Airlines

Evaluate: ITA Airways Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)

As a part of my 4 flights throughout the Atlantic journey, I had an prolonged layover at Rome Airport. I used to be arriving in ITA Airways’ A350 enterprise class from Miami shortly earlier than 12PM, and was departing in ITA Airways’ A320 enterprise class for Cairo shortly after 10PM.

This allowed me loads of time to expertise ITA Airways’ Piazza di Spagna Lounge, which is the provider’s flagship lounge within the non-Schengen space of Rome Airport. I’ve combined emotions about this lounge. On the one hand, it’s fashionable and has a wonderful choice of contemporary meals. Alternatively, it lacks any particular facilities, and doesn’t even have working showers.

Let’s get into the assessment…

ITA Airways Lounge Rome location

The ITA Airways Lounge at Rome Airport is situated in Terminal 3, within the non-Schengen space, previous passport management. In case you’re originating in Rome, simply undergo the obligation free outlets, and observe the signage within the path of gates E11-24.

Rome Airport Terminal 3

As you go deeper into the terminal, you’ll see that gates E11-24 are in a single path, and there’s additionally signage there for each the ITA Airways Lounge and Emirates Lounge. You’ll wish to head in that path.

Rome Airport Terminal 3

When you go down that hallway, you’ll see the doorway to the ITA Airways Lounge on the left. It’s arduous to overlook, given its branding.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome exterior

ITA Airways Lounge Rome hours

The ITA Airways Lounge Rome doesn’t have particular hours, however slightly is open from the primary to the final ITA departure of the day. So if you happen to’re touring on ITA, you possibly can anticipate that the lounge will likely be open no less than a few hours earlier than departure.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome entry necessities

The ITA Airways Lounge Rome is a reasonably normal lounge on the subject of SkyTeam lounge entry insurance policies:

  • The lounge could be accessed by ITA Airways enterprise class passengers, in addition to enterprise class passengers on SkyTeam companion airways, together with Delta; no friends are allowed
  • SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers (together with ITA Volare Premium and Govt members) on ITA and SkyTeam companions also can entry the lounge; one visitor is allowed

On high of that, lounge entry could be bought by different ITA passengers for 35-45 Euro per individual (the lower cost is that if buying entry upfront, whereas the upper worth is that if buying entry on the airport).

ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating & format

The ITA Airways Lounge Rome is roughly 1,000 sq. meters (~11,000 sq. toes), with seating for round 200 friends. For the time being that is loads huge for ITA’s dimension, even throughout peak hours. Nonetheless, the airline plans to greater than double the dimensions of its lengthy haul fleet in comparison with present numbers, so I think about this lounge may get fairly crowded sooner or later.

Curiously the lounge is within the house of the previous Casa Alitalia Lounge. That lounge underwent a full refresh in 2018, and I consider that little has bodily modified in regards to the lounge. So the lounge feels fairly fashionable, however not leading edge.

There’s one massive rectangular room that acts as the point of interest of the lounge. This space has dozens of cafe-style tables (every seating two to 4 individuals), in addition to a restricted quantity of high-top seating, with the self serve buffet within the heart of it.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating

While you go into the again of the lounge, you’ll see that there’s an extended and slender space with seating. There are dozens of seats lined up alongside a middle walkway, after which additionally seats organized going through each other by the home windows (sadly there aren’t any views from the home windows, or from anyplace else within the lounge, for that matter).

ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating

There are a number of smaller rooms alongside the primary a part of the lounge, every seating anyplace from a handful to a dozen individuals.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating
ITA Airways Lounge Rome seating

That’s the extent of the lounge. I ought to observe that shops had been pretty restricted — it wasn’t arduous to search out them within the sense that there have been shops by a number of the partitions, however this isn’t a type of lounges the place each seat has plugs.

I used to be a bit disillusioned by the shortage of number of seating choices and facilities. For instance, there was no enterprise heart with workstations, no nap areas, no play space for youths, and so forth.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome meals & drinks

One space the place the ITA Airways Lounge Rome shines is with meals. The tone for the nice meals is about with the open kitchen off to the aspect of the lounge, which even has a very pizza oven. There’s no microwaving occurring on this lounge (not like in so many different lounges).

ITA Airways Lounge Rome open kitchen

The buffet wasn’t large, however I discovered the standard to be distinctive. The buffet was within the heart of the lounge, and was totally self serve (although there have been workers within the lounge who had been continuously replenishing objects, and ensuring all the pieces was trying nearly as good because it may).

ITA Airways Lounge Rome buffet
ITA Airways Lounge Rome buffet

The meals choice was completely scrumptious, and included a salad bar, chilly cuts and cheese, every kind of individually portioned appetizers, a few forms of contemporary pasta, soup, and one of the best pizza I’ve ever had in an airline lounge.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome buffet
ITA Airways Lounge Rome buffet
ITA Airways Lounge Rome buffet
ITA Airways Lounge Rome buffet

It’s so refreshing to see an airline lounge serve precise restaurant high quality meals, slightly than simply some reheated meals or packaged snacks, as is all too frequent.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome meals

So far as drinks go, the one drinks that had been self serve had been the bottles of water beneath the buffet.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome drinks

All different drinks had been out there from the bar. There was a choice of mushy drinks, espresso, wine, beer, and cocktails.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome bar

Under you will get a way of the alcohol choice that was out there.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome drinks

I used to be happiest to see the correct espresso machine, with barista-made coffees out there on request.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome espresso machine
ITA Airways Lounge Rome espresso

Italy is thought for its unbelievable espresso, so I really feel that it’s truthful to be brutally sincere. The cappuccinos right here had been nice by US requirements, however paled compared to the drinks out there on the Plaza Premium Lounge Rome, which has a number of the greatest airport lounge espresso I’ve ever had.

So the espresso was good, however might be higher, in my view.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome bogs

The ITA Airways Lounge Rome has bogs, which had been nicely maintained. Curiously there have been no urinals, however slightly only a half dozen stalls.

ITA Airways Lounge Rome bogs
ITA Airways Lounge Rome bogs
ITA Airways Lounge Rome bogs

Whereas there was a room within the again that had a bathe emblem on it, I requested about this on the entrance desk, and was knowledgeable that it’s not out there. It wasn’t simply that it was occupied, however it appears that evidently showers aren’t being supplied proper now. That’s fairly disappointing for the flagship lounge of an airline that’s promoting lengthy haul journey (some individuals may fly from the US to India through Rome, for instance).

Backside line

The ITA Airways Lounge Rome is nice, with comfy seating, phenomenal meals, and a wide selection of drinks served by a bartender. Whereas the lounge’s furnishings is kind of good, I do want there can be a bit extra selection when it comes to the seating choices, like workstations, relaxation areas, and so forth. Moreover, it will be good if there have been functioning showers.

Given the superb Plaza Premium Lounge in the identical terminal, I’d most likely go to the ITA Airways Lounge to eat, after which the Plaza Premium Lounge to bathe, loosen up, and drink espresso.

What do you make of the ITA Airways Lounge Rome?

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