Tomorrow marks the launch of oneworld’s second branded lounge, and the first in Europe, following quickly after the premier lounge launch in Seoul. The lounge is situated in the footprint of the older British Airways lounge, situated next to a brand new Aspire lounge which will open shortly too.
In an emerging trend of managed lounges, oneworld is no different; the entire complex will be managed by Aspire, the lounge subsidiary of global aviation ground services provider Swissport at a time when the alliance’s celebrates its landmark 25th anniversary year.
Located in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s non-Schengen departure area, the luxury 473 square-metre lounge offers “a wide choice of stylish seating in a spacious, bright, contemporary setting where customers can relax, refuel and re-energise before their flight,” as stated by the group’s press release.
What is clear is that oneworld’s new lounge design includes a subtle nod to Dutch design with tailor-made lighting pieces inspired by the spherical lights on many of the city’s iconic arched canal bridges, which is also reflected in the shape of the entrance to the lounge itself.
On entering you might be impressed by the huge floor to ceiling picture windows that flank one side of the space, giving some of the most impressive apron views available in the whole of Schiphol. But there are a sea of smaller details which will avail themselves to frequent travellers over time. For example, the city’s birds were also a source of playful inspiration for designers with individual bird silhouettes perching over the lounge bar, with one even seen to be blowing bubble gum.
Jochem Straatman, D/DOCK Art Director who created the visual look and feel for the lounge waxes lyrical about the space, “The Amsterdam lounge is a futuristic, vibrant setting that blends open spaces to encourage relaxation, especially as the Dutch skies are omnipresent through the immense windows, which are a fantastic feature of this lounge. With a Travel Bright twist, guests can also experience a mesmerising luminous horizon, theatrically revealed by lifted curtains.” (Read – small nook for a few seats with curtain half way up the wall)
“We have delivered a contemporary, premium lounge experience with typologies, fittings and furnishings that pay homage to life in the Netherlands. The lounge experience makes travel simple, relaxing and enjoyable. While this and the Incheon lounge have their own distinct identity, both share the same unique oneworld look and feel, creating a sense of familiarity across our lounges.”
We have to say that this lounge is certainly playful. It’s brazen in the face of serious lounges, with barely a straight line to be seen. There’s a fun, playful, virtual ‘soft play’ approach to the lounge aesthetic which challenges a more refined luxury palette, but it does raise the question – why not? Why do we have to be so serious all the time?… after all, all work and no play makes Jonny a very full boy.
So with that in mind, why not have an adult-friendly soft-play zone that allows us to get comfy and enjoy the sparkle and magic of travel once again, that makes us all feel like a kid at heart.
There aren’t a lot of clear areas to the lounge, so what you see is what you get here. It’s a fairly small but perfectly formed space. To the right after entering there is a buffet area which allows for a range of cold and hot options, as well as self-serve wines, but the star of the lounge, centred right at the entrance is the horseshoe bar which features a bar tender making signature cocktails and champagne. To the left of the bar there is a range of seating areas separated into three clear zones albeit the main zones close to the bar are the more conventional options.
Considering the constraints this is a good lounge option, and competes with KLM when it comes to design flourishes, but it’s certainly not a game changer for oneworld’s position at Amsterdam. What will be interesting to see is what happens when the group is given a larger lounge with a bigger opportunity to shine, with more clearly defined spaces and use cases.
What i do find interesting is to see oneworld opt for a ‘oneworld lounge’ rather than a British Airways lounge considering there are more than 110 flights a week with the carrier from the total 200 weekly flights operated by oneworld carriers in to Schiphol, which would have been a more conventional approach to line lounges sharing
