Today, airline lounges cater to a wider audience than just a carrier’s pointy end guests, thanks to points accumulated from outside the air-travel ecosystem.

No longer just the domain of one airline or even one alliance, there’s also a pay-per-visit business model with no particular airline affiliation.

These lounges will sometimes accept guests on behalf of an airline, including Plaza Premium, which has a vast network across the globe, and the Marhaba Lounge at Melbourne Airport, which caters for carriers such as Qatar Airways and Vietnam Airlines as well as its own paid visitors.

Competition is fierce, and lounges are proliferating as fast as airports can free up space for them.

Revamps are also happening, and it’s not uncommon to find high-end dining, relaxation zones and even outdoor access in lounges across the world.

Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has cut the ribbon on its newly redesigned lounge at Beijing Capital International Airport. This follows the May reopening of its famed The Bridge lounge at Hong Kong International, which closed due to the pandemic.

As well as having designer furnishings and lighting schemes to mimic a high-end home, Cathay’s Beijing lounge follows The Bridge’s lead, with the instalment of the hailed Noodle Bar, only here, it serves regional food that honours the cultural heritage of the Chinese capital, including Beijing bean-paste noodles.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways, known for its next-level lounges, has announced it will debut a 1400-square-metre dedicated lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new Terminal One when it opens in 2026. It’s the airline’s first dedicated lounge in the US.

Surrounding it, the transformation of JFK Airport is budgeted to cost almost $30 billion and to be completed by 2028.

Elsewhere in the US, credit-card giant American Express is expanding the reach of its Centurion lounges, adding facilities to the airports of Boston, Newark and Salt Lake City, between now and the end of 2027. They’re worth seeking out, if for nothing other than the novelty value. Newark will be home to a jazz bar and piano lounge, and Boston a rooftop bar.

Europe, too, is set to get a Centurion lounge in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, while a Centurion has opened in Japan, at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Centurions are known for refined food offerings and Tokyo is no different with an open kitchen led by Michelin-starred chef Satoshi Ogino.

Both Sydney and Melbourne Airport already have Centurion lounges.

Korean Air has completed the first phase of its lounge renewal project at Incheon International Airport as part of its merger with Asiana Airlines. It’s opened a redesigned Miler Club and Prestige East (Right) Lounge. It has also debuted two Prestige Garden Lounges as part of the airport expansion.

Other Korean Air lounges at Incheon, including the First Class Lounge are being renovated and will debut their new looks and facilities next year.

See cathaypacific.com; qatarairways.com; americanexpress.com; koreanair.com

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