The third Emirates lounge in the United States was officially unveiled on Wednesday, March 18, at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
After more than two years in the making and an investment over $6.2 million, the new lounge, located on the sixth floor at LAX, is now available exclusively to Emirates first and business class passengers, as well as Platinum and Gold members of Emirates Skywards, the airline’s frequent flyer program.
“We want our premium passengers, after they check in, to relax and wait and sit and eat, do their business and have Wi-Fi,” said Mohammed Mattar, divisional senior vice president of Emirates Airport Services.
Upon entering the lounge, passengers are greeted at the front by Emirates employees. Down the hall toward the main area, Southern California-related artwork is hung neatly along the walls.
Among amenities available to premium flyers in the Emirates lounge include posh seating for 142 customers with runway views, mahogany furtniture, a computer area with Internet, gourmet cuisine prepared by chefs, finger foods, desserts and chocolates, a full bar with a wide range of fine wines and other such beverages, teas, coffees, various non-alcoholic beverages, a terrace area and a prayer room.
It also boasts high-end bathrooms with spacious toilet stalls, large mirrors, an ablution area and a shower room.
“A nod to the Golden Age of air travel, the new lounge design is inspired by the understated luxury of our lounges in Dubai’s Concourse A, and is reflective of the discerning tastes of our premium customers,” Mattar said in a statement.
Premium passengers can also take advantage of an exclusive private Chauffer-driver service to LAX, which extends for up to 60 miles from the airport.
The Dubai-based airline began flying to Los Angeles in 2008. It has a fleet of more than 230 aircraft and flies to more than 145 destinations in 83 countries worldwide. Among its destinations include Manila.
Emirates has 37 lounges around the world. Its two other United States locations are in San Francisco and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend March 21-24, 2015 Sec. D pg.1)
