A haven for extremely busy people

A few years ago, an airline lounge was a dingy room, in which you’d dump your bags between flights. Possibly chew on a stale sandwich, sip on a watery cappuccino and squeeze in a nap between departures, squashed against an uncomfortable faux-leather armchair.

Thankfully, bleak airport lounges are becoming a thing of the past. As our partnership with Slow Lounges grows and strengthens, we’re seeing a fundamental shift not only in the way people travel, but the way people appreciate what’s in between travel – a little extra comfort they’re provided by their chosen airline, which makes all the difference.

So why the mass move by airlines to better their lounges? As airline offerings become equalised – a flight is a flight and unless you’re travelling business or first class, there’s not a huge amount an airline can do to differentiate from its competitors – airlines have had to constantly improve their service offering outside the aircraft.

Airlines know if they can differentiate themselves, even slightly, with the added benefit of a lounge, a customer is more likely to choose them for their next trip.

As such, airlines have shifted their focus to improving the quality and efficiency of their lounges – starting with the bad coffee and stale sandwiches, and now offering so much more.

Universal flight mode

Another major influence in the expansion and upgrade of airport lounges is accessibility. Flight travel is no longer a once-a-year, exclusive experience – most professional individuals travel at least once a month, while the real business commuters, once a week.

Travel is now affordable and accessible. We’re living our busy lives in transit. We check emails in airport terminals. We eat breakfasts and dinners at airport restaurants. We plan our next adventure at the click of a button. It goes without saying that, as we increase our frequency of flight, we want airports to accommodate our standards of living – not the other way around.

This is the premise of the modern airport lounge: creating a level of comfort in an airport you’d expect from a hotel or a restaurant. Airlines have been forced to understand both business and leisure traveller needs and cater to their tastes, beyond the offer of chicken or beef. They now have to offer a full-service buffet, free Wifi and even facilities in which to shower and freshen up before your next flight (fresh towels included).

International flair

Lufthansa’s Frankfurt Airport Lounge now sports personalised wind-down areas, resplendent with oversized bath tubs, cigar lounge and nap rooms. Singapore Airlines’ Changi Airport Lounge offers guests the option to wander a butterfly garden and rainforest nature trail between flights. Turkish Airlines pulled out all the stops with their lounge in Ataruk Airport, which features a library and movie theatre.

While not completely necessary, these well-appointed lounge offerings showcase the swift move towards a lounge way of life. With the upgrade and revamp of OR Tambo’s lounges, local airports are set to follow suit with their own next-level offerings.

Amazing lounge experiences are going to become expected, not nice-to-have. What used to be seen as an elitist place beyond frosted glass doors will become the norm for airlines willing to go the extra mile to win over customers.

In South Africa, SLOW has changed the game as far as airport lounges go – and they don’t look set to stop anytime soon. Watch this space.

To find out more about OPEN Food’s partnership with SLOW, click here.