the famous Tokaji Furmint, one of the most popular Dessert Wine grapes. While it was nothing compared to the higher end 2017 Royal Tokaji varietal I recently enjoyed after a lovely steak dinner, this wine is a testament to why you should never be stuck in your ways when it comes to wines. For those who may not be familiar, Tokaj is the most famous wine region in Hungary (located in Northeast Hungary, this is a Unesco World Heritage Site, deemed “the wine of kings, the king of wines” by Louis XIV!) and Furmint is a particular type of sweet white wine.

Personally, I loathe sweet wines, but this isn’t your typical wine. Rather, the grapes are attacked by a fungus called botrytis or noble rot, which creates a sweet fruity aroma of peaches or oranges. Thus, there is no added sugar or other “artificial sweetener” in these wines. If you are more into reds, they have you covered as well! Bodri is one of the more famous red wine vineyards in Hungary and they feature several different grapes here:

Finally, the food options at the buffet were solid, though nothing spectacular. I opted for a beef stroganoff that, despite looking like regurgitated mush, was quite tasty. Unfortunately, you had to build your own meal with either pasta or rice, so that meant strangely eating stroganoff with bowtie pasta! In all, I was quite pleased with the food and drink at this lounge.

Wi-Fi:

When re-reading information on wines from Tokaj and the Furmint grape, I had no troubles loading pages. The wifi was quite fast here.

View:

Unfortunately, there was no view here.There were no windows in the back and the front of the lounge had frosted doors to provide some privacy from the terminal. As a result, there was no view of anything!

Bathrooms:

I did not use the bathroom here, but they appeared to be down the hall from the buffet in the back.

Amenities:

Unless you consider excellent wine an amenity (I might!), there were no amenities in this lounge.

Recap:

Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport is a rapidly growing airport, with the explosion of growth in tourism (mostly from Europe, especially England and Germany) in the city. Even flying economy within the Schengen zone, I had access to 3 different lounges. While the Plaza Premium Lounge was the least impressive, it was quiet and peaceful which is something nobody can take for granted when travelling! I greatly enjoyed the wine selection at the Platinum Lounge and would recommend anyone who is flying out of Terminal 2A spend their time at that lounge.

After my visit to the Platinum Lounge, I made the 2 minute walk over to Gate A5 and boarded the Lufthansa A320-200 that would take us to Munich. Stay tuned for the reviews of that flight and my Lufthansa A321-200 Economy Flight from Munich to Zagreb followed by the Starkbierfest experience!