Virgin Atlantic JFK Clubhouse, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
The feeling that half of Manhattan has joined you at your gate at
JFK is over. This March,
Virgin Atlantic
premiered its new Clubhouse with an Austin Powers-meets-uptown mod
cocktail lounge at its heart, complete with a red leather sofa and
purple lighting.
But it’s the Clubhouse Spa, featuring Dr. Hauschka products and
treatments, that really makes the JFK Clubhouse a standout layover
option.
In the end, just like the $17 million flagship at
Heathrow airport, this lounge offers everything you need (
massages, facials, foot treatments), everything you didn’t know you needed (
a Bumble and Bumble salon) and several things that you don’t really need at all but are certainly nice to have (
anyone for a game of pool?).
Beyond TSA checkpoint in A Concourse, above boarding gates A4 and A5; virgin-atlantic.com.
British Airways Concorde Room, Heathrow Airport
The decidedly unfashionable herringbone print, velvets and crystal chandeliers of the
Concorde Room at
Heathrow recall a well-to-do British gentleman’s study in all its relaxed, un-modern glory.
Quite simply, this is a retreat — albeit one with full waiter
service, complimentary wines and Champagne and private, hotel-style
cabanas with day beds and en-suite bathrooms. If retreating isn’t your
habit, book a theater ticket with the concierge, then head to the
terrace for a drink from the fabulous
Concorde Bar and views of the runway.
Terminal 5; britishairways.com.
Etihad’s Diamond First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi International Airport
To enter
Etihad’s first-class lounge is a dangerous game of
choose-your-own-indulgence.
Leave the kids at the door. Staff nannies keep little ones busy in the
kids’ retreat among colorful beanbags and toys; parents head to the Six
Senses Spa for a complimentary treatment.
Then the real decision-making begins. Will it be the Champagne bar
for the finest wines and bubbly or the cigar lounge? À la carte dining
in a fine-dining atmosphere or dinner at the chef’s table? Just don’t
forget the kids.
Terminal 3; etihadairways.com.
Finnair Lounge, Helsinki Airport
From felt walls that swallow outside noise to Marimekko tableware to
the wireless, mobile phone-charging system PowerKiss (wireless!), the
simplicity and thoughtfulness of the
Finnair Lounge
make it exceptional. A buffet is always on, and in addition to the
views, the elegant Finnish and Nordic furniture designs provide their
own easy pleasure.
For those on the way to Asia, the midnight buffet is particularly elaborate.
Travelers in need of a spa will need to have patience — the Finnair
Spa (complete with traditional Finnish saunas) will reopen this winter,
but in the meantime there are showers at the lounge.
Terminal T2 between Gates 36 and 37; finnair.com.
Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal offers its
own passport control and security checkpoints, so travelers get
personal attention all the way until they walk down the gangplank to the
airplane.
(Behind security in Departure Area B, there is also a smaller but no less elegant first class lounge for non-Schengen flights.)
Creatively done lighting radiates from behind a black glass wall and
from the tops of marble partitions in the restaurant. Everything, from
the size of the tables to the marble and oak bar to the monsoon
showerheads, is presented generously and thoughtfully.
Next to Terminal 1; lufthansa.com.
The Pier, Hong Kong International Airport
The seasoned traveler will be forgiven for any long-standing
preconceptions about eating (or, sadly, not eating) in airports.
Thankfully,
not far from Gate 62 at
Hong Kong International Airport, those expectations will be overturned.
At
The Pier — Cathay Pacific’s
glass-enclosed first- and business-class break area — you’ll find
freshly made Japanese noodles at the Noodle Bar and proper fine dining
and modern decor at the first-class Haven restaurant. (There are also
two more fully stocked café/bars.)
In addition to the business centers, the WiFi, the leather armchairs
and the pebbled showers, a glass of Champagne also goes a long way to
ease travel stress.
Gates 62-66, Northwest Concourse; cathaypacific.com.
Qantas First Lounge, Sydney Airport
Modernity, with polished surfaces, clear glass and stainless steel,
is the norm of airport luxury today, give or take a Dutch modern
knock-off table or two and a leather armchair. Which is why we’re
thrilled with the 98-foot, 8,400-plant vertical garden that greets
passengers at the
Qantas First Lounge at Sydney Airport.
It leaves the air in the atrium feeling cleaner and lighter. Better
yet, part of the garden is incorporated into each of the Payot Paris day
spa treatment rooms, so you can forget, for the moment, that you’re in
transit.
The upper floor of the lounge, designed by
Marc Newson and
replete with recliners and sofas (in addition to those leather
armchairs), also includes an open kitchen restaurant serving food by
Australian chef Neil Perry.
International Terminal; qantas.com.au.
Qatar Airways Premium Terminal, Doha International Airport
Doha airport knows how to do things on a massive scale better than anyone, which is why
Qatar Airways worked with it to create this first- and business-class terminal cum mall cum hotel.
It includes a handful of worthwhile airport elements (duty-free, fine
boutiques) and complements them with the fundamentals of a fine lounge (
a
full-service Elemis spa, including Jacuzzi and sauna; several
restaurants, cafés and bars; private meeting rooms and business
centers).
Hotel-style bedroom suites and child entertainment round out the offerings, and the result is truly over the top.
Near main Departures building; qatarairways.com.
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounges, Singapore Changi International Airport
At
Singapore Changi International, as
throngs of travelers roll handcarts piled high with suitcases to
overflowing check-in lines, Passenger Relations Officers greet
first-class passengers of
Singapore Airlines curbside, taking their bags, guiding them to an armchair in the first-class check-in lounge and checking them in personally.
Next it’s off to the first-class
SilverKris Lounges, where, depending on their mood, guests can choose from
meeting rooms, café/bars or 13 Italian-leather slumberettes. Don’t worry — the staff will wake you before your flight.
Terminal 2 on Level 3 (North Wing); Terminal 3 on Level 3; singaporeair.com.
Swiss Lounge, EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg
Guests of the
Swiss Lounge can sun
themselves under an enormous glass dome, surrounded by bright, simple
materials — like chrome and wood — rather than some of the richer,
upholstered surfaces found in other first class lounges.
The architecture is open, the greenery is plentiful and the staff at the welcome desk is attentive.
Expect warm and cold buffets, leather recliners facing the panoramic
windows, a proper European bar and a Japanese bridge in an atrium
surrounded by palm trees. Somehow, it all works together impeccably —
Priority Pass just voted it the best airport lounge of 2012.
Y Terminal on the Departures Level; swiss.com.
