On Thursday, February 27, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) opened the doors to media and invited guests to introduce its newly renovated lounge at JFK Airport’s Terminal 4 in New York.
The lounge remains in the same location as before, but now has an entirely new look. The SWISS design concept consists of light parquet flooring, gently hued furniture, and an updated layout. The lounge also takes advantage of its prime location situated between the A and B concourses by showcasing a view of the busy T4 apron through floor-to-ceiling windows.
The 4,600 square foot lounge is designed in the airline’s new two-zone concept. Roughly one-quarter of the space is the First Class Lounge, which accommodates 26 guests and is available to SWISS First and HON Circle-status passengers. In the First Class area, passengers will find an a la carte bistro, a “living room space,” a relaxation room, a wine cabinet, restrooms, and a shower. The remainder of the space is the Senator/Business Class lounge, which can seat 142 travelers. This section also features a bistro, lounge alcoves, high bar tables, work areas, bathrooms, and showers. The lounge even comes equipped with a set of virtual reality scopes. In case the T4 apron view isn’t enough, travelers can don headsets and gaze out over rendered scenes of Zurich and Swiss Alpine landscapes.
To enter the lounge, guests do not need to wait on line. SWISS has installed a “Speedgate,” where eligible passengers can scan their boarding pass and immediately be granted access. Eligible passengers are those traveling in SWISS First or Business classes, as well as members of the Senator or HON Circle tiers of Miles & More, the loyalty program shared with their Lufthansa Group sister companies Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa.
Lounge access is also granted to any Star Alliance Gold members and Business Class passengers on Lufthansa Group airlines, though Austrian and Lufthansa both use JFK’s Terminal 1, which is 25% owned by Lufthansa.
SWISS offers three daily flights out of JFK; two to Zurich and one to Geneva. These flights all leave in the typical evening window for Europe-bound departures, making the lounge an ideal place for a pre-flight dinner. The lounge is expected to open to passengers in early March 2020.