Ok Food but Lots of Quiet: A Review of the Priority Pass Primeclass Lounge at Zagreb Airport

The Primeclass Lounge ZAG was a nice place to spend some time before my flights! Photo by: Evan Berman

As I flew out of Zagreb on 3 occasions, twice internationally and once on a domestic flight to Split, I became very familiar with the Zagreb Airport during my Eastern European trip. The only lounge in ZAG is the Primeclass Lounge. Primeclass is a lounge operator with 80 lounges in 19 countries. Other Primeclass Lounges that I have visited include those in Skopje, North Macedonia (SKP), New York-JFK Terminal 1, and Muscat, Oman (MCT). Overall, the experience was solid, nothing spectacular but pretty good for a 3rd party lounge.

The review of this lounge 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

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

24 Hours in Munich

Starkbierfest Munich

Hotel: H+ Munchen (Wyndham)

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge MUC

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

Hotel Vestibul Split, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Hyatt Partner)

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

Primeclass Lounge ZAG (This Article)

6 Hours in Zagreb: Wine Tasting and Learning about Croatian Outlook

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 ZAG-BEG, 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, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Hyatt Partner)

Sala Montale and Emirates Lounge MXP

Flight: Emirates First Class A380-800 MXP-JFK

Conclusion

Introduction:

I visited the Primeclass Lounge on two separate occasions during my travels in Eastern Europe. Both times were at night and I was one of the only people in the lounge each time! There may have been 10 total people that were in the lounge during my time there, a far cry from your typical SkyClub or Centurion Lounge experience.

After clearing customs, I turned right and headed towards the lounge.

Below is a map of ZAG:

The map of ZAG, the lounge is the light blue area to the upper right. Source: Zagreb Airport

Location:

The entrance to the Primeclass Lounge ZAG. Apparently someone thought I shouldn’t be allowed in! 😉 Photo by: Evan Berman

The Primeclass Lounge is located across from Gate 23. ZAG is a small airport, particularly for a hub, and there are only 19 gates on the international side. Gate 23 is on the far side of the international gates (16-34).

The lounge is open from 6am-11pm every day.

Access:

The sign highlighting the many ways to enter this lounge. Basically, any premium cabin or airline status holder as well as those with Priority Pass or similar can get in. Photo by: Evan Berman

As is typical of my international flights that are not in a Premium Cabin, I utilized Priority Pass to get into the Primeclass Lounge. One of the following is required to gain access to this lounge:

  • Business Class on many airlines in all 3 alliances (ex. Lufthansa, Turkish, Croatian, or Swiss from Star Alliance, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, or Qatar from oneworld, and AirFrance or KLM from SkyTeam as well as unaffiliated airlines such as FlyDubai or Air Serbia)
  • Star Alliance Gold Status, oneworld Sapphire or Emerald Status, or SkyTeam Elite Plus Status when flying with an airline from the appropriate alliance
  • Priority Pass with an eligible international flight

Food and Drinks:

The ok sandwiches. I was impressed by the handwriting! Photo by: Evan Berman
The non-alcoholic drinks, fruit, and sweets. Photo by: Evan Berman
A close up of one of the wines that I enjoyed during my time in the lounge. Photo by: Evan Berman

The food was not terribly good here. The desserts were excellent, but the sandwiches were mediocre at best (and I tried several different options, given that I visited two days in a row!). The drinks were definitely better. I enjoyed pouring my own beer from a tap and the Croatian wines were solid. THe liquor selection was quite poor, however.

Here were my selections:

Day 1’s “dinner.” I loved the assorted desserts! Photo by: Evan Berman
Day 2’s dinner. I went with a caprese salad (strangely served in a plastic cup?) to supplement the non-gourmet sandwiches. Photo by: Evan Berman

Wi-Fi:

While I did not measure the speed of the wifi, it was quite fast and I was able to track my late inbound flight without any issues.

Bathrooms:

The sink and urinal in the bathroom. The marble created an elevated feel in the bathroom. Photo by: Evan Berman
The individual toilet. While there were few others in the lounge at the same time as me, I was impressed by how clean it was kept! Photo by: Evan Berman

The bathrooms are located to the back of the lounge. There is a nice entry with some fake flowers to create a zen-type environment before splitting into the men’s and women’s sides.

Amenities:

This lounge had few amenities. There is a printer and a meeting room (though it was so quiet at night, the whole lounge could have been used as a meeting room!), as well as a massage chair (shown above), but nothing else. Possibly the best amenity was the tranquility that came from having the lounge essentially to myself!

Recap:

Time to board! The lack of flights explains why it was so empty in the lounge. Photo by: Evan Berman

While it will not win any awards for best lounge, the Primeclass Lounge ZAG is a perfectly nice place to spend your time. The small sandwiches are the only real food outside of dessert so don’t come too hungry! That said, the alcohol selection is decent and there is plenty of room at night with few departures. I enjoyed my time in the lounge on both occasions! Next up: my brief time in Zagreb.