Review: Cluj-Napoca Airport (CLJ) Business Lounge
This review details my visit to the only business lounge at Cluj-Napoca Airport (CLJ), Romania.
Cluj-Napoca Airport
After a great visit to the beautiful Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, or simply Cluj as everyone calls it, and a fun day trip to the Turda Salt Mine and Turda Gorge, it was time to continue my journey.
From the city centre, I took the bus to Cluj-Napoca Airport, a journey of about 20 minutes to the east.
Cluj-Napoca’s airport (IATA code: CLJ) is rather small and has all the characteristics of a typical European low-cost airport, resembling more of a DIY store or an industrial warehouse than a welcoming airport terminal.
Although fairly modern and recently renovated, Cluj-Napoca Airport remains a distinctly bare-bones facility.
The airport is dominated by low-cost airline Wizz Air, with Ryanair also operating a number of flights from Cluj, along with charter airlines bringing Romanian holidaymakers to the Mediterranean during the summer months.
For many years, the only legacy carriers flying from Cluj were the domestic TAROM flights to Bucharest and international Lufthansa flights to Munich, although in recent years, LOT Polish Airlines, Swiss, and Turkish Airlines have also launched services to the unofficial capital of Transylvania.
Having lived in Cluj before and still having many friends there, I often fly in and out of the city on low-cost airlines like Wizz, although this was my first time departing the airport on a full-service airline, flying with Turkish Airlines to Istanbul.
Check-in
When I arrived at the airport, the check-in staff and the Turkish Airlines station manager were just setting up the check-in desks.
I had a brief chat with the station manager, who told me that today’s flight to Istanbul was fully booked in economy class.
As business class was also fully booked, this sadly meant no chance for an operational upgrade from economy class to business, and that some people would probably be bumped from the flight altogether.
I was second in line at the priority check-in desk, and within minutes, a friendly agent checked me in and handed me a lounge invitation courtesy of my Star Alliance Gold status.
As there is no fast-track security at Cluj-Napoca Airport, it took about 20 to 25 minutes of queuing to get through security control.
Once airside, I walked up the stairs to the second floor, where the only business lounge of Cluj-Napoca Airport is located.
Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge entry requirements
The business lounge at Cluj-Napoca Airport is a third-party lounge, so whether or not you get complimentary entry depends on whether the airline you’re flying with has signed an agreement with the lounge (not all airlines have).
Secondly, you must have a business class ticket or a high enough frequent flyer status when flying economy class, and for my Turkish Airlines flight this meant having Star Alliance Gold status, which is how I gained access.
The Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge can also be accessed with a lounge membership card, such as Priority Pass or DragonPass.
Many VISA credit cards issued by Romanian banks can also grant access to the lounge, which turned out to be problematic in terms of crowding, as I would later discover.
The Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge: An overcrowded mess
When I set foot in the Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge, the crowds were still fairly light, but just minutes after I entered, dozens more passengers began to arrive, turning the lounge into an overcrowded mess.
This business lounge review has therefore far fewer pictures than you might be used to in my other reviews, as I was either unable to get a clear shot due to the crowds or would have intruded on the privacy of other passengers too much.
Although around 20 lounge guests were on the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, it seemed that the majority were on low-cost flights and had gained access through their credit cards, judging by the boarding announcements over the airport speakers and by observing who stood up to leave the lounge for the departure gate.
As many experienced frequent flyers can attest, business lounge access through various credit cards can turn the lounge experience into a zoo, and the Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge is a perfect example of this.
Inside the Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge
Even when the crowds are light, the Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge is far from a warm and welcoming place to await your flight, with décor and charm more akin to a car dealership office.
The lounge consists of a single room shaped like the letter L, furnished with a few leather sofas, chairs, and a stained red carpet.
With bright lights from the office-style ceiling lamps and only a view over the airport’s check-in hall, the lounge feels quite depressing.
Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge buffet
If you hope the lounge buffet will improve the experience, you’ll be disappointed.
Having visited hundreds of airport lounges, I can confidently say that the business lounge at Cluj-Napoca Airport has one of the worst food buffets I’ve encountered, at least in Europe.
The selection was limited to cookies, nuts, cups of yoghurt, and some milk and cereal, which was about all that was available during my afternoon visit.
The drinks selection is somewhat better, which is probably a good thing, as you would need a fair amount of booze to make a visit to this lounge more bearable.
The lounge offers beer, white and red wine, along with bottles of strong alcohol and liqueurs such as Jägermeister, tequila, vodka, and gin.
You’ll also find a decent selection of soft drinks, juice, and can use the machine to make yourself some coffee or tea.
Waiting for departure
I grabbed a few cookies and a bitter lemon while watching the lounge fill to capacity.
At first, I had a pleasant chat with some American and Asian tourists who had just completed a tour of Romania and were heading home on Turkish Airlines in business class, which made my time in the lounge somewhat more enjoyable.
However, as the lounge filled to capacity and became so overcrowded that people were standing due to the lack of empty seats, I poured myself a glass of the rather cheap, low-quality red wine, drank it, and decided to leave.
It’s not that the rest of Cluj-Napoca Airport is a particularly pleasant place to hang out, as it can also get crowded and there isn’t much beyond a duty-free shop and a café, but I found it calmer and more serene to spend time there instead of in the lounge.
Instead of the high volume of conversations in the lounge, the duty-free shop at least had a great playlist of 1980s songs playing in the background, including “Sign Your Name” by Terence Trent D’Arby and “Embarrassment” by Madness.
As nearly all seats in the terminal were occupied, I simply hung around the duty-free shop and stood by the glass windows overlooking the runway, where I eventually watched my Turkish Airlines Airbus A320 arrive.
I was definitely relieved when boarding finally commenced, allowing me to leave the airport behind.
As much as I love Cluj-Napoca, its airport is certainly not something I share the same affection for.
Conclusion
The business lounge at Cluj-Napoca Airport has the charm of a car dealership office, is overcrowded, serves poor food, and is simply not worth spending time in.
In fact, I think the Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge is one of the lowest-quality lounges I’ve ever visited, and compared to others at European airports, it really falls short.
If the crowds are light, the lounge will no doubt offer a better experience than waiting in the bare-bones terminal, but from what I gathered from other reviews, that is rarely the case.
When flying out of Cluj-Napoca Airport, keep your expectations of the business lounge at an absolute minimum and ensure you’ve had a meal beforehand, as you won’t want to rely on the lounge or airport café for food.
Trip report index
This article is part of the ‘Back to Central Asia: Travels Through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:
1. Review: TAROM Domestic Flight Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca
2. Cluj-Napoca: A Travel Guide to Transylvania’s Vibrant Capital
3. Turda Salt Mine and Gorge: An Easy Cluj-Napoca Day Trip
4. Cheile Turzii: Hiking Through the Impressive Turda Gorge
5. Review: Cluj-Napoca Airport Business Lounge (current chapter)
6. Review: Turkish Airlines Economy Class Cluj-Istanbul-Minsk
7. Minsk, Belarus: Chasing Soviet Ghosts in One of Europe’s Last Dictatorships
8. Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class Minsk-Istanbul-Almaty
9. A Visit to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s Vibrant Economic Capital
** rest of the chapters to follow soon **
