SkyTeam Unveils Plans for First Co-Branded Lounge at London Heathrow
March 11 2008 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Alliance members collaborating on unique common design and customer
experience LONDON, March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As SkyTeam
carriers plan new service and operational relocation to Terminal 4
at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR), the alliance is
augmenting its customer-focused presence at LHR -- including the
previously announced co-location project -- with plans for the
first co-branded SkyTeam alliance lounge. The lounge project is
unique to the alliance in that for the first time, the design for
the space is being determined jointly by all ten member or
associate airlines serving or planning to serve Heathrow (Aeroflot,
Air France, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta
Air Lines, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines).
The lounge at Heathrow will be the first lounge fully branded as
SkyTeam in the alliance network. (Other alliance lounges are
maintained by a specific member carrier and access for passengers
is shared with other member carriers.) SkyTeam understands that
airport lounges are more than just waiting rooms for the frequent
traveler. They serve as a home-away-from-home for passengers
awaiting departure -- a place to work, relax, dine or catch up on
reading. In planning the new lounge space, SkyTeam is focusing on
offering customers a superior experience that meets their
individual needs. "SkyTeam continues to offer our passengers a
superior travel experience before, during, in between and after
their flights," said Giorgio Callegari, chairman of SkyTeam Airport
and Infrastructure Special Projects. "Heathrow provides a unique
opportunity to build our brand presence from the ground up. We are
focused on enhancing our customer offering and a co-branded lounge
complements our previously announced co-location plans. It is an
exciting endeavor for the alliance, an opportunity to truly blend
the cultures and brand identities of ten member airlines to
strengthen the connection our customers have with SkyTeam." The new
multi-level co-branded lounge will occupy a space of 1,500 square
meters and accommodate approximately 325 seats. The first floor
will open to alliance passengers traveling through Heathrow,
including customers of SkyTeam associate airlines serving the
airport (Kenya Airways), this autumn. The space will be completed
and the second floor open to alliance passengers in spring 2009, in
conjunction with the relocation of the remaining alliance carriers
(Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines and Korean Air) to
accompany Continental, Delta, Kenya Airways, KLM and Northwest in
Terminal 4. Long-term planning for the lounge will accommodate
potential growth and the addition of future partners. Until the
initial opening of the lounge in autumn, SkyTeam carriers operating
out of and passengers departing from Terminal 4 will enjoy access
to the current KLM lounge in the terminal, known as the 'Holideck.'
SkyTeam hired Desgrippes Gobe to develop the creative concept and
design of its lounge at LHR. It will invoke the brand identity of
the alliance through a look and feel that is welcoming, modern,
warm and which expresses movement. The spacious facility will be
complete with the standard features SkyTeam passengers have come to
expect, as well as new amenities that take advantage of the latest
in design technology. For example, plans are under way for a
wellness centre, including showers and therapeutic service
offerings such as massages and manicures. Additional features
include free wireless Internet access throughout the space. In
addition to the standard service desk area, the lounge space will
feature different environments to accommodate a variety of customer
needs and expectations. These include a quiet area for passengers
needing privacy, a VIP area for First Class passengers and other
VIP lounge guests and a children's area. Customers using the lounge
will enjoy a unique menu of food options -- a collaboration of all
ten member airlines reflecting national and regional cultural
influences. The standard lounge menu, featuring fresh ingredients,
will be complemented each month with feature local dishes from a
SkyTeam member carrier's home market. About SkyTeam SkyTeam is the
global airline alliance partnering eleven members, including
Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern
Airlines, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines,
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines, and
three Associate Airlines: Air Europa (Spain), Copa Airlines
(Panama) and Kenya Airways. Through one of the world's most
extensive hub networks, SkyTeam offers its 428 million annual
passengers a worldwide system of 16,400 daily flights covering 841
destinations in 162 countries. http://www.skyteam.com/. Visual
renderings are available upon request. DATASOURCE: SkyTeam CONTACT:
SkyTeam Communications, 0207 611 35 47, UK, or +1-646-935-4161,
U.S. Web site: http://www.skyteam.com/
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