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British Airways has opened a brand new lounge facility for passengers traveling through Rome Fiumicino airport. The new lounge is part of a broader lounge revamp program that the airline is undertaking as part of its often mentioned £4.5bn ($6.3bn) investment into aircraft, cabins and the passenger experience.
The new lounge is almost 5,000 square feet in area (460 square meters) and has been designed to hold up to 140 travelers.
British Airways says that the new facility has been divided up into zones “that create separate spaces for customers to work or relax in ahead of their flight” (if there’s a dedicated space where people don’t hold FaceTime calls or watch videos without headphones I’ll be delighted!)
At the very heart of the lounge is a granite topped bar with stool seating.
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
During busier times the bar will be staffed by a “mixologist” while during off-peak times the bar will be a self-serve facility.
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
The lounge has been equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise the amount of light that enters the space as well as giving passengers panoramic views of the airport apron and runway.
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
The windows have been fitted with “smart blinds” that have in-built sensors that react to light and heat throughout the day. The blinds will deploy or retract as needed in order to maintain a steady and comfortable environment.
Here’s what else BA has had to say about its new lounge:
The lounge will feature marble tables, textured wall décor and artwork from the airline’s collection, the majority of which is by English artist Patrick Caulfield and includes a number of pieces from his series of 22 screen prints from 1973 titled “Some Poems of Jules Laforgue”.
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
Customers will also have access to power and USB points throughout the lounge to re-charge their personal electronic devices, as well as wireless printing.
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
There’s no mention of any dining options in the information British Airways has sent through (presumably there will be some) but the images provided show an area with 2-person tables and a sit-up bar:
British Airways Lounge Rome – Image British Airways
I’ll update this post as and when BA mentions what kind of food guests can expect.
Thoughts
British Airways plans to redesign/refurbish a number of lounges in this style so this is the first time we’re getting to see what the airline plans for other locations (next up is the lounge at JFK Terminal 7)
Based on the limited information BA has provided things look promising and I’m especially pleased to see that the airline has made an effort to ensure as much natural light as possible gets into the lounge.
As someone who spends a disproportionate amount his time in airport lounges I know how much nicer it is to sit in a bright and airy lounge rather than a dark lounge with no natural light.
The decor looks nice enough and the chairs look as if they’ll be comfortable but it’s frustrating to note that BA still can’t help itself when it comes to its decision making.
The airline should either employ full-time bar staff or no bar staff at all so that guests have the same service whatever time of day they’re visiting. A consistent offering is what a lot of people look for on their travels and most passengers won’t know that the bar is only staffed for part of the day.
If a passenger sees a “mixologist” on their first visit they’ll expect to see one the next time they’re visiting too and, if their second visit is at a less busy time, that mixologist won’t be there – what’s the guest to think?
They may well think the lounge is being run poorly or that BA has suddenly cut costs again and it will just look bad – there’s no reason to risk that.
BA should make the lounge look nice, provide decent drinks and food, save on a mixologist’s salary and everyone will be happy – it’s really not that difficult.
