Air New Zealand Plans Flagship “Elite” Lounge Auckland, Opening 2026

It’s an exciting time for Air New Zealand. The carrier is in the process of retrofitting its Boeing 787s with new interiors, including new business class seats. That’s not all, though, as the airline is also upping its lounge game, as reported by Executive Traveller… it’ll require some patience, though.

Air New Zealand introducing two-tiered lounge in Auckland

Currently Air New Zealand has a single international lounge at its Auckland Airport (AKL) hub. The lounge is pretty good quality (with great coffee!), though does get very busy during peak periods. That’s why it’s exciting to note that the airline plans to significantly expand the footprint of this lounge. Not only will the lounge be larger, but it’ll have an all-new concept.

Once the expansion is complete, it will have a new “Elite” section, exclusively for Air New Zealand’s Business Premier customers, along with members of Air New Zealand’s Airpoints Elite tier. Meanwhile Star Alliance Gold members and Airpoints Gold members will be invited to use the standard part of the lounge, which all travelers use nowadays.

It’s not yet clear if premium cabin passengers on Star Alliance partner airlines will have access to the “Elite” space or not, as I imagine those details are still being ironed out. The “Elite” section will be located inside the entrance to the lounge and to the left, while the rest of the lounge will be located to the right.

The concept of creating a “lounge within a lounge,” or of creating multiple tiers of lounge access, is nothing new. Just look at United, for example — there are United Polaris Lounges for eligible business class passengers, and United Clubs for others. United is hardly along with that, though. Carriers like Air Canada and Singapore Airlines also have separate facilities for select premium travelers.

It remains to be seen what will make the “Elite” lounge better, though. Presumably it’ll have better food and drinks, and more amenities. Could we see a la carte dining, or something along those lines? Only time will tell…

Timeline for Air New Zealand’s lounge changes

So, when can travelers look forward to this new lounge setup? Construction is expected to start within the next six months, which would be before the end of 2025. Then the project is expected to take around 12 months, which puts is into late 2026.

Of course it’s important to emphasize that airport projects rarely run on time, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this slip into 2027. Interestingly, this timing coincides with when Air New Zealand is expected to complete the retrofit of its entire 787 fleet.

The airline is still deciding how to handle lounge access while the work is ongoing. The airline recently sent a survey to its most valuable customers, asking what people would prefer for lounge access while the work is being performed:

As you may have noticed, our Auckland International Lounge has been experiencing periods of high demand so we’re going to be undertaking extensive construction work to improve our lounge and make your experience with us even better in the future. It’ll mean a lot of disruption, but we know you’ll think it’s worth it, and will be making sure you still have access to a dedicated space before you fly while construction is taking place. We’d like to know if you’d prefer an option to stay within our current lounge space while construction is happening next door, or whether you’d prefer to prepare for your flight somewhere free of construction activity.

Bottom line

Air New Zealand is planning major changes to its international lounge in Auckland. Starting later in 2025, the lounge is expected to undergo a significant expansion, which will take roughly a year. Once the lounge reopens, it’ll have a new “Elite” section, intended primarily for business class passengers. It remains to be seen what will differentiate the two parts of the lounge.

Either way, an investment in the lounge sounds great, especially when paired with Air New Zealand’s new business class onboard hard product.

What do you make of Air New Zealand’s Auckland lounge plans?