Scandinavian Airlines and Air Canada open 'The London Lounge' at Heathrow,=
=20
State-of-the-art facility features cinema, showers, table top curling &=20
original works of art
LONDON, May 15 /CNW Telbec/ - Scandinavian Airlines and Air Canada=
today
officially opened a joint passenger lounge at London Heathrow Airport that
combines state-of-the-art facilities in a setting of exquisite Scandinavian
design with the creature comforts valued by travellers far from home. =
Called
'The London Lounge,' the two-story 1,300m(2) lounge seats 350 people and is
one of the most conveniently located at Heathrow Terminal 3, directly=
adjacent
to the duty free transit area. 'The London Lounge' functions as a combined
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and SAS Business Lounge for the airlines'=
premium
customers and is also accessible to eligible customers of fellow Star=
Alliance
carriers including THAI Airways and Varig. Designed by Swedish
architects Thomas Eriksson Arkitechts TEArk, the new lounge is three times
larger than the old SAS Business Lounge and twice the size of Air Canada's
previous Maple Leaf Lounge. The lounge was designed on two floors to create
different atmospheres to suit travellers' varying needs.
Catering to both short haul European and long haul intercontinental
flyers, the ground floor provides a livelier atmosphere, similar to a hotel
lobby, where guests can mingle and enjoy a beverage or a bite to eat, while
the upper floor offers a more 'relax-and-unwind' atmosphere with comfortable
seating areas including massage chairs, a library and showers.
The innovative style of the lounge is further complemented by several
works of art including mini Buddha figures by Fredrik Wretmann and Albin
Karlsson's clock. Award winning Canadian textile artist Elyse de la Fontaine
has two prominent pieces on display including a three-metre structure
suspended from the roof in the style of a mobile.
The lounge also features a 12-seat cinema; a games room reflecting the
traditions of both Canada and Scandinavia with table top curling developed=
by
a former member of the Swedish Olympic team; and a separate Kids Lounge.
A state-of-the-art business centre provides customers with computers=
and
high speed Internet access including wireless options, telephone, fax and
printers. A buffet area provides fresh fruit, snacks and hot and cold drinks
including Canadian favourites such as Labatts and Sleeman's beers. Canadian
and Scandinavian newspapers and magazines are also available among an
international selection of reading material.
Scandinavian Airlines Senior Vice President Marketing & Product
Management Jens Willumsen said: "In conjunction with Air Canada, we are=
proud
to jointly offer a lounge that satisfies all the needs of today's business
traveller. A place for relaxation, amusement, refreshment of body and mind,=
as
well as somewhere to catch up on your work and keep in touch with friends,
family and colleagues."
Air Canada Senior Vice President International and Alliances, Ross
MacCormack, said "The London Lounge is all about bringing together the very
best of what Star Alliance partners have to offer so our customers benefit=
the
most according to their varying needs. Together, we can offer more choice of
service than any single carrier could while maintaining the individuality=
that
our customers know and appreciate."
Montr=E9al-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air
transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 150 destinations on=
five
continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 11th largest commercial airline in
the world and serves more than 30 million customers annually with a fleet
consisting of more than 300 aircraft. Air Canada has been ranked as the
world's safest airline, and in a 2002 survey of the world's most frequent=
air
travellers by travel information publisher OAG, Air Canada was voted best
airline in North America for the second time in three years, and Air=
Canada's
frequent flyer program, Aeroplan, was voted best in the world. Air Canada is=
a
founding member of Star Alliance providing the world's most comprehensive=
air
transportation network.
Scandinavian Airlines was formed in 1946 by the national airlines of
Denmark, Norway and Sweden. With a fleet of some 160 aircraft Scandinavian
Airlines, operates around 750 departures a day transporting over 20 million
passengers each year to more than 70 destinations in 25 countries. Although
mainly concentrated on Europe and Scandinavia, Scandinavian Airlines flight
operations span the world and include intercontinental routes linking
Scandinavia with Bangkok, Beijing, Singapore and Tokyo in Asia and Chicago,
New York, Seattle and Washington in the USA. Scandinavian Airlines has 22=
000
employees working within operations around the globe. In May 1997,
Scandinavian Airlines founded Star Alliance together with Air Canada,
Lufthansa, United Airlines and Thai Airways International, offering=
convenient
connections throughout an integrated global traffic system.
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