Waiting for your flight in Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is not very exciting.
The terminal’s low ceiling and cramped gate areas aren’t exactly welcoming, and the concession options aren’t much better than what will be offered on board, especially if you’re sitting in business class.
While the long-term replacement of Terminal B is still in the works, the good news is that there is a happy temporary fix for travelers: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the airport, plans to offer three new leases. for lounge updates.
Here’s the latest.
Air France is planning a Newark stopover
Perhaps the most exciting news is that Air France, one of the new airlines to serve Newark, wants to open its own lounge at the airport.
The Paris-based carrier has submitted a seven-year lease proposal for a 6,129-square-foot lounge in Newark’s Terminal B. If approved at a Port Authority board meeting Thursday, the lease will take effect Jan. 1. 2025. (The Port Authority Board recommended that the executive director move forward with this proposal.)
Although details are scarce, Air France will pay rent equivalent to $13.4 million during the first lease term. It will also invest at least $3 million to renovate the resort.
It is not known where exactly the Air France lounge will be located, and the carrier declined to comment on its pending lease proposal.
That said, Air France recently learned of flights to Newark in December 2022, after exiting the market in 2012.
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With the airline looking to invest so much in a permanent lounge, the newly launched route from Newark to Paris seems to be doing well enough to support such a long-term investment.
British Airways is planning to refurbish its Newark lounge
In addition to the new Air France lounge, British Airways plans to invest at least $8.5 million to “fully refurbish and refurbish the lounge” it uses at Newark’s Terminal B.
The airline’s existing lounge at Newark is about average. It features sweeping panoramic views from floor-to-ceiling windows, and a variety of living spaces, but could use a modern touch.
The Port Authority did not provide further details about the proposed development, but said the company will receive another seven-year contract worth approximately $13.2 million if approved by the agency’s executive director.
La Compagnie maintains its lounge in Newark
Finally, La Compagnie, a French airline specializing in business class leisure, currently operates a lounge in Newark, called Lounge&Co.
The facility replaces the former Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, which mysteriously closed in mid-2023 without notice. The space was vacant for a long time before it emerged as La Compagnie lounge earlier this year.
The carrier hasn’t put much work into the lounge — it still retains much of the decor from the Virgin Atlantic days — but plans to renovate its charter.
The nearly 5,000-square-foot lounge will cost La Compagnie about $8 million to rent over the next seven years. In addition to lease payments, the airline will also need to invest at least $1.9 million in “renovation of the lounge,” the Port Authority said in its board agenda.
We’ll be watching closely because this improvement to the passenger experience at Newark’s most dreaded station can’t come soon enough.
Of course, all of these lounge upgrades come as the airport also expects to roll out the new American Express Centurion Lounge sometime in 2026.
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