After three months of renovation, the new British Airways Linate lounge has opened its doors to British Airways and Oneworld passengers. While the lounge features a new look reception where customers will receive a warm welcome, it doesn’t reflect the ultra-modernist design of the newer lounges in Rome, Aberdeen or JFK.
Instead paisley designs, more warmer tones and traditional seat architecture fills the space, catering to the up-to-13 flights a day to London’s City and Heathrow airports. The space is certainly brighter, and the lounge features enhanced dining options including the introduction of hot dishes in the refurbished dining area. Of course there’s a fully stocked bar too.
Brand new British-made Boss armchairs, specifically designed for British Airways, are complemented by relaxing, decorative lighting by UK based Tyson lighting. Adapting the lounge design to the location, high quality Italian finishes are used, including terrazzo stone flooring and Carrara marble.
It’s a shame not to see this lounge feature the new design aesthetic found in the carrier’s other lounges, as it now means the airline is perhaps taking a two-tier approach to their lounges, with newer lounges taking on the new design aesthetic, while other lounges (such as Linate) are opting for a lighter refresh.
Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “We know the difference our lounges make to our customers, be they travelling on business or for pleasure, so we have ensured that the upgraded lounge in Linate is a calm, comfortable and attractive space where they can make use of the wi-fi and enjoy complementary catering to get their journey off to the best start.”
Obviously the design is an improvement, but it raises an eyebrow as we look to see how the airline is opting to renovate other lounges in the near future (including South Africa and Geneva).
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