Located within the International Terminal at Christchurch Airport, the Air New Zealand International Lounge boasts a large floorplan of close to 600 square metres, and can accommodate 125 seated guests. The lounge opens 2 and a half hours prior to the first departure of the day.
As per the map above, eligible passengers simply have to walk past JR Duty Free after clearing security to access the lounge. As I was travelling in Business Class on Singapore Airlines that day, I was entitled access to the lounge.
The first thing that caught my attention was the walkway leading to the main entrance, that seemed to embrace nature with the wooden finish.
That of course gave way to a more contemporary take on airport lounges that we are all familiar with these days.
I simply presented my boarding pass and was granted access to the lounge. As my flight was in the morning, I was practically one of the first few guests who accessed the lounge.
From the entrance, the space opened up to the main area where all the food and beverage were displayed. As expected, being one of the first few passengers at the lounge, everything was all freshly prepared for the breakfast crowd. There was a wide selection of beverages to choose from too. But more on the food later.
I roamed around the lounge to explore it further. Just beyond the buffet area was a large seating area with tables and chairs for dining. Guests can choose from the conventional round tables, or enjoy more communal dining at the long tables.
If you’re not hungry and are looking for a quiet place to read a book or get some work done, there are quite a number of seating areas to choose from. There was a large area with lots of sofas, and even high tables too if you prefer those.
For your entertainment, the lounge has televisions positioned throughout the lounge, and a magazine rack for some reading material.
For those who love watching planes while waiting for your flight, pick one of the seats by the large floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The staff can draw the blinds as required to control the light intensity within the lounge.
Now back to the food. As I was expecting a meal shortly after takeoff, I had a light breakfast at the lounge. The sausages and eggs were great, and I enjoyed it with some fresh orange juice. There was also some creamy soup to go with it.
I spent most of the time before my flight at the lounge before heading straight to the gate for boarding. Overall, I enjoyed myself at the lounge, mostly because the crowd was manageable. In fact, the crowd was thinner than what most would expect at an international lounge. The food and beverages were always stocked up, which was commendable. However, I am not too sure about the crowd situation for afternoon and night departures so you might want to take note of that. Nevertheless, the Air New Zealand International Lounge at Christchurch definitely makes for a comfortable place to wait for your flight.