oneworld alliance opens first premium lounge at Incheon airport

SEOUL (Jan 21): oneworld, a global alliance of 13 member airlines including Malaysia Airlines Bhd, unveiled its first branded airport lounge in Incheon International Airport here on Saturday (Jan 20).

The opening coincides with the alliance's 25th anniversary celebration this year. Swiss ground services provider Swissport International AG has been appointed to manage the oneworld lounge.

"With oneworld celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, we are proud to be opening the first oneworld branded lounge experience for our member airlines' customers," oneworld vice-president of customer experience, delivery and membership Gerhard Girkinger said at the opening ceremony. Other attendees were Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer Datuk Captain Izham Ismail, and Cathay Pacific chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee.

"Our new Incheon lounge resets the benchmark for contemporary travel and will serve as the blueprint for future oneworld lounges in select airports in the world," he added.

Girkinger said plans are already in the works to open a second oneworld airport lounge in the second half of this year. However, he declined to reveal the location.

Seven of the 13 oneworld member airlines, namely Malaysia Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Qantas, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines, currently serve Incheon airport. Between them, they operate more than 60 weekly flights out of Seoul.

Situated airside after immigration and security checks at Terminal 1 of Incheon airport, the new lounge spans 555 sq m and features stylish seating for up to 148 customers in a contemporary setting.

Featuring the alliance's bold "Travel Bright" branding, the design incorporates subtle nods to South Korean culture, capturing the colourful Lantern Festival in glass art and the "Gat" hat in a bar, mixing traditional and contemporary aesthetics.

The lounge is open daily between 7.30am and 11.45pm (apart from Monday and Saturday, when it opens at 4.30am) and accessible to oneworld business- and first-class travellers, as well as frequent flyers with oneworld's Emerald and Sapphire loyalty status.

oneworld is currently the smallest airline alliances by number, after Star Alliance and Skyteam. Oman Air is expected to join the oneworld alliance this year.

It was reported that oneworld had initially settled on opening its first airport lounge at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport in 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and then the Russia-Ukraine conflict had scuppered those plans.

“The idea is that we develop these (oneworld branded airport lounges) where no single airline has a massive presence, but we have multiple airlines flying into the same airport, maybe with daily flights,” the alliance’s former CEO Rob Gurney was reported as saying.