In Photos: oneworld Opens 1st Branded European Lounge

DALLAS — The oneworld Alliance, one of the most significant airline cooperative programs globally, has inaugurated its first branded European lounge at Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport (AMS).

The lounge, located at the airside of the passenger terminal at Schiphol, will provide a comfortable layover or journey beginning to all passengers who contracted a premium service on any of the 14 oneworld routes flying in and out of the Netherlands' capital. This includes the likes of American Airlines (AA), Cathay Pacific (CX), British Airways (BA), and Iberia (IB).

Airways was at the inauguration event held on February 21, with Gerhard Girkinger, VP of Customer Experience at Oneworld, and representatives of Qatar Airways (QR), British Airways, and the International Airlines Group (IAG).

Julio Rodriguez, Chief Commercial Strategy Officer at IAG, was one of the spokespersons during the event. Photo: Author

Understanding oneworld's Schiphol Lounge

You may find it entirely unexpected for oneworld to open its first European lounge in Amsterdam, one of the main headquarters of non-allied airlines such as KLM, Transavia, or Delta. However, this is not the first similar move the alliance has made, and it is allowing Oneworld to remain present even at the airport it serves the less.

The lounge methodology at oneworld, similarly to other alliances, isn't to establish these premium lounges with its name but to provide comfortable experiences and spaces through its member airlines. In Dallas (DFW), AA established up to six different lounges through its many terminals, and in London Heathrow (LHR), BA works with another six lounges, including their Concorde Room at Terminal 5.

However, at airports with moderate allied traffic but without any member airline, oneworld opted to open its original lounges to offer the same quality service as at any other airport. They recently inaugurated a similar space at Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN), the main hub of Korean Air (KE).

The lounge's clean and elegant look is inspired by oneworld's main image and the Dutch interior style and culture. Photo: Author — The lounge's clean and elegant look is inspired by the alliance's logo and Dutch interior style and culture. Photo: Author

oneworld's 1st European Lounge, in Detail

In Amsterdam, the new oneworld lounge based its design on the alliance logo: a blue and white circumference mixed with the Dutch culture's simple and elegant interior design details.

The space is divided into a dining and working area with comfortable seating while maintaining an open area with splendid views of one of the world's busiest aprons.

If you want to experience Oneworld's Schiphol Lounge's comfort and quietness, it officially opens to the general public and passengers tomorrow, February 22, at 05:30 AM. Watch the video below to closely examine oneworld's first branded European lounge.