It was time to head back to the U.S. again, and I chose to fly Lufthansa back to America via a connection in Europe despite the longer routing. My departure point was Terminal 3 at Shenyang Taoxian Airport (SHE). Since Taoxian has relatively few international departures, this red-eye flight was the only international flight departing from the international terminal after 9 PM. This lounge is operated by the airport and serves as a contract lounge for many airlines. It is also a Priority Pass lounge, so entry is free with a Priority Pass membership that comes from certain credit cards, such as the Citi Prestige and AMEX Platinum.
Interestingly, the carpet at the entrance says “First Class and Business Class Lounge.”
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Who can access this lounge?
In the elevator leading up to the lounge, there was a sign packed with all kinds of entry rules.
- Priority Pass members, including Priority Pass Select memberships from credit cards
- DragonPass: cardholders
- Taoxian Airport’s U Yuei Premium Service, sold for 100 RMB
- First class and business class passengers, as well as elite members, flying Lufthansa (LH), ANA (NH), Asiana Airlines (OZ), Air Macau (NX), UNI Air (B7), Mandarin Airlines (AE), and Sichuan Airlines (3U)
How to get to the lounge
Since I was on the last flight of the night, there was only one immigration counter and one security lane open, but there was no line at all. After clearing both, I found the elevator nearby and took it up to the second floor.
Then I just followed the signs on the floor, turned one corner, and arrived.
After I entered, probably because it was so late, nobody was at the front desk. I called out, and someone eventually came over, ran my PPS card through the old-style imprinter, and let me in. The lounge stays open until the last departing flight leaves.
Seating
At night, this not-very-large lounge was nearly empty. There were only two people inside, who looked to me like Germans. This photo looks to the right; on that side there are several partitioned rooms with computers and a printer. When I entered, one person in there was making a Skype call.
Looking to the left, this is what you see:
That is basically the entire lounge. The sofas were actually quite comfortable. The only real downside was the lack of power outlets near the seats. To charge my laptop, I had to sit on a sofa by the wall and stretch my power cord to a wall outlet. Hopefully they improve the power situation in the future.
Drinks and food
The food selection in this lounge was pretty underwhelming: Master Kong instant noodles, Lay’s potato chips, fruit, and some pastries that had already gone cold. Even more amusing, there was a sign next to the bags of chips that said “Ordering Area.” I think “buffet” would have been a more fitting, if slightly over-the-top, label.
Of course, there was also a coffee machine. Next to it was a hot water dispenser for making the noodles.
In addition, there were two large refrigerated cases along the wall stocked with plenty of drinks, so the beverage selection was actually quite strong.
Since I got to the airport fairly early and my flight was later delayed by another hour, I ended up guiltily polishing off two bottles of Minute Maid Pulpy Orange in different flavors and one bottle of iced tea in the lounge.
Final thoughts
Because this lounge is so small, that wraps up the review pretty quickly. The Shenyang Taoxian Airport T3 First Class Lounge is not large, but the seats are comfortable and the drink selection is good. The food, however, is quite limited, and instant noodles are basically the only thing substantial enough to fill you up. If you cannot stand instant noodles, you may be out of luck. Charging devices in the lounge is not very convenient, especially during the day when it gets busier. One positive, though, is that the lounge remains open until the last flight departs, so you do not need to worry about it closing early. Have you been to Taoxian Airport? Share your thoughts in the comments!