3 hours ago
3
John Arlidge
October 23, 2025 — 5:00am
Most airports are the seventh circle of hell. None of us wants to spend a moment more than we have to in a second rate shopping mall, cluttered with crumpled road warriors, breathing air that smells of sweetness and plastic.
Except, that is, if you have one of the golden tickets of aviation: a first or business class boarding pass or top-tier airline status, which guarantees lounge access.
British Airways, the original class-conscious airline, led the way on exclusive lounges with its Concorde Rooms at London’s Heathrow Airport and New York’s JFK.
Since Concorde flights both east and west left in the morning, local time, I recall being greeted by two flunkies at the entrance to the Concorde Room, one with a tray covered with flutes of vintage champagne, the other with a “Desperate Dan” pile of bacon sandwiches.
BA’s lounges have become rather municipal since those glory days but it is unveiling new, and it promises better, lounges starting in Dubai and Miami. I say bring back the Bolly ‘n’ butties.
At Cathay Pacific’s first-class lounge at The Pier in Hong Kong (at Gate 63 since you’re asking) you’ll find free massages and facials at the lounge spa.
This is the sexiest airport lounge in the world, with dark woods, offset with green leather banquettes and marble showers (big enough for two). Pray for a storm to roll in over the South China Sea, so you can stay a little longer.
If it’s modern luxury you want, the Etihad lounges at the brand-new Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi are hard to beat. On a recent visit I entered via a private lobby and a lift took me up to the third floor where I relaxed in a day room with Giorgio Armani Casa furniture, a daybed and private bathroom.
I sipped cocktails in the vast Constellation Bar, with views over the UAE flag carrier’s Airbus A380 superjumbos, before enjoying crab and lobster with Cuvée Billecart-Salmon 2016 champagne in the restaurant.
Some lounges have great local personality. In the Finnair lounge in Helsinki I’ve sweated out the jet lag in a sauna on a layover from Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Dubai International is all about status, and what could be better than being whisked straight to the lounge on the upper level of Terminal 3 where you can look down on everyone else?
Qatar Airways’ lounges at Hamad International in Doha are all about discretion, privacy and hi-tech service. On my way back from Beirut I had dinner in the private dining room and as I was sitting down the maitre d’ tapped my name into his iPad and said: “Last time you were here, you had the Chilean sea bass with steamed vegetables. Would you like the same again?” Don’t mind if I do.
Singapore Airlines offers the ultimate in exclusivity. Yes, there is are business-class and first-class lounges at its Changi hub but, above all of those is the private room for passengers travelling in Suites Class, Singapore’s class above first class.
In Air France’s La Premiere Salon at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, it’s naturellement all about the food. The menu is devised by Alain Ducasse and each course paired with a rare grand cru vintage.
In Lufthansa’s first-class lounges in Munich and Frankfurt you can enjoy a cigar after lunch or dinner in the fumoir.
Some lounges offer memorable perks. The new Delta One lounge at JFK has great innovations, such as fresh, cold-pressed juices on tap and a pizza oven, but the best thing of all is Champagne. Not the drink. That’s the name of the chauffeur who drove me to the steps at the door of my jet home two minutes before the doors were due to close.
There is, however, one lounge that is better than all the rest. The Qantas first-class lounge at Sydney Airport has got the lot.
The design, by Marc Newson, formerly Jony Ive’s partner in style at Apple, is pure Jetsons.
It’s pleasingly low tech. There are no blinking screens. Instead, the flight indicator is one of those 1970s relics with letters that turn and make a pleasing click-clack sound as they rattle through which flights are boarding, at which gate, and when.
All the food is Australian, by Neil Perry, the winner of the Icon Award at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2024, and cooked to order. No buffet feeding trough, here, mate.
I like the salt and pepper squid, followed by the braised beef brisket with spicy aubergine, then macadamia nut ice-cream and fresh mango for dessert.
The spa is set in a tropical garden and the vast windows, angled to prevent glare from the summer sun, give you 180-degree views of the gates and the runway. So many red and white kangaroo tailfins.
If you’re lucky enough to get access, trust me, when you get there, you’ll wish your flight was cancelled. Forever.
The Telegraph, London
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