The Star Alliance Lounge located at Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles Airport was voted best Alliance Lounge at the Skytrax World Airline Awards for the third year in a row.

Presenting the award to the lounge team Christian Draeger, Vice President Customer Experience Star Alliance, said: "We could have not received a better present for our Alliance's 20th Anniversary. Getting this accolade three years in a row is testament to the fact that we have a fantastic team operating and managing our LA Lounge. The lounge opened nearly four years ago and customer feedback continues to be positive, underlining the fact that we are offering a very high quality experience on a consistent basis."

Member carrier Air New Zealand developed the Alliance's LAX lounge and manages the facility on behalf of Star Alliance.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Anita Hawthorne commented: "It's fantastic to have the Star Alliance Los Angeles Lounge recognized once again at the Skytrax World Airline Awards. Our team works hard to deliver a world-class experience to Star Alliance customers using the lounge each and every day and it's great to have their efforts recognized."

The premium customer facility at LAX can accommodate up to 400 Business Class and Star Alliance Gold passengers and has an additional exclusive area for First Class passengers.

Designed by global architectural firm Gensler, the 1,675 square meter lounge features different experience zones to accommodate the various passenger needs, ranging from social gatherings to quiet time away from home. The lounge offers a bar area for socializing, a library space, a den, a study and a media room. Guests wishing to work can do so from the location of their choice, making use of the high-speed wi-fi, along with the printing, fax and copy services which are available on request. In addition to traditional power outlets, customers can also make use of USB power ports to recharge their mobile devices. For those "traveling light", tablet computers are available on request for use in the lounge. Passengers wishing to freshen up before their flight can do so in one of eight shower suites. The highlight is without doubt the unique open air terrace which offers panoramic views of the northern runway towards Hollywood Hills. This space provides passengers with an unparalleled sensory experience, complete with fire pits and a water wall.

In addition to the Star Alliance branded lounge at LAX, member carriers Air Canada and United have also recently opened new lounges in Terminals 6 and 7 respectively.

Lounge access continues to be rated as one of the top Alliance customer benefits. Star Alliance First and Business Class passengers as well as Star Alliance Gold Card holders currently have access to more than 1,000 lounges across the Alliance's global airline network. In addition to airlines' own lounges and those operated by third parties, Star Alliance currently has six Alliance branded lounges. Besides LAX, these are located in Buenos Aires (EZE), Nagoya (NGO), Paris (CDG) and São Paulo (GRU) and since December 2016 also at Rio de Janeiro (GIG).

The Star Alliance branded lounges can now also be explored virtually thanks to a new functionality on www.staralliance.com which allows users to "visit" the lounges in the digital world.

Customer Experience Improvements at LAX

Over the past years the Star Alliance presence at LAX has grown both in terms of member carriers serving the airport and routes flown. The recent addition of flights operated by Austrian and LOT Polish Airlines brings the total number of Star Alliance carriers operating at LAX to 17, placing it just behind New York - JFK, which has 18 member airlines and thereby the most Star Alliance carriers at any airport in the Americas.

Besides providing an improved lounge offer at LAX, Star Alliance has in parallel worked with the airport operator, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), to secure the best possible collocation for its member airlines, given the existing infrastructure constraints.

"We have already made significant progress in improving the experience for both our customers originating LA as well as for those who are connecting via the airport. We will remain in close and constant contact with the airport operator to ensure that our experience in providing a seamless customer experience will add further benefits in the development of the airport", said Draeger.

LAX represents one of Star Alliance's main international hubs in the USA and is served by 17 member airlines - Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, Turkish Airlines and United. Together they offer around 780 daily flights in and out of LAX (510 domestic and 270 international) to 74 destinations in 26 countries.

Contributed by Star Alliance