Best domestic NZ lounge: WLG

Nice features: The WLG domestic lounge is large, comfortable, clean, usually uncrowded, has great views, a good selection of current NZ newspapers and decent drinks and munchies. If you happen to be there at the right time (5 pm?) for the afternoon to evening snack swap you can munch from both selections.

Special features: the business center has a large board with heaps of various types of cell phone charger adapters mounted on it for those who forgot to bring theirs along.

Lounge drawbacks: You have to go to WLG to enjoy it


Best international NZ operated lounge: The SYD first Class lounge.

Nice features: Uncrowded, usually quiet, comfortable recliners, plenty of shower rooms.

Drawbacks: The lounge overlooks a couple fairly boring gate positions usually occupied by non Air NZ aircraft. The business lounge next door offers better viewing for those who like to watch airport operations.

Needs improvement:

1) Over the past few years the SYD FC lounge shower granite style shower floors have gotten progressively more grotty on average.

2) The SYD FC showers usually aren't stocked with packages of towels like the AKL FC shower room (what's so hard about doing so?)

3) The single PC in the SYD First Class lounge is often missing or not working. It happened to be there and up when I passed through last Friday, however net access was painfully slow. Worse, it had some brain dead "Net Nanny" software installed on it which decided to block some usueful and completely safe sites at random. Furthermore telnet was disabled so some people will find the PC useless for checking mail.

Special features: One of the TVs in the lounge is usually tuned to a special monitor screen listing the status of the all international ops at SYD. The screen lists flight number, aircraft registration, gates, various times, statuses and even pax loads.

Weird feature: Air NZ no longer has First Class service out of SYD. I've been through the lounge several times over the last few years, but now it's been when flying UA or TG.


Worst Air NZ operated international lounge: LAX

Drawbacks: The LAX lounge is often too overcrowded and noisy. No "proper" First Class lounge. The service staff seem ok but the front desk staff often seem clueless. A couple times pax have been asked to leave the lounge and go to the gate before the last flight of the evening is ready because the staff seem to want to go home. The ratio of bodies to available chair, shower, newspaper or whatever is embarassing.

Other lounges ...

AKL International First Class: Not as nice or as comfortable as the SYD FC lounge. This lounge could use some recliners like SYD has.


WLG International: The WLG NZ international lounge is small, but nice and reasonably comfortable. It shares the award for weird decoration with its stuffed birds on orange pipes theme.


Finally there's one thing that needs improvement in most every NZ operated lounge as well as onboard in business and first class ... That's right, you guessed it, it's the cheese

I swear for the last 4 or so years on every flight in NZ First and Business and in most every NZ lounge I've been faced with the same four cheeses: the same good, but not great blue style cheese, an ok cheddar and gouda style cheese and a really marginal brie. It's time for a change!


[This message has been edited by Quokka (edited Jan 11, 2004).]