AIR NEW ZEALAND KORU LOUNGE

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL

My husband and I were lucky enough to have access to the Air New Zealand Lounge at Sydney International Airport prior to boarding our business class flight on Virgin Australia. We arrived 3 hours early for our afternoon flight from Sydney to Los Angeles- check in was swift and we are handed "fast passes" for a shorter line through immigration. Before you know it, we are sitting in the Air New Zealand Lounge with a cold wine in hand.

I will start this review by saying I think I have been spoilt by the Qantas club. I know this might sound a bit ungrateful- but the Qantas club has a MUCH better selection of food and beverages than the Air New Zealand Lounge.

The food selection was basic and unhealthy- pizza, hot dogs and chips. I saw a lot of people grab the tongs from the hot dog cart and pull out a pale soggy frankfurt and pile on all the toppings. I wonder if I'm the only one that thinks that is a strange choice for a business class airport lounge? My husband and I steer clear and head towards the pizza, which I guess is the best of the options (slightly). It was just ok, but very greasy.

The design is nice and neutral- albeit a little dated. The staff are lovely at the front desk and the cleaning staff do a great job- as soon as you're finished with your plate, it's gone before you know it.

We obviously enjoyed our couple of hours here- but they could really make this lounge so much better. As mentioned, this lounge services Virgin's business class passengers (which is their highest class for the Sydney- Los Angeles route) and Air New Zealand's first and business class passengers. I would have thought the offerings would have been of a higher quality. I'm not a food snob at all- I enjoy pizza and junk food, but there is a time and a place for a hot dog cart (maybe a child's birthday party?)- it just seems so out of place here!

For more information visit: www.airnewzealand.com.au/koru

All photos by Belinda- www.outoftheoffice.com.au