Oneworld has officially opened its first fully branded lounge, located in Incheon International airport’s Terminal 1.
The alliance announced plans to open its own dedicated lounges back in 2019 when it was celebrating its 20th anniversary – it does have a branded lounge of sorts at LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, although this is a collaboration between British Airways, Qantas and Cathay Pacific.
Roll on five years and the first fully branded lounge has now opened on the fourth floor of Incheon International airport’s Terminal 1, close to gate 28.
Oneworld has collaborated with Swissport and the team behind the group’s ASPIRE lounges, to create a 555 sqm facility with seating for up to 148 customers.
Features include buffet food, a full-service bar and private shower facilities, with décor which “incorporates subtle nods to South Korean culture, capturing the colourful Lantern Festival in mesmerising glass art and the ‘Gat’ hat in a welcoming bar, mixing traditional and contemporary aesthetics”.
The lounge is open daily between 0730 (0430 on Monday and Saturday) and 2345, for eligible oneworld Emerald and Sapphire customers departing from Seoul on oneworld flights, as well as First and Business Class customers travelling with oneworld member airlines.
Incheon is currently served by seven oneworld member carriers: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines.
The alliance is also set to open a branded lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol airport in the coming months – a poster on our forum suggests this maybe as early as mid-February.
Commenting on the news Gerhard Girkinger, oneworld vice president, customer experience, delivery and membership, said:
“With oneworld celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, we are incredibly proud to be opening the very first oneworld branded lounge experience for our member airlines’ customers.
“The new oneworld lounge is an exciting next step in our vision to making travel bright. Together with ASPIRE, we have combined refined fixtures and finishes, digital technologies, and warm and ergonomic settings to create smart and memorable travel experiences.
“Our new Incheon lounge resets the benchmark for contemporary travel and will serve as the blueprint for future oneworld lounges in select airports around the world.”
