Comfort before take-off - comparing business lounges at WAW Chopin - Okęcie
On 19 August 2017 I had an interesting opportunity to assess the quality of, and the differences between, 3 business lounges at Warsaw's Okęcie airport. That day I was flying to Podgorica. Because I was flying outside the Schengen area, I was able to try out lounges on both sides of passport control.
The Polonez lounge - food and press selection
The first lounge I visited was the “Polonez” business lounge, usually used by business travellers holding Star Alliance silver or gold cards.
On weekday mornings it gets very crowded, with lots of people who, in a rush before their LOT, Lufthansa or Austrian flights, want to grab a bite, finish an email or catch the latest news on TV. Having two separate kitchenettes in the lounge helps to ease the crush a little.
Showing a ticket issued by a Star Alliance carrier and using my Miles and More silver card, I entered the lounge around midday, when it was much quieter and lunch was already being served.
For some time now they have been offering tasty delicacies as starters; my favourites are the smoked fish and cold meats.
There are also cheeses and raw vegetables. As for hot dishes, you could try tomato soup with pasta, and tender chicken in curry sauce with brown rice.
Grilled vegetables came on the side. Juices, wines, Lubelski cider and spirits are kept in a chilled cabinet or set out on the counter. What really sets the lounges apart is the availability of newspapers and magazines. Besides the daily papers there was a good selection of monthlies; they were all women's titles, but I did not feel short-changed: for me, seeing the world through women's eyes is a fascinating experience. I recommend it to the gentlemen.
The lounge is conveniently located near gates 25 and 26, although to reach it you have to take the lift or the stairs (with an escalator going up).
The Preludium lounge in the Schengen area
The second lounge I visited was “Preludium”. It is in the Schengen area, further along the terminal, near gates 35 and 36. After passing the food court, you need to take the lift or the stairs, as it is on a lower floor of the terminal, at apron level. This time I used the “Korzyści i Przywileje” (Benefits and Privileges) card offered by Citi Bank. It gives you access to a lounge at a Polish airport twice a month, whatever airline you are flying with (that is, also when you are flying with a so-called low-cost airline or on a charter). The lounge is, in a sense, linked to Air France's Flying Blue programme, so the wide selection of French-language press comes as no surprise.
The food, although served in a snack-bar rather than restaurant style, was also tasty, and the choice was wide enough. Cream of tomato soup, meat pierogi and a spinach and salami bake were on offer that day.
Cheeses, cold meats and Polish touches completed the menu. Alcohol and soft drinks were much the same as in “Polonez”.
Although the lounge emphasises its green credentials, with a maintenance-free living moss wall, unfortunately it has no windows. On the other hand, I would probably rate its décor and furniture the highest; I particularly liked the openwork partitions.
The Bolero lounge outside the Schengen area
Since Podgorica lies outside the EU, I was able to visit the only lounge at Okęcie located in the non-European part of the airport.
The “Bolero” lounge is also on the airport's level “0”, so once again it is the lift or the stairs. I use my Citi Bank card to get in, thereby using up my monthly allowance of visits. Some analyst was probably scratching his head over why on earth the same guest used an airport lounge twice in a row. If he reads this blog, now he will know.
How busy this lounge gets depends directly on long-haul flights beyond Europe, and it fills up in intense waves. Just as I am finishing my midday coffee, the lounge suddenly empties, because boarding has begun for Moscow and Beijing. The passengers here are different, too: very many transit travellers from Asia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Here the hot dishes include spinach quiche and wonderful plum dumplings.
Among the cold dishes, the staff offer cold meats, cheeses and yoghurts. The press selection is very poor: either it has already been picked over, or simply too few copies are delivered here. There are no Polish weeklies or monthlies.
What it does have is a superb view of the aircraft, and the largest ones flying into Warsaw at that; watching long-haul planes being received and prepared is truly absorbing! This is where the biggest Emirates and Qatar Airways Airbuses and Boeings, and LOT's Dreamliners, “dock”.
To sum up, access and food are similar everywhere, and décor is a matter of taste. The best press selection is in “Polonez”, the best view in “Bolero”, and the fewest crowds in “Preludium”.
