graraps
May 11, 09, 2:42 pm
Not sure whether to post this here or the Skyteam forum.
Was flying OK from SVO this afternoon. Went up to the DATEd lounge, gave my invite and proceeded happily (listening to music on my HTC) into its interior, only to get the girl at reception run after me and say that I should not enter the lounge. My bemused bitterness ('what do you mean? Is this not a Skyteam lounge? I am elite plus...' - didn't quite get to giving her the full DYKWIA treatment, but came very close!) turned into sheer curiosity when she said "Czech Airlines use the Amber lounge, which is brand new". So I thought, alright, it's not like I have got that much to lose, and followed her directions to "opposite gate 8". Was fairly annoyed to find a large amount of stairs leading down to the lounge, but the facility itself was pretty pleasant. Snack and drink offerings comparable to DATE (but no diet cola for some reason), but the environment was a lot more pleasant (well, at least after I found the TV remote and pressed MUTE in order to stop getting distracted by a Soviet action movie involving the destruction of the tail of an Aeroflot plane on landing at SVO- I kid you not!) and it obviously was far less crowded.
The lounge is operated by a private company (not SU and not the airport management itself) and used by OK, AZ, and I think I spotted one or two other airlines (maybe OA?). Our flight was delayed a bit; meaning that the place became seriously deserted after the FCO flight started boarding- and I did manage to get a couple of pics, will try to upload them soon.
To answer apoivre's question before he gets to ask it, there is a decent-sized smoking section which is separated from the rest of the lounge by a floor-to-ceiling glass divider. ^
Verdict: modern, adequate but forgettable; at least it's quiet and you're guaranteed a seat and some privacy.
Was flying OK from SVO this afternoon. Went up to the DATEd lounge, gave my invite and proceeded happily (listening to music on my HTC) into its interior, only to get the girl at reception run after me and say that I should not enter the lounge. My bemused bitterness ('what do you mean? Is this not a Skyteam lounge? I am elite plus...' - didn't quite get to giving her the full DYKWIA treatment, but came very close!) turned into sheer curiosity when she said "Czech Airlines use the Amber lounge, which is brand new". So I thought, alright, it's not like I have got that much to lose, and followed her directions to "opposite gate 8". Was fairly annoyed to find a large amount of stairs leading down to the lounge, but the facility itself was pretty pleasant. Snack and drink offerings comparable to DATE (but no diet cola for some reason), but the environment was a lot more pleasant (well, at least after I found the TV remote and pressed MUTE in order to stop getting distracted by a Soviet action movie involving the destruction of the tail of an Aeroflot plane on landing at SVO- I kid you not!) and it obviously was far less crowded.
The lounge is operated by a private company (not SU and not the airport management itself) and used by OK, AZ, and I think I spotted one or two other airlines (maybe OA?). Our flight was delayed a bit; meaning that the place became seriously deserted after the FCO flight started boarding- and I did manage to get a couple of pics, will try to upload them soon.
To answer apoivre's question before he gets to ask it, there is a decent-sized smoking section which is separated from the rest of the lounge by a floor-to-ceiling glass divider. ^
Verdict: modern, adequate but forgettable; at least it's quiet and you're guaranteed a seat and some privacy.