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I had a chance to visit Air New Zealand’s International Business Class Lounge in Sydney Airport before our ANA flight back to Tokyo. This is Air New Zealand’s flagship lounge in Australia, and the first one to be opened with their new lounge design by Gensler.

Location and Hours

Once you’re through customs, proceed towards gate 56/59. Before you reach those gates, you should see a set of escalators that goes up to the mezzanine level, where the lounge is located.

The opening hours are from 6:00am until the last NZ flight.

Admission eligibility

The lounge is available to any Business Class passengers travelling with Air New Zealand or other Star Alliance carriers. Airpoint Elite, Gold, Elite Partner and Koru members are also eligible to enter.

Lounge experience

The lounge is visually STUNNING, sleek and modern. At the entrance, an array of high definition screens display awe-inspiring New Zealand scenery. Embossed on a glossy black wall behind the reception are the words “Kia ora”, which means “Welcome” in the language of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand.

The lounge has a black and white theme with pink/fuschia accents, which looks spectacular. Seating types are plentiful and suit everyone’s needs, including comfortable arm chairs, 2-seater dining tables, stool seating, bar seating, as well as lounge chairs that offer more privacy and an airport view.

Fancy a drink? The staffed cocktail bar serves alcoholic drinks as well as different types of coffee which you can order through an iPad.

The catering in this lounge is pretty impressive, featuring a good assortment of hot and cold dishes. Everything looked very nicely presented and appetizing. Most importantly, from the dishes I tried, they tasted great as well. The caliber of the buffet selection reminded me of other lounges such as the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge or The Pier Business Class Lounge. Get ready to scroll through lots of pictures of food!

There are also two self-service beverage bars; one located near the buffet, and a smaller one located further into the lounge. Both offer a selection of juices, pop, teas, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.

Showers facilities are available, so of course I did not pass up this opportunity to freshen up before my flight. Although the lounge was relatively busy, there was no queue for the shower suites.

Similar to the lounge, the showers were beautifully designed, featuring concrete flooring and ash-colored wood paneling. The room was very spacious, but the amenities left a bit to be desired. For example, there weren’t any toothbrush kits, razors, moisturizer, or hand cream. The shower amenities featured Antipode products.  Thumbs up for the rainfall shower head. With that said, nothing has yet surpassed the shower suite I experienced at Cathay Pacific’s The Wing Business Class Lounge.

Everything about this lounge has a nice and sleek design to it – bathrooms included.

Another great facility of the lounge is the kid’s play room, perfect for families travelling with small children.

In Summary

I really enjoyed my visit to this lounge. This is the only Air New Zealand lounge I’ve been to, but it definitely left a good impression on me. The lounge looks and feels great, with plenty of different areas to suit your needs, whether you’re traveling for business, with a family, or just want to relax before a flight. It was dark outside when I visited, but I can imagine the amount of natural light and panoramic views you would get from the windows lining the length of the lounge. As I mentioned, the catering is fantastic – lots of selection, beautifully presented, and great tasting. The showers are a great escape from the busy airport rush, even though it lacked in some amenities.

All in all, this lounge sits up there on my list of favorite business class lounges. It’s definitely worth coming to the airport early to experience this Air New Zealand charm.

Have you ever visited the Air New Zealand Lounge in Sydney, or other locations? How does it compare? We’d appreciate it if you dropped us a comment! Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more reviews and trip reports like this one.