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Review: Star Alliance Lounge Gharulhos International Airport (GRU) – São Paulo

GRU
Lounge Star Alliance
Airport Aéroport international Gharulhos
Lounge Access Method Classe Affaires
Country Brazil
City São Paulo
To the point The Star Alliance Lounge at São Paulo Gharulhos International Airport (GRU) is accessible with certain Canadian credit cards. This is Caroline's span class="term" data-original-term="cmVwb3J0YWdlLXBob3Rvcw==">photo story.

This post is also available in: FR

Arrival at São Paulo Airport (GRU)

Après un merveilleux voyage de familiarisation de 4 jours au Brésil, il fallait bien retourner à la maison à Montréal (YUL).  Le matin de mon retour, la pluie s’était déchaînée sur São Paulo et au lieu de durer une heure, mon trajet vers l’aéroport international de São Paulo (GRU) en a pris 3, à cause du trafic.  Heureusement, mon vol a aussi été retardé.

Lorsque je suis passée près des comptoirs d’enregistrement d’Air Canada, il n’y avait personne.  J’hésitais entre le fait de penser que j’étais vraiment en retard et que tous les passagers m’avaient devancée ou que tout le monde était encore derrière, coincé dans le trafic.

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En route vers l’aéroport, mon niveau de stress avait augmenté par moment devant la possibilité de manquer mon avion. Mais maintenant  avec mon billet en classe Signature et la confirmation que le vol était bel et bien retardé, je me suis dit “pourquoi ne pas aller au Salon Star Alliance pour relaxer et manger du pão de queijo!”

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Presentation of the lounge Star Alliance

This lounge is located in terminal 3 (after security) for international flights, in the corner of the duty-free shops. It is located on the mezzanine, with 4 other lounges, and is open between 07:00 and 03:00 in the morning.

On peut y entrer:

Dans ces deux derniers cas, il faut bien sûr voler avec les lignes aériennes regroupées sous Star Alliance.

En cas de grande affluence entre 15h00 et 20h30, l’accès sera limité exclusivement aux passagers de Star Alliance. L’entrée seulement avec un accès Priority Pass ou Lounge Key peut donc être refusée.

Enfin, pour ceux qui ne remplissent pas les conditions pré-citées et si le salon n’est pas bondé, un frais d’entrée de 70$USD par personne est exigé.

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The entrance is modern and the agents at the reception give you the wifi code of the lounge. They told me they would call me when it was my time to board, but that was not done.

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When you enter the lounge, you get an impression of great space because of the high ceilings and the bay windows.

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The view is overlooking the corridor leading to the gates and shops on the lower level.

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When I was there, there was really very little traffic!

A system of intertwined ropes acts as a false ceiling.

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There are plenty of armchairs and electrical outlets, coffee machines, magazines and daily newspapers.

There is also a closed section, sponsored by an electronic tag, which can be used for groups or meeting purposes.

A section is completely set back for people who want to watch TV.

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A room is ideal for people with babies or young children. A nursing chair and a mattress for diaper changes are available to help families. Everything seemed very clean.

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Shower stalls are available for $20USD, but are free for Star Alliance Business Class ticket holders or American Express card American Express Platinum. I was able to sneak into a booth to take a picture, because there was no one at the counter. This cabin appeared to have been used several hours ago and had not yet been cleaned. All the others were locked.

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I love the note that shows which way to turn the faucet for cold and hot water!

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Food and Beverages

The breakfast offer was decent, although I’ve seen better. But on this Monday morning, the lounge is practically empty and the plateaus are barely touched. I saw few staff there during my visit, only a lady who stocked the fridge with drinks.

There’s even a station for making grilled cheeses!

And I have reached my ultimate goal… to eat the marvellous id=”gid_0″>pão de queijo, which I discovered during this trip to Brazil! The ones from this lounge were good, although I had eaten better ones in the last few days. But I was happy with it.

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The bar is located in the center of the lounge. There were no employees assigned to the bar, so the bottles of alcohol were available to everyone. Even though it was only 8:30 in the morning, people were parked next to the bottles of wine and happily helping themselves. It’s 5:00 p.m. somewhere in the world, as they say!

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Conclusion

This lounge is a good option, both for its comfort and for what it offers. It’s on the way to the gates and allows for plenty of daylight before a long flight.

Goodbye, pao de queijo! You smell sua falta! I’m going to miss you!

The best way to get to the airport card s

Voici 3 excellentes cartes de crédit canadiennes permettant d’accéder aux salons d’aéroport:

Si vous voulez en savoir plus sur les cartes de crédit permettant d’accéder aux salons d’aéroport, consultez cette stratégie!

This post is also available in: FR

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4.1 Milesopedia Rating
Caroline Tremblay
I'm Caroline, a loyalty program specialist! I use my points to travel more often and at a lower price with my spouse and our two children. I'm passionate about writing about the latest rewards news and how to put more points in your pocket.

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