Greg Bruce checks into the Swedavia lounge at Stockholm-Arlanda airport.
The greeting: So gentle and pleasant I can hardly remember it. Did it take place or was it just a beautiful dream?
First impression: I had low expectations, because I had been told to have low expectations. But as I entered, I felt a lifting clear of the drudgery of international transit. The space was flooded with light from the floor-to-high-ceiling windows and the quiet was overwhelming.
What's there: Not much. This is Swedish minimalism at its finest. The thing about Sweden in general and this lounge in particular: it doesn't overwhelm you with endless crap but it has everything you need. The lounge isn't big but has plenty of discrete spaces for your multitasking pleasure.
Who's there: As close as I've found to an empty international airport lounge. A handful of business or business casual travellers among a sea of empty seats and spaces. It was reasonably early in the morning, so the airport wasn't heaving, but this is one of the advantages of a lounge like this: A lack of bells and whistles equals a relative lack of demand.
