My trip to Amsterdam wrapped up and it was time to head home. I took British Airways to London City Airport, and the actual flight time was only about half an hour! Of course, you can also take the Eurostar, but nearly five hours on the train isn’t really an advantage. Before leaving, I checked the Oneworld website and wait, they’ve opened a new Oneworld-branded lounge in AMS?! I had to go take a look.
I had nothing going on that afternoon, so I arrived at the airport early. The train from the city takes just over ten minutes and costs five euros, far better than London! Amsterdam Airport only divides departures into Schengen and non-Schengen, not terminals. The upside is easy transfers; the downside is that the airport is huge and tiring to walk, especially the twenty-minute taxi after landing every single time, which is enough to break my spirit.
Anyway, back to the lounge. AMS lounges are numbered, and the numbers generally follow a geographical sequence, so they’re not too hard to find. The Oneworld lounge is No. 40 and next door, No. 41, is the Aspire Lounge.
I’ve actually been to this lounge before: it used to be the British Airways lounge, and I remember it being extremely mediocre. In 2024 it reinvented itself as the Oneworld-branded lounge, and I hoped it wasn’t just a name change.
I have to say, the first impression at the entrance was excellent: the design gives off a kind of time-tunnel vibe.
The interior continues that aesthetic: fashionable, modern, and a little futuristic.
It feels somewhat inspired by space travel. The lounge isn’t large, but the facilities are quite complete. There are enclosed office rooms:
Single-seat pods:
And scenic seats facing the windows, with an ocean of KLM’s blue-and-white outside.
Restrooms and showers:
The food spread is another highlight.
Hot dishes of the day included:
- Grilled chicken
- Korean chicken
- Beef meatball
- Rosemary potato wedges
- Mix of roasted summer vegetables
- Vegan lentil curry
There’s obviously an Asian (Korean?) theme here, as they had steamed rice, seaweed salad, tofu and edamame. A friend said there were instant noodles when he visited, although I didn’t see it.
Desserts were plentiful as well, including pastel de natas, which you don’t often see.
Wine is self-serve, and for spirits you can order at the bar. I got a cappuccino.
This Oneworld lounge visit was a pleasant surprise. Compared to its previous incarnation as the BA lounge, calling it a full rebirth is no exaggeration. It’s hard to imagine BA’s design sense (or budget) producing such an impressive lounge.
From what people have shared online, this Amsterdam Oneworld lounge looks very similar to the one in Seoul, which is interesting as the alliance doesn’t have any member airline in South Korea.
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