As travelers have become more discerning, so too have airport spaces. Airlines have been upgrading their terminal F&B options for several years, and now brands are revamping their premium class lounges and dining experiences to not only be more stylish but to also respond to the complex needs and expectations of their customers. American Airlines, for example, has pledged $3 billion worth of enhancements to its travel experience, including introducing flagship dining venues and lounges at select gateway hubs by early 2017—complete with healthier menus featuring locally sourced food. And American Express is in the process of opening Centurion lounges in airports around the U.S., which provide dining, workspace, and entertainment to Platinum Card-carrying members.
It’s not only U.S.-based companies getting in on the trend. Turkish Airlines’ CIP lounge at Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, designed by locally based Autoban, draws upon the arched arcades found in traditional Ottoman architecture, forming a second skin under the terminal roof; London’s Studioilse crafted the Pier, Cathay Pacific’s residentially inspired first class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport with warm materials such as onyx, limestone, walnut, and bronze; and for Qatar Airways’ massive business class lounge at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, Italian designer Antonio Citterio added a spiral stair anchored by a four-tier Murano chandelier that takes passengers to a mezzanine level entirely devoted to dining.
At that’s just the beginning. Here’s a more in-depth look at a few airline lounges that are redefining the look and feel of premium travel.
Swissair
Zürich-based Greutmann Bolzern Designstudio had already worked with Swissair on a first-class check-in counter at Zürich Airport in 2006, so had an edge when it won a competition to design the airline’s premium lounges at the same airport. The 37,675-square-foot lounge is divided into three class areas characterized by an open-flow layout.
“We created the [look] based on the corporate identity elements of Swissair,” explains designer Dominique Greutmann, including dark oak floors, a branded wall near the entrance, and a white limestone reception desk. Sweeping views of the runways—and the Swiss Alps beyond—are visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows that mark the façade of the top floor of Terminal E, where the lounge is located.
Highlights include the Boulevard lounge, which is delineated by a wall relief of tapered golden oak blocks that contains storage areas for magazines; closer inspection reveals it is a topographic map of Switzerland’s lakes and mountains. Another standout is the Whisky Club 28/10, located in the Senator lounge, offering 120 different types of whiskeys and a “wall including the theme of the design of the runway. Sitting there you can enjoy an unobstructed view,” Greutmann adds. An outdoor terrace, which runs the length of the lounge, features simple red benches, while first class travelers can enjoy conference tables, a fine dining space, private bedrooms, and a humidor with space for more than 1,000 bottles of wine.
Air New Zealand
After completing the Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 2013, Gensler was asked by Air New Zealand to submit ideas for a new prototype that could translate across multiple locations. David Loyola, a principal and design director at the firm’s Newport Beach office, says his team’s concept reflected the brand, which aims to create havens for travelers who live on the “edge of the world,” he says. Since, Gensler has completed Air New Zealand lounges at airports in Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland (the brand’s flagship), and Invercargill, New Zealand.
Occupying a new space with expansive views over the runways, the 21,500-square-foot Auckland lounge features 24 different styles of seating. Loyola tackled the challenge of designating different activities in the vast space by incorporating custom banquettes, translucent glass walls, and screens made out of long strings to divide areas.
The airport’s old observation deck is now an indoor-outdoor terrace with a retractable roof that allows guests to enjoy fresh air in good weather, along with a gas fireplace, and a living wall made from 10 types of New Zealand flora. A central bar boasts a digital ceiling that simulates a skylight, showing timelapse videos of moving clouds and arriving planes, while a café incorporates “food theater,” with an open kitchen situated at the end of four rows of communal seating.
Etihad Airways
Gensler’s New York office had to fulfill a bold directive from Etihad Airways for its new lounge at JFK International Airport in New York: “Create the world’s most remarkable lounge,” says senior associate Matt Johnson. The space, which is roughly 7,300 square feet and located in the former Wingtips Lounge in Terminal 4, services first and business class travelers, as well as clients of the residence class, a three-room private compartment featured on the brand’s new Airbus A380.
Johnson turned to Etihad’s headquarters for inspiration. “I asked myself, ‘What does it mean to be from Abu Dhabi, and how can I bring that to the world?’” he says. The resulting design incorporates traditional Islamic patterns and a color palette that reflects the desert, as well as the shape of a sand dune shifting over time.
A chandelier in the reception area imitates the lighting at the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi—during the day, it emits a natural blue light, and at night shifts to warmer hues. Beyond is the bar, with a backlit surround that imitates what Arabic fishermen see when they gaze up at the stars.
Other highlights include private prayer and ablution rooms, private restrooms with showers, and a series of open seating environments. All of the furniture is bespoke, including adjustable swivel chairs paired with tiered tables that allow guests to work, eat, and charge their devices at the same time.
Clients of the residence class are given their own private 500-square-foot apartment accessible through a blind door. Incorporating design elements from the aircraft itself, the residence lounge features a cut pile carpet, leather sofas, and a chandelier constructed from interlocking pyramids.
LATAM Airlines
Designer Olivia Putman, heir to her mother’s Paris-based firm Studio Putman, wanted to work on a project in South America ever since her close friend, Brazilian painter Julio Villani, first described his homeland to her. She got the chance when she won a competition to design the prototype for LATAM Airlines’ new premium lounges. Since, she has completed lounges for LATAM at international airports in Bogotá, São Paulo, and Santiago.
The 23,000-square-foot, two-story Santiago offering—“a unique and precious environment where the guest can work, be entertained, or just get some rest,” Putman says—is complete with relaxation spaces, private bathrooms, a bedroom, entertainment zone, a 1,500-square-foot kitchen with a buffet, and a bar. Collaborating with Chilean architects Mathias Klotz and Lillian Allen, Putman used natural materials including marble, onyx, leather, copper, and local woods, and incorporated objects and furniture by Chilean craftsman to reflect the region’s culture. A locally made 750-foot-tall copper screen, for instance, hangs down along the staircase, hugging its shape, in the lounge’s central atrium.
Virgin Atlantic
After designing the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK, James and Hayes Slade of New York-based Slade Architecture were commissioned to create another lounge at LAX that was expressive of Southern California. The resulting 4,000-square-foot space, which accommodates up to 90 passengers, features panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills, and evokes, according to James, “LA’s warm sunsets, flowing surf, laidback lifestyle, mountain backdrops, smooth curves, and sculpted surfaces.”
What was initially a design challenge—a very narrow space—became an opportunity to divide the lounge into two distinct triangles: one with opaque walls facing the terminal, the other with glass walls overlooking the runways. A sinuous “flow wall” constructed from copper and Corian cuts across the space diagonally, delineating areas including a bar, dining room, lounge, and bathrooms.
A membrane ceiling with two skylights unites the whole space. Custom designed banquettes and couches, as well as modern Danish chairs complement the sculptural, organic forms of the flow wall. The dining area features a copper-lined bar, while a surfboard-inspired counter by a wall of windows is matched with Eames chairs to pay homage to California design. A more intimate area is coated with bamboo walls and ceilings, and features leather banquettes and a video installation inspired by the landscape.
Jet Linx
Even private jet companies are in on the action. Based out of Omaha, Nebraska, Jet Linx focuses on establishing local hubs for its elite client base, and its newest location will be located at Washington Dulles International Airport’s jet terminal. Alexandria, Virginia-based MAD Hospitality Studio was brought on to design the small 400-square-foot waiting lounge with three separate sections: a TV seating area, F&B space, and customer service zone.
“The client wanted to approach this project in the same way a hotel owner would approach a hotel lobby or concierge lounge,” says Michelle Acevedo, MAD’s principal and owner, who took cues from the Eero Saarinen-designed main terminal, melding clean lines with Jet Age elements that defined the midcentury modern movement. “Combining dark wood finishes with light walls and fabrics helps to open up the small space,” she adds, while LED lighting is a reference to classic bubble fixtures.
A wave metal ceiling will be a focal point as guests enter the lounge, while a communal table offers a place for dining and working, and gouged MDF wood panels on an accent wall create a textured backdrop for custom artwork. “By shifting the approach from just an airport waiting area to a hospitality lounge, we created an experience where customers are welcome to sit and enjoy the space rather than just pass through,” Acevedo says.
