Review: Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen)

On our way home from Crete, we had the opportunity to visit the new Aegean Business Lounge (Non-Schengen) at Athens International Airport.

The lounge opened in April 2022, with the aim of providing a relaxing retreat with state-of-the-art features that promotes Greek culture through its architecture, décor, and food.

Having no prior knowledge of the lounge, I had no clue what a treat my family was in for.  

Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) – Access

The new Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) is located on the departures level, post-security, in the international departures area. In the below map, it’s the part of the airport that’s shaded in blue.

After security, walk through the duty free shop. As you exit the shop, you’ll enter the hallway that takes you to the A Gates, and you’ll see an overhead sign directing you to “Business Lounges”, located just before the Hugo Boss store.

Make a right here, and it’ll take you into an area with signage directing you to the four lounges upstairs, clearly identifying which airlines and programs have access to each.

Head up two sets of escalators, and you’ll reach the entrance to the lounge on the third floor. From the outside, the entrance looks quite modern and grand, with electronic glass gates that guard its entry, and a large skylight to brighten the entryway.

The dark blue against the stark white floors and surrounding walls really draws your attention towards the entrance, while the white floating motifs that represent flying gulls work well in portraying Aegean’s logo and identity.

The check-in desk is located outside of the lounge, and was manned by three staff members. Here, they’ll scan your boarding passes before asking you to proceed through the electronic gates.

The Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) is open to passengers flying in Aegean business class and other Star Alliance airlines in business class, Miles+Bonus Gold passengers, as well as Star Alliance Gold members.

The lounge is open from 5am until midnight daily.

In our case, flying Air Canada business class back from Athens to Toronto granted us access. 

Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) – Seating

When you enter the lounge, the first thing you’ll notice is that it’s spacious and bright. The brightness is in part due to the floor-to-ceiling windows around the lounge that overlook the apron and taxiways.

The dark blue and white theme from the entrance continues on inside the lounge. The furniture is a mix of dark blue, black, white, and grey colours with curved, soft edges, and white marble and wooden accents throughout.

The flooring is a mix of wood and terrazzo tiles, giving the space a very clean and modern feel.

The 1,250 square metre space is divided into a social lounge, central lounge, media lounge, and quiet lounge, much like the set-up of an open-concept home, where one area blends into another. Throughout the lounge is plenty of seating in a variety of arrangements, ready to suit the needs of all passengers.

The quiet zone is located right by the windows, where single recliners with their own private partition are spaced just far enough apart to provide some peaceful solitude. Each station comes with a small lamp, side table and an outlet with USB ports.

If you enjoy the quiet but don’t want to get too comfortable, then can grab a single seat just behind the recliners.

The media area has a large flat-screen display made of multiple screens as its centrepiece. It showcases digital art and features photos from different destinations.

There are some couches in the middle, which are perfect for a family or group of friends to spread out, or you can grab a couple of armchairs instead.

The central lounge area is the largest open space, with plenty of curved couches and armchairs situated throughout. At the far end of this area is a flight information display screen. 

Several long tables that can seat up to 12 guests are scattered throughout the lounge, well-suited for those needing a workstation or for a large family or group to gather. 

No matter where you choose to sit, there’s always a table, light, and outlet plug with USB ports close by. The outlets are strategically located on the fronts of tables, under them, on the walls, and under the seats. 

Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) – Dining & Bar

Aside from the plentiful seating, the dining area was the highlight of my lounge experience. Setup as a self-serve buffet, it offered locally inspired food, with plenty of options to satisfy all palates.

There was a variety of are cold dishes, including salads, sandwiches, wraps, cold cuts, and cheese.

If you have a carb craving to satisfy, choose from a selection bread, bagels, croissants, coffee cakes, doughnuts, cookies, granola bars, and other Greek desserts. Healthier options, such as fresh smoothies and fresh cut fruit, are also available.

This was by far the most frequented area of the buffet for my kids. 

For hot food, several warm Greek dishes and a soup were served. On the day we visited, there was spanakopita, stuffed peppers, meatballs, and a orzo and shrimp casserole.

The quality of the food surpassed most lounges I’ve been to, and having shrimp is a rarity.  

The dining area beside the buffet offered cafeteria style seating, with most tables for two, a couple of larger tables for up to six-to-eight people, and bar-style seating by the windows.  

Another smaller area featured upholstered chairs arranged in a way reminiscent of a small café. With tables for up to three people, it provided a perfect area to socialize over a coffee, glass of wine, or snack.

Coincidentally, this area was located right beside the self-serve bar. The bar served a variety of liquors and wine. Small bowls of dried fruit and nuts were offered to go with your drink, which I thought was a nice touch.

Around the lounge were three beverage stations. One was located at the end of the buffet, and offered an extensive selection of canned and bottled beverages, including pop, juice, and other carbonated drinks.

I usually don’t have juice, but ended up enjoying a small bottle of pure pomegranate juice. 

The other two were café stations that offered tea and coffee, and had fancy espresso machines.   

I also want to mention that the staff here are wonderful. They are meticulous in keeping the place clean, tidying up dishes and tables, replenishing food, and helping out guests.

My daughter accidentally knocked her drink off the table and made a bit of a mess on the floor, but a staff member quickly came over to clean it up and with a warm smile, gave her a hug and told her not to worry about it. 

Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) – Other Facilities

Aside from its plentiful seating arrangements, and an extensive beverage and food selection, the lounge doesn’t offer much in terms of facilities. There are no showers, sleeping rooms, private workstations, or a dedicated kids space. 

There are two small, private meeting rooms that can be used by anyone. 

Restrooms are located inside the lounge, and were clean and modern.

Complimentary high speed internet access, as well as free magazines and newspapers, were available for guests.

Conclusion

The new Aegean Business Lounge Athens (Non-Schengen) is a beautifully and thoughtfully curated space that offers and an excellent place to relax, work, or just socialize before boarding a flight.

While it may lack the extra facilities and services found at some other lounges of large international airlines, it sure makes up for it in its aesthetic appeal and the fantastic array of food and beverage offerings it provides.

I would highly recommend checking out this lounge when in Athens.