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Oneworld Airline Alliance Plans New Joint Airport Lounge In Moscow

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Oneworld, the worldwide airline alliance that includes American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas and a dozen other carriers is announcing a new type of airline lounge next year — one shared airport facility for the entirety of its network rather than individual spaces for specific members.

The new Oneworld lounge — one of several in the works from the alliance — will launched in Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, the second largest international airport outside of the Russian capital behind Sheremetyevo International Airport. Domodedovo is also the home of S7 airlines, the chief alliance carrier in the region, as well as a destination point for several other alliance partners. The new lounge outside of Moscow will be the first officially branded Oneworld lounge when it opens, though there is still no official opening date set for the space.

Oneworld’s new lounge plans follow news earlier this year the alliance was working to streamline some of its operations among carriers. And among other initiatives like working to manage upgrades and check-in between carriers, one keen area of interest in the group has been in sharing airport lounge experiences.

In London Heathrow’s Terminal 3, for example, several Oneworld carriers operate international service and have respective premium airport lounges. By combining resources into one, shared, larger alliance lounge, carriers like American, British and Cathay can potentially cut costs while still providing a premium experience for high value passengers.

One of the big challenges with sharing lounges and resources, however, is that it requires better coordination within the alliance and the proper real estate available at the right time and for the right carriers in an airport. As of earlier this year at Oneworld’s 20th anniversary meeting, the formal coordination was coming together. Now, with Domodedovo airport in need of lounge facilities, there’s an opportunity to build a shared lounge.

“We are excited to launch the first Oneworld branded lounge at Moscow Domodedovo in this momentous year, as we celebrate the alliance’s 20th anniversary with an invigorated mission to deliver the highest levels of service and most seamless travel experience to our customers,” said Oneworld CEO Rob Gurney in an alliance briefing. “Moscow Domodedovo is the home of our member S7 Airlines, and we are thrilled that the first Oneworld branded lounge will be located at its hub.”

With Oneworld’s first lounge now in the books in Domodedovo, the alliance can work on plans for successive openings. According to a release in February, Oneworld is considering consolidated lounges in Beijing Daxing International Airport, which just opened this year, Sao Paulo, London Heathrow and Frankfurt, which plans to open up a new terminal in 2023.

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