A new lounge has opened at Fiumicino Terminal 1: first impressions from Prima Vista
Fiumicino Terminal 1 is nearing the end of its major renovation/expansion. In the summer of last year it had opened [...]
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Fiumicino's Terminal 1 moves toward end of major renovation/enlargement. In the summer of last year he had opened the new pier A, the ceremony had also been attended by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. The restyling of the old Pier A was completed a few weeks ago, as well as the expansion of public areas, the new central square, and the new food outlets of what has been recently honored as Europe's best airport by Skytrax and one of the few who can boast the 5-star maximum rating.
Lounge situation at T1 Fiumicino
Before this major renovation work in Fiumicino Terminal 1, there were only 3 lounges: that of Alitalia/ITA Airways, the Prima Vista and the Star Alliance lounge. These three lounges were located in the old area near gate A3.
Now the number of lounges has grown and the center of gravity has moved to the most central part, above the promenade of stores between the two piers dedicated to Schengen embarkations.
To date of these 3 lounges one closed for good, one moved and in the old area. only the Star Alliance remains operational, but that should change soon. On the other hand, 3 new lounges have opened their doors: the ITA Airways Hangar, the Primeclass and the Plaza Premium.
All lounges in the same area, convenient but...
The choice of Placing all the lounges in the same area was very interesting and in my memory it is unique to Fiumicino.
For passengers, it is very convenient because in case of crowding of the preferred one they can point to one of the neighboring ones, on the other hand, however, if there is a technical problem in one of them, it is likely that the problem will also fall on the neighboring ones and the example is what is happening in these very hot days.
None of the rooms has an independent air conditioning system, but they all depend on the one in the terminal that cannot cool the rooms sufficiently. The reason is structural, for safety reasons it was not possible to install a total ceiling, and this situation is creating severe discomfort in all lounges.
Prima Vista has moved to its new location
The lounge is located on the mezzanine, the same where the restaurants and other lounges in the terminal are operating. Passing through the restaurants it is the first lounge you will find, but if you come from the escalators in the shopping arcade it remains tucked away on the right after the restrooms.
Some aesthetic choices are similar to all other lounges, while the biggest difference from the other new openings is the lack of overlooking the terminal corridor, of all the lounges is definitely the darkest.
Immediately behind the reception desk is the lounge area, which is aesthetically pleasing and overlooks the bar, but personally it feels like a lot of misused space. A series of armchairs around a huge central table.
The bar counter is manned by several employees and faces the central part of the lounge.
The lounge, unlike the others, is divided into three rooms by walls that reach up to the ceiling. During my visit it was super crowded, as are all lounges during these very high season days.
Like the other lounges, this one also has an open kitchen and a small buffet; there is also a pizza oven.
Compared to the others, the self-service offer of drinks is only related to water, while the rest of the drinks have to be asked to the staff.
I was in a hurry so this is not a review, it is just an article to tell about this new lounge accessible to Priority Pass holders in the terminal of domestic and European flights of the best Italian airport.
In conclusion
Missing from the roll call now is the move of the Star Alliance lounge, unless the sale of ITA to the Lufthansa group affects the alliance's plans, since with the move to Star Alliance all passengers from the LH group and beyond will have access to the Hangar and will no longer need an ad hoc lounge.
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