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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
While the lounge isn't show-stopping (or worth arriving early for), there's a lot to like about Oneworld's new lounge concept, and I'm quite content with it as an outstation lounge |
4.5
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In February 2024, Oneworld opened one of their first alliance lounges at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. This lounge is located within the airport’s non-Schengen area, and open to all Oneworld passengers flying outside of the Schengen region that would otherwise receive lounge access.
While Oneworld’s airlines individually operate some of the best lounges in the world, prior to late 2023 there were never any centralised lounges managed by the alliance itself. SkyTeam and Star Alliance both operate multiple alliance-wide lounges around the world, so Oneworld is the last of the major alliances to join that game.
The lounge has received mixed reviews, though I actually think it’s very well-fit for its purpose – it’s a good size and features a nice selection of food and beverages, without being over the top. This lounge reminded me of the Star Alliance lounge in Rome, a lounge I think very highly of (despite being slightly weaker on the food selection). There is some eccentric decor here, though I didn’t find it to detract from the lounge’s overall comfort.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Access and Opening Hours
The Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam is open from 5:30 AM to 10 PM, and is open to first and business class passengers departing Amsterdam Schiphol Airport same-day, as well as Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members. Just to give you a sense of who that is, here are some airlines that depart out of Schiphol Airport use this lounge:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
While Finnair and Iberia also fly out of Schiphol Airport, this lounge is located in the non-Schengen region of the airport, so generally you wouldn’t be able to enter (has anyone tried asking immigration nicely if you can visit this lounge?).
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Location
The Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam is located at Schiphol Airport’s Lounge 40, in the non-Schengen area of the airport. Signage at Schiphol is generally quite good, so follow the signs to lounges 40-41, which will lead you up a couple of sets of escalators.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Signage to Oneworld Lounge
Lounge 40 is the Oneworld lounge, whereas Lounge 41 is the Aspire lounge. Both lounges share an entryway, so head up to the barriers and turn left into the Oneworld lounge (if there’s someone standing there guarding capacity, it’ll be for the much more crowded Aspire lounge, which is a Priority Pass lounge).
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Entrance
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Seating and Atmosphere
The Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam is one long room, though it feels quite well-partitioned due to the presence of some really high-backed chairs, as well as conical light fixtures acting as partitions. The lounge sure has a bit of a whimsical design, without much rhyme or rhythm to the form of the seats.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam
In terms of seating, you’ll see a large variety of seating, which I like. There are individual armchairs of a few different sorts, bench seating, and loungers, all of which are scattered throughout the lounge.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Seating
Some of these armchairs feature little tables for propping up a laptop, as well as charging ports. I found these to be surprisingly comfortable for working, despite the fact that I normally prefer a larger and sturdier table.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Armchairs
On top of that, you’ll also find a long communal table as well as some booths on the other end of the lounge, which I’d say are more apt for doing some more serious work.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Seating
There’s also plenty of seating that faces the tarmac, which is great – one of the lounge’s longer edges is an entire floor-to-ceiling window, which is awesome, given the otherwise lack of natural light at Schiphol Airport.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Seating Facing Tarmac
The Oneworld lounge mainly overlooks the D and E gates (the KLM A330 close up in the below photo is parked at gate E2), though I suppose you can probably see runway 18L/36R in the distance.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Views
Despite Schiphol Airport being such a large airport, there actually aren’t that many non-Schengen flights flying out of it, so I wouldn’t expect the lounge to be extremely crowded at any time of day. During my 5 PM visit on a Saturday in June, there were only ever a handful of people there, despite the neighbouring Priority Pass lounge being almost at capacity.
Is the lounge’s seating the most practical lounge there? No, not really. I can certainly see why people find the furniture to be form over function, and the lounge’s design is overall on the whimsical side. However, I thought that the seating was comfortable enough and found the atmosphere to be very pleasant, and felt that I could definitely work and rest comfortably here.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Food and Beverage
The Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam has a middling food selection, and a very good drinks selection, with a staffed bar and barista coffee.
The food spread features a selection of cold cuts and a salad bar, and a range of fairly unappealing-looking hot options.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Food Selection
The drinks selection is much stronger, as they have a fully staffed bar with cocktails and barista coffee. The bar is located very close to the entryway of the lounge.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Bar
The bar didn’t have a menu when I visited, as they were just in the midst of updating their menu to a newer version. However, the bartender explained to me that I could pretty much order any standard cocktail I wanted. You can also get draught beer from this lounge (I unfortunately forgot to take a note of what was pouring at the time).
I first asked for a flat white, which was served with a stroopwafel. The flat white itself wasn’t amazing, though did taste better than machine-made coffee.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Coffee
I then decided to see whether I could have a cocktail with it. Upon not being able to choose what I wanted, the bartender suggested an espresso martini, since I was drinking coffee anyway. I obliged, and it was pretty good, albeit quite strong – it even came complete with a coffee bean garnish.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Espresso Martini
Later during my stay I went for a negroni, which was served with a straw (the Fanta was from a soft drinks fridge not pictured).
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Negroni
If for whatever reason barista coffee isn’t available, there is an espresso machine elsewhere in the lounge. However, I’d recommend giving this a miss if barista coffee is available during your visit, as it is better.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Coffee Machine
You’ll find a selection of soft drinks in a fridge by the food spread area. I can’t see why the bartender wouldn’t make mocktails, though I didn’t try this out over the course of my stay.
I’d say that the food selection is overall average at best, whereas I found the drinks selection to be strong (albeit nothing being particularly impressive in quality). This isn’t anywhere near one of the best airport lounge bars in the world, though is fairly good for a non-airline affiliated lounge. I’d definitely pop by the lounge for a drink or two if I was eligible for a flight.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Showers
The Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam has two shower suites. While I found the lounge itself to be practical enough, I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the shower suites were designed – there wasn’t a shower curtain or any other barrier (despite there being a rail), the ventilation was poor, and there was no toilet. I was also given two mini-tubes of body wash from The Shower Collection, and no shampoo.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Shower Suite
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Call Booth
In terms of other facilities, the Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam has a call booth, which you can use for deep work or for calls.
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Call Booth
Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam Service
While there’s no particular formalised service here at the Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam (e.g. no table service or anything), I found every staff member I interacted with to be excited about what the lounge had to offer. Whether it was the bartender, the lounge attendant at the entrance, or the shower attendant, everyone seemed to want me to make the most of the lounge, which I appreciated.
Conclusion: Oneworld Lounge Amsterdam
The Oneworld lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is a modern lounge with a slightly eccentric design. Despite the fact that it definitely swings more on the “form” side than the “function” side of the spectrum, I found the lounge to be comfortable, well-appointed, and featuring good facilities. The lounge felt serene, and the serviced bar and barista coffee were a big plus.
I don’t think I’d get out of my way to spend time at this lounge, though I definitely would stop by if I had a few hours to spare at Schiphol Airport and had access.
Your description of the lounge decor as whimsical is spot on. In my experience, if beef stew has no space between the two words then stick with something else.