This Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge Review is from our 2017 visit to the lounge before our Air New Zealand Business Premier flight. See all our posts tagged New Zealand.
Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge Location, Access and Hours
The Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge is located airside, after security, on the 2nd floor. Take the escalator located near the Relay Store up to the lounge, which is open from 4:30am until the last departure.
The following passengers have lounge access:
- Airpoints™ Elite, Gold, Elite Partner and Koru members
- Business Class passengers (New Zealand Business Premier) departing on Air New Zealand flights
Note that the lounge is for departing passengers only.
Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge Amenities
We presented our Business Premier Boarding Passes at the desk outside the lounge entrance, and were waved into the lounge, which is quite large, with multiple seating areas (total seating capacity is 375 passengers). Since our visit was in the morning, there wasn't demand for bar drinks, but the seating by the bar was filled with passengers having breakfast from the buffet, or coffee drinks.
For those trying to catch up on sleep, there are several day beds:
There's also bar seating, which several passengers were at, due to how crowded the space was:
Kids can watch a movie in the kids' play room, and there's seating for their parents just outside it:
There are also quite a few shower rooms, which have rain showers that would fit even pro basketball players, a toilet, and sink area. Bath products are from dispensers, but are Antipodes botanticals.
Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge Food and Drink
Even though we'd already breakfasted, I was impressed with some of the cold buffet options at the Air New Zealand Auckland Lounge, notably the mixed berries, beetroot and yogurt smoothies, and the prune quinoa–creative and delicious options.
The pastries also looked a bit better than those at the Novotel Auckland Airport, although I didn't try them.
The hot buffet seemed in need of replenishing when I took these photos–there wasn't much in the way of scrambled eggs, and one dish, which seemed to be mushrooms, was entirely depleted. The frittata with potatoes and caramelized onions and chorizo were more interesting choices, however, than are usually found in airport lounge breakfast buffets.
Instead of espresso machines, there was a coffee bar with baristas, although the ordering was slickly automated via touchscreen. I decided on a double decaf espresso, and it came out beautifully.
The Verdict
The Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge was one of the better business class lounges I've visited, with day beds (which I think all airport lounges should have), a better than average breakfast buffet selection, great barista-made espresso drinks, clean and modern shower rooms, and a kids' play room. WiFi worked fine, although could have been a bit faster. There are also good views of the tarmac, for those wanting seating with ample natural light, or interested in plane spotting. The only thing I didn't care for was how crowded the lounge was during our morning visit, even though it does have multiple seating areas and is quite large.
If you've been to the Air New Zealand Auckland International Lounge, what was your experience?
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