Lounging Around

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hough we've become thoroughly used to e-tickets, many of us remain wary of checking in for a flight online, and still end up arriving at the airport a couple of hours before a scheduled departure. To ease the tedium of waiting (and retain the loyalty of sophisticated passengers), airlines have taken unprecedented pains over their airport lounges in recent years. Not so long ago, first-class and business-class travelers were shown to drab rooms with nothing but a self-serve bar and rack of newspapers to recommend them. These days, they're more likely to be offered a fashionable sanctuary, with spa, dining and business facilities to keep them happily occupied for hours. Some lounges, like Virgin Atlantic's new Heathrow Clubhouse, above, rival any downtown nightspot for style and exclusivity. Here are four others that take the pain out of having to get to the airport early.

VIENNA: With slender, frosted-glass partitions, lots of whitewash, and modish furnishings in cheery blues and reds, Austrian Airlines has created an appropriately airy ambience at its Business Lounge Plaza in Vienna. The second-story space overlooks the tarmac and features a particularly well-equipped business center, Zen-inspired dried floral arrangements and walls decorated with playfully large depictions of spring flowers and clouds.

HONG KONG: It's been open for seven years, but The Wing—Cathay Pacific's stylishly minimalist lounge at Hong Kong International Airport—has lost none of its flair and continues to appear at, or near, the top of travel polls. First-class passengers can enjoy spacious cabanas and a fine-dining restaurant, The Haven. Business-class passengers are offered "personal living spaces" consisting of a desk, armchair and dataport, along with shower suites and an excellent noodle bar.

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NEW YORK: British Airways has gone for a laid-back and unpretentious feel at its sprawling Terraces lounge in J.F.K. airport. There are loungers, umbrellas and giant potted plants. Complimentary treatments—including facials and massages—for first-class and Club World passengers at the Molton Brown spa add to the stress-free atmosphere. There are even highfalutin' hydrotherapy showers for the ultimate in pre-flight relaxation.

FRANKFURT: With a personal assistant to wait on you until it's time to take off and limousine transfer across the tarmac to your waiting aircraft, Lufthansa's first-class lounge at Frankfurt raises the bar when it comes to service on the ground. Passengers can work in fully equipped individual offices, rest in private suites, kick back in the cigar lounge, watch movies on demand or dine in the gourmet restaurant.