Review Plaza Premium Lounge Fiumicino

Over the past few months we have talked about this lounge a couple of times, the reason is simple it is the only VIP lounge currently open at Rome Fiumicino Terminal 3 and as of July 1 it came out, as all premium plazas From the Priority Pass network.

The situation at Fiumicino is particularly grim, as Casa Alitalia-the one that was the Italian airline's main lounge for years-has been closed since last year and will probably not be reopened before the new company is born.

The other lounge in the terminal is the British Airways lounge, located directly across from Preimum Plaza, and it too is closed.

Rules of access

You can gain access if you travel in business with airlines that have a lounge agreement and/or in economy if you have elite status with the same airlines.

In my case Singapore Airlines, not having a lounge at FCO allows passengers to use this. Alternatively, you can gain access by showing your American Express Platinum card, since, as mentioned, the agreement with Priority Pass has expired.

Ca va sans dire, Alitalia has no agreement and therefore the company's elite passengers cannot get in unless they pay.

Location

The Premium Plaza is easy to get to since it is located immediately after the entrance by going up the first escalators going to the E gates.

The hall is very large and overlooks the runway, although it is not a very busy area of the airport.

Different types of seating available. The central part is restaurant type.

On the sides, however, there are other types of accommodations such as sofas, armchairs, and small workstation islands.

Food and Beverage

Spacing and touchless systems for ordering are now the order of the day. Food is ordered from the cell phone after scanning the QR on the table and then, as if it were an ecommerce site, you choose from the menu and are served at the table. Identical system to that used by British Airways in its lounges in London.

Instead, drinks are served at the bar; I visited this lounge before my flight on Singapore Airlines to Copenhagen early in the morning.

"Fake" dishes are also displayed in the kitchen area, as is the case in some tourist restaurants to let customers choose what they want.

The breakfast offering included classic dishes such as scrambled eggs and bacon, omelets, fruit, and various pastries.

In conclusion

Certainly at Fiumicino now there is not much choice, the exit from the Priority Pass network was a blow to all passengers flying from the Roman airport.

The lounge is beautiful, clean and organized. At 8 a.m. in a summer where the pandemic is still crippling travel, it is easy to be neat and tidy, but right now it is absolutely irreplaceable since there is no alternative of any kind.

• plaza premium lounge

The verdict

Either eat this soup or jump out the window. Right now (July 2021) there are no alternatives at Rome Fiumicino. Despite this it is an above average lounge for the space and how they have digitized making it easy to order and be served at the table. Perhaps they should extend the same service to the bar and not just the food department. In the final judgment I give half a point more just because it is open, which is no small feat.

7.5

Rated Location

8

F&B

7

Services

6.5

Pro

• The way orders are handled
• Spaces, seating, power outlets. Everything is there

Against

• No longer affiliated with priority pass