Scandinavian airline SAS will open new mini-lounges near its main departure gates at selected airports this year.
Dubbed Café Lounges, these are similar to Airberlin's Exclusive Waiting Area concept – a convenient space where business travellers and frequent flyers can relax or catch up on last-minute work within a minute's walk of their boarding gate.
The small footprint lounge model also has elements of Air New Zealand's Koru Express regional airport lounges.
Stocked with coffee, tea, pastries and WiFi, the Café Lounges will be open to Diamond and Gold members of the SAS Euro Bonus loyalty scheme and the airline's Plus class passengers, along with Gold-grade frequent flyers from Star Alliance partner airlines.
"Our most frequent flyers appreciate time saving services such as Fast Track, which is why we are now offering an additional service designed especially for them"
"Fast flows are important on our domestic market and customers can work effectively in our Café Lounges located close to the gate," says Eivind Roald, Executive Vice President Commercial at SAS.
SAS will open the first Café Lounge at Norway's Trondheim and Tromsø Airports in April and May, respectively.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Oct 2013
Total posts 702
Will they also accept *A Gold?
NZ Elite
03 Jul 2014
Total posts 109
"will be open to Diamond and Gold members of the SAS Euro Bonus loyalty scheme and the airline's Plus class passengers, along with Gold-grade frequent flyers from Star Alliance partner airlines"
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Oct 2013
Total posts 702
But I am assuming no guests and it has to be the *A G card registered in your boarding pass
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2204
This sounds like a good idea, but in Australia I would argue that the domestic terminals are already quite compact and once boarding is called from the lounge, the walk is a short one, so the concept is not really needed.
Nevertheless, one could argue convincingly that such an 'express lounge' might be useful as a final pitstop for, say, Qantas the extreme end of its piers in MEL T1 (i.e. Gates 7-12 and say one at the corner of Gates 24 and 26).
Indeed, given their lounge is right next to security in SYD T2, VA flyers might find one helpful about halfway down the pier, say around Gates 35-37.
In an Australian application I would hazard the most important make-or-break would be the provision of a barista service.
One can also hope that under such a scheme, a benefit of the Silver tier might be access to such waiting rooms!
12 Jun 2013
Total posts 735
I assume it's less about minimising walking and more about having some sort of lounge at regional airports which are too small for a proper one. Trondheim and Tromso both seem to be fairly small cities (170k and 70k people) which presumably couldn't support a full-size lounge.
You wouldn't put it five minutes from the main lounge at SYD or MEL, you'd put it at... I dunno, Albury or Gladstone or Broken Hill.
Lufthansa - Miles & More
29 Jul 2014
Total posts 182
God let it be better than the busniess class gate lounges lufthansa uses on the a380.
Qantas
22 Oct 2012
Total posts 319
Trondheim and Tromsø airports are small regional airports, probably similar in size and usage to Newcastle and Tamworth airports. These places don't justify a full-service lounge, and any facility that SAS provides in these two small airports would necessarily be very close to the gates. Nothing to get excited about.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3012
Are we really ever too excited by Star Alliance developments? ;)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jul 2014
Total posts 142
Great idea, this would be really good in T2 at Sydney for QFF who are catching Jetstar flights. Whilst I prefer to catch most of my flights out of Sydney via T3 sometimes I need to book a flight on Jetstar because it's a market not serviced by Qantas. This would be a nice low cost alternative.
Lufthansa - Miles & More
29 Jul 2014
Total posts 182
It would be nice science I flew jetstar. While back and the busniess product is good for the flight. If you have top tier qatar would that qualify ?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2204
No, I think not; I'd hazard that Jetstar would only recognise QF and maaaaaybe EK status.
But Jetstar makes me want to bring my own coffee and biscuits.
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