Amexpat

What surprises more is the cost involved. I assume that serving alcohol in the domestic lounge will be much more expensive than in the international lounge due to the high tax on alcohol in Norway.

ksu

That shouldn't make any difference. Tax-free is only applicable to goods exported from Norway. Goods consumed on the ground is taxed the same, whether in the international part of the airport or the domestic part. Remember the short-lived "no-champagne-at-boarding"-failure of SK. The argument there was AFAIR the cost and logistic extra work by having both taxed champagne (for ground use) an untaxed champagne (for in-flight service) on board.

Amexpat

That makes sense - on the DFDS ship going from Oslo to Copenhagen, the alcohol prices drop as soon as the ship leaves the dock. I thought that the international terminal was considered to be a tax-free zone.

Bjornstrom

You've already posted a few pics, here's a few high-resolution pictures more:

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-01.jpg

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-02.jpg

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-03.jpg

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-04.jpg

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-05.jpg

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-06.jpg

http://wpcache.businessclass.se/wp-c...dermoen-07.jpg

All photos copyright Jacob Molin/BusinessClass.se

http://www.businessclass.se/forsta-b...lo-gardermoen/

Moderator note: All image / IMG tags removed; please see Rules for image guidelines for FlyerTalk.

Bjornstrom

You've already posted a few pics, here's a few high-resolution pictures more:

http://www.businessclass.se/forsta-b...lo-gardermoen/

All photos copyright Jacob Molin/BusinessClass.se

ksu

Surprisingly no report from the lounge yesterday. Am there now. Everyone has a seat, but expect severe overcrowding at more busy times. Some lounge chairs, otherwise metal chairs that are not made for lingering. Plastic cutlery/glasses, probably due to no room for proper kitchen. Tomatoes, cucumber, melon, pot noodles, biscuits, potato chips, fruit ans SAS cup cakes are the only edibles. Beer on tap, red/white wine in bottles, soda dispenser, coffee machine for drinks. No international newspapers, and only the three domestic offered on board are available (i.e. no VG). Entrance automatic, but staff assiting at gate. Access with boarding card worked OK, even repeated (necessary as toilets are outside the entrance)

ksu

Still in lounge. Now (16.30 on a Tuesday) the lounge is overcrowded (standing room only), but good turn-over. Many Swedes.

FlightCancelled

Visited the lounge yesterday from 2030 to 2120, and maybe 75% of all seats were taken. Very basic lounge, but much better than nothing. Also liked that they got the juice machine same as in the other SAS lounge at OSL, but I was missing ice cubes. Also nice that there were many choices on the coffee machine, including coffee mocca which is my favourite.

strikerbird

Can this lounge be used as an arrival lounge at Oslo airport?

SB

erwiol

I doubt you want to spend more time there than necessarry but it's a possibility if you want to. Just take the exit to domestic transfers and find your way to the lounge by gate 15.

No restroom, just very basic snacks and few chairs that is actually comfortable to sit in. I was there on Sunday and with Monday being a national holiday in Norway traffic in the terminal was extremely low. Very few visitors in the lounge as well but I had to wait for a chair you actually would want to spend any time in. I guess it's 6-10 of them. Rest is just bar stools with 5 cm backrest. And a few foot rests - that is meant for sitting on.

But still thumbs up to SAS for giving it a try. However this lounge smells more like PR and something to use in their marketing.

ksu

Even though the domestic lounge (unlike the international lounge) is physically accessible to arriving domestic passengers, I am not sure whether it can be used as an arrivals lounge. The access rules for SAS' lounges have always stated something like: holding a boarding pass for a departing flight from the airport in question.

Will a Smart Pass or a EBG card open the automatic gate, without there being a current boarding pass connected to that account?

erwiol

Yes, you should be able to. It states valid same day ticket with SAS or *A.

I doubt but I don't know for sure. It's happened to me several times at the CPH gate that they have asked for my BP since they don't find the ticket on my EBG card. I guess it's the same IT system.

ksu

The Norwegian text says "dagsaktuell billett", but on the link to the specific access rules (not updated with the new lounge) it states "
boardingkort for utenlands avreise fra den lokale flyplassen " (boarding pass for international departure from the local airport), and the access rules on the international website (also not updated) say the same:
"•EuroBonus Diamond & Gold & Star Alliance Gold members: If you have a boarding pass for international travel from your local airport with SAS or a Star Alliance partner, you have access to SAS, Star Alliance and SAS partner lounges – there are over 1000 lounges around the world. This also applies at the SAS domestic lounge at Stockholm Arlanda Terminal 4."

There is an ambiguity between web pages, but as it is clearly stated that EBG/EBD/*G have to have a boarding card from the airport in question for all other lounges, I doubt that access after arrival (with no connecting boarding card) actually is possible at OSL.

erwiol

Arrival access works at the international lounge at OSL and all other lounges I know about so I seriously doubt it if they have a seperate access restriction (with all that extra IT hassle that would create) for the new domestic lounge at OSL.

But it seems like none of us know for sure so maybe someone with spare time would be willing to give it a try :-)

ksu

Arrivals access is a published benefit on intercontinental arrivals, so that should certainly work.

But, as you say: someone should give it a try whether the lounge can be accessed for domestic arrivals, and report back. If it works, I would be the first to applaud as I travel a lot to Oslo.