Airport lounges behind schedule

The rush to open Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 28 has taken its toll on premium passengers who have very limited access to a handful of lounges that were opened just in time but are not fully functional.

Only the lounges belonging to Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific and China Airlines came on stream in the departure area.

Two other lounges, for first- and business-class passengers, operated by privately owned Master Mind by Louis Tavern are also open, albeit not fully.

Although the basic amenities, including furniture, and food and beverages, are in place at the opened lounges, facilities such as wireless Internet, telephone and fax are not available. The hardware is installed but not yet operating.

The colourful interior of one of Bangkok Airways' two Boutique Lounges for its economy passengers. The airline will need one more month to complete two Blue Ribbon Club lounges for its business-class passengers. Premium travellers have been notified in advance of the problems at the new airport.

Airline managers said that the outcome so far was not exactly what they had in mind.

For instance, THAI has opened only two of the planned eight lounges built for different purposes in five locations occupying a total of 13,000 square metres in the departure hall.

Bangkok Airways was able to open two locations, dubbed Boutique Lounges, for its economy passengers, and will need one more month to complete two business-class Blue Ribbon Clubs.

Only two foreign carriers, Cathay Pacific and China Airlines, have completed their lounges, which are relatively small.

Other airlines expect to complete their lounges in one or two months.

A THAI executive said the main premium lounge that was opened had not yet met the standards of luxury, comfort and aesthetics the company sought, and needed some finishing touches.

The national carrier is spending 300 million baht on the lounges to strengthen its brand image among premium travellers.

Bangkok Airways vice-president M.L. Nandhika Varavarn said there was not enough time to complete the Blue Ribbon Club lounges, adding that the delay was also caused by a change in the designs.

They should be opened by the end of this month, she added.

Soonthorn Suree, manager of Emirates for Southeast Asia, cited a host of reasons, ranging from Airports of Thailand's delay in site transfers, to technical construction problems and internal approval for designs, for holding up its 30-million-baht lounge.

He expected it to be ready by the middle of this month.

Japan Airlines' 70-million-baht lounge, at 600 square metres, twice the size of its old facility at Don Muang airport, is not expected to be ready until the end of this month.

"For this type of exercise, we need at least three months to complete," said Seiichi Iwasaki, JAL's manager for Southeast Asia.

Cathay Pacific's 330-square-metre lounge was ready, except for telephone, fax and Internet, which were expected to be serviceable in a few days, said Thailand manager Yongyuth Lujintanont.

The delays in airline-operated lounges have created a windfall for THAI and Master Mind by Louis Tavern, as the carriers have inevitably turned to them to cater for their premium passengers.

THAI is serving the bulk of premium passengers of an estimated 50 airlines operating through Suvarnabhumi, including those of the Star Alliance, its league of partner airlines.

Master Mind by Louis Tavern provides lounge services for JAL and Gulf Air, while Cathay Pacific is serving Oneworld airline members including British Airways and Qantas.

Airline managers said many of their premium passengers had been notified in advance that the lounges were not quite ready and understood the problems, without making a big fuss over the inconvenience.