The Aspire aviation lounge at Helsinki Vantaa airport is available to all holders of Priority Pass. It is located in Terminal 2, but is primarily geared towards Schengen flights. The non-Schengen lounge, which is called Almost@Home, is also located in Terminal 2. Passengers who are traveling on non-Schengen flights can also use the Aspire lounge, provided that they allow enough time to pass through passport control later on.
Trip Report Series:
- Review: Air France Lounge, New York JFK Terminal 1
- Three Days in Vilnius, Lithuania
- Review: IDW Esperanza Resort Lounge, Vilnius Airport
- Three Days in Riga, Latvia
- Review: Primeclass Business Lounge, Riga International Airport (RIX)
- Review: Air Baltic Economy Class, Riga to Tallinn
- Three Days in Tallinn, Estonia: A Foodie’s Paradise!
- Review: Tallink Megastar, Tallinn to Helsinki
- Review: Aspire Lounge, Helsinki Vantaa Airport
- Review: KLM Business Class, Helsinki to London Heathrow (via Amsterdam)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, London Heathrow
- Review: Delta One Business Class, London Heathrow to Atlanta
The lounge was located on the second floor above a few cafes. Like most priority pass lounges, you have your membership ID scanned on your smartphone, and are able to bring up to 2 guests.
One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is how the design of the lounge looks very Scandinavian – which is pretty cool. The furniture is very modular and striking. It blends quite well with the colors scheme of the carpets and the finishes of the cabinets. It almost feels like your in your home or kitchen rather than in an airport lounge.
The deli and food selection was slightly above average. They had a few hot items available, such as eggs, potatoes and bacon, and continental items like fruits, yogurts and pastries. I helped myself to a few of the dishes and appreciated that they were there. A coffee and a muffin combination at an airport like Vantaa is extremely expensive.
The makeup of the crowd at the lounge was predominantly business travelers going on short-day trips to various places. You could tell this because very few people there had rollerboards and most seemed to be carrying just brief cases and tote bags, which I found very interesting. Above all, it also felt more like a casual cafe or place to grab a nibble as opposed to a traditional airport lounge, which I liked.
There is indeed free WIFI in the lounge, but it is also readily available throughout Vantaa airport. I noticed on the priority pass page that this is also a lounge that is equipped with showers and faxes.
One of my friends was on an Icelandair flight to KEF at a later date, so she hung out in one of the large, cozy enclosed sofa areas and relaxed while the rest of us proceeded to our flight to Amsterdam. The flight is located very close to the Schengen gates so it is a quick walk to head to where you need to go if you’re flying within the European Union.
Overall, I really enjoyed this lounge. We didn’t stay incredibly long, but it did provided us with all of the things that we needed before we started to make our way to the gate: hot coffee, decent food items, space to relax and decompress, friendly service, appealing size, quiet zones and friendly lounge attendants. Again, it was experiences like this one that truly justifies the value of Priority Pass membership. I cannot say enough good things about how the process works in I cities outside of the U.S.
Besides, I’m not a huge geek for design, yet I really took notice of the cool features that this lounge had to offer!
