Airlines pump up the luxe factor

SLASHING staffs, coach-class perks and other expenses may be just the ticket for financially strapped airlines these days. But there’s at least one place where some carriers are pouring on the cash: airport lounges for members and premium passengers.

Several airlines are opening larger, more luxurious facilities with sybaritic touches such as showers, spa treatments and crystal chandeliers.

The goal, industry experts say, is to cater to big spenders in an era when low-cost competition has sent the price of a coach seat spiraling downward. First- and business-class passengers are “the airlines’ bread and butter, revenue-wise,” said Matthew Bennett, editor and publisher of FirstClassFlyer.com, a consumer buying guide to premium travel.

The economics are compelling. “As tickets have become less and less profitable, lounge memberships have become relatively more profitable,” said Tim Winship, editor and publisher of FrequentFlier.com, an online newsletter for frequent fliers.

Rules vary. American, for instance, sells Admirals Club memberships for $450, or 70,000 miles per year; renewals cost $400, or 60,000 miles. Elite frequent fliers pay as little as $300, or 45,000 miles, per year for new memberships. Some first-class, business-class and full-fare coach passengers also have access to the lounges. For details, visit www.aa.com and select “Airport Clubs & Lounges” from the “Travel Information” pull-down menu.

You can even buy a lifetime Admirals Club membership in an offer good through the end of the year. But the price, starting at $5,300, may make it a questionable investment, experts said, unless you do a lot of flying and your company is paying.

Some recent lounge openings:

* American Airlines: An 11,300-square-foot Admirals Club opened last month at American’s new $1.1-billion terminal in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. It can seat more than 180 people.

Besides a business center, the facility offers a spa-like shower area, flat-screen TVs showing DirecTV and a children’s room with computers and TVs that show Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network.

Adults can buy a day pass to the lounge for $50. By the end of the year, American will open two clubs at the Miami airport and a fourth one at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

* Virgin Atlantic: This British carrier opened a Clubhouse at JFK last year. At 7,000 square feet and seating up to 150, it’s smaller than American’s lounge but big on glitz. It’s equipped with a sleek bar, pearlescent illuminated screens and a waterfall flowing into a 90-foot-long reflecting pool. If you must do business, there are booths with iMac computers.

Virgin’s newest lounge project is overhauling its Clubhouse at London’s Heathrow airport. Last month, it opened a spa and salon there. When finished in December, the 8,000-square-foot space -- twice the current size -- also will have a 45-foot-long cocktail bar, a sushi bar, a ceiling-to-floor water wall and a chandelier adorned with Swarovski crystals.

Upper Class passengers will enter on a grand staircase sporting sculptured glass balustrades. In the spa, dubbed Cowshed at the Clubhouse, passengers can get facials, manicures, massages, hairstyling and even a tan.

Virgin’s lounges are free to Upper Class passengers. There are no memberships or day passes.

* Air New Zealand: It’s not just the biggest airlines that are reviving their lounges. Air New Zealand in August doubled the size of its lounge at LAX, its main North American gateway for 40 years, and pumped up the luxe factor. The new 7,550-square-foot sanctuary is lined in Rimu wood veneer and carpeted in wool, both from New Zealand, and decorated with artwork from there.

The space, equipped with six shower suites, is divided into zones for families, executives and other niche travelers.

The lounge is free to Business Premium passengers and certain frequent fliers. There are no annual memberships or day passes.