Airport Lounges
November 27th, 2005 at 9:06 pm by David FarrarAt some stage I must do an extended post on various aiport lounges from good to bad.
In terms of food and drink the Air NZ domestic lounges are actually amongst best in the world (that I have been to). In fact quite a lot better than their international lounges. If only they had wireless Internet!
But I have found a new high in the Japan Airlines lounge in Tokyo. They have a relaxation room where the provide free massages!! Great idea.
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November 27th, 2005 at 9:15 pm
I’m suprised you were willing to leave.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 1:09 am
Hmm. I heard that the Frankfurt airport has an on-site brothel.
That’s sort of a ‘massage’…but I don’t think it’s free.
Wonder if the airlines have ever used the place as incentive during overbooking situations.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 2:16 am
You could start a site like this
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 4:03 am
I think it is widely ackonowledged that the AirNZ lounge in Los Angeles is the very worst lounge in the world. It is actually better to sit outside the lounge than inside. An utter disgrace.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 7:40 am
Ruzz – it was indeed awful. They upgraded it a couple of months ago and it is now quite decent.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 8:40 am
Yes the Air NZ LAX lounge is actually quite good now – the best lounges are the Hong Kong Cathay one, and the Virgin Atlantic Heathrow one – spas at both, with free massages, haircuts, brilliant stuff! almost all European airline lounges in Europe are lousy, BA ones are quite good.
Have to agree with you David, the Air NZ Koru Club ones are pretty good, particularly for domestic travel!
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 9:09 am
Yup. Koru Dmestic are VERY good by interntional standards.
The worst IMHO are the United lounges.
United LAX has no food service and hen I dived outside to grab a salad from burger king the bird on the front desk wouldn’t let me back in!
NZ LAX is pretty good now. Love those mussels they do each evening- usually gorge on those and then pp my sleeping pills just after take off! They have wired internet at both the counter by the food and the deks down the far end. They don’t have wireless but you can usually get the signal from Air Canada next door if you have a good enough antenna.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 9:47 am
I’m sorry I’m with Ruzz here on the Air NZ lounge at LAX. I was only there on Sunday & if this is the upgraded site I would hate to of seen it before. It is cramped (there were 3 flights waiting to go out within a couple of hours) the duty free shop was tiny and expensive & the food VERY overpriced (even compaired to Auckland airport)at over $5us for a Starbucks coffee and over $5 for a Burgerking burger next time I will check in and then catch a taxi to the nearest mall it would be a lot cheaper and a lot more pleasant
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 11:01 am
Hong Kong Airport has a ‘casual’ airport lounge and also pay showers and sleeping rooms for those of us who don’t travel frequently enough to justify Koru memberships.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 11:13 am
NIgel: I’m pretty sure we’re all talking about the NZ Intl Business lounge at LAX.
Vote:I agree entirely about the rest of Terminal 2. It’s an overcrowded shit hole.
November 28th, 2005 at 12:45 pm
For the best lounge in the world has anyone else been in the LH First Class terminal at FRA ? Winston should nip over there for his baubles – it would be worth it.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
Duty free? Coffee? Burgers? Wow – the lounge at LAX has been upgraded. It used to be a small room with a couple dozen chairs, a toilet and a faulty vending machine.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
My vote is that Singapore airport kicks some arse, and Schipol in Amsterdam sucked even worse than Ho Chi Min City airport, where at least you could sit down instead of queuing against 10,000 people trying to get into Europe. Heathrow seemed to be the only place on the planet where NZers were assumed to be trying to immigrate illegally, and the only place I’ve ever been systematically searched and given the shits was right here in little ole NZ. The States takes the cake for being the only time I’ve ever been asked if I was a member of the Nazi party in 1945, when my dad was still just a glimmer in my grandfather’s eye, and entry proceedings in Rome were the shortest I’ve ever seen – we lined up passports in hand, and just walked in single file past a bored looking official.
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 7:26 pm
“Duty free? Coffee? Burgers? Wow – the lounge at LAX has been upgraded. It used to be a small room with a couple dozen chairs, a toilet and a faulty vending machine.”
And, when I was there back in the mid 1990s, hot water pouring from a bust pipe in the ceiling. And nothing on TV but the last day of the OJ Simpson trial. And the plane was delayed six hours.
Ah, happy memories…
Vote:November 28th, 2005 at 7:44 pm
SAS lounge at Heathrow has good food and a dedicated play area for kids, better than their lounges in Oslo and Stockholm.
I agree Schiphol is a joke – and it takes forever to get through security to get to it, better not to bother if your gate isn’t in the same section.
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