Air New Zealand wants its lounges to remind you of a Boeing 787

So here’s a novel twist in the world of lounge design.

While Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are shaping their latest lounges to have a decidedly residential ambience, and Qantas makes design nods to the lounge’s location, Air New Zealand wants its new-look lounges to remind you of – well, the inside of a plane.

But not just any plane, of course – we’re talking AirNZ’s flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

It’s all subtlety done, using gentle cues of colour which many travellers may not even pick up.

But take a look at the Kiwi carrier’s newly-opened Auckland International Lounge…

… along with its Sydney International Lounge…

… and you may spot some shared influences.

“When you look around the Auckland lounge it feels like a Boeing 787 aircraft, which is appropriate for an international flagship lounge” explains Verity Jade, the airline’s Manager for Global Lounges.

“A lot of the elements carry over, obviously our black and white international brand palette and (in the Boeing 787) the dusky violet accent colour.”

Those colours are most noticeable in the airline's Boeing 787 seating, LED lighting and materials.

And while Air New Zealand’s international lounges strike those globe-trotting notes, its network of home-grown lounges take their lead from the airline’s domestic Airbus A320 fleet.

“In domestic lounges it’s the sky blue teal colour which we’ve already seen in the Auckland Regional Lounge,” Jade says, adding that it’s always about crafting a consistent experience for travellers – “to feel like you'd walked from the lounge onto the aircraft, and it always feels like Air New Zealand.”

Also read: Air New Zealand rolls out regional lounge roadmap

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David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.