New Star Alliance lounge opened at Heathrow

People flying with members of the Star Alliance airline network, which includes bmi, US Airways and Lufthansa, can now access a new lounge facility at Heathrow Airport.

The alliance has opened its largest lounge in the international departures area at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 1.

First and business class passengers, invited guests and Star Alliance Gold Card holders can access the lounge, which provides 1,650 square metres of space and more than 300 seats in separate sections.

Amenities include food service areas, shower facilities and business centres providing computers, wireless internet access, printers and fax machines.

Lee Hock Lye, vice-president of products and services for Star Alliance, said the new lounge was a "major benefit" to airlines and customers.

He added: "Rather than own separate lounges and incur duplicate construction and operating costs, Star Alliance lounges save the airlines money and give customers a high-quality experience in a comfortable environment that is much larger and with more amenities than the carriers could provide on their own."

The Star Alliance network will soon be boosted by the inclusion of Continental Airlines. The carrier, which is based in Houston in the United States, was invited to join the alliance shortly after it reached a joint venture agreement with United Airlines.

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