Sala Respighi is one of three Priority Pass lounges offered at Milan Malpensa airport – and the only one of those that is located landside, before security. I had a chance to visit the lounge in early January while making my way from Slovakia to Japan.
The lounge is located on 2nd floor of terminal 1 – in the check-in area. It is tucked away almost at the very edge of it, around check-in areas 2 and 3. And, it is not signposted too well in the further areas of the terminal (around higher numbered check-in areas).
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Since I was wondering whether it can be also used as an arrival lounge, I first tried presenting my British Airways boarding pass at the reception. However, I was told “this is your arrival boarding pass.”
As such, I presented my easyJet boarding pass to Barcelona which was accepted without any issues. The friendly lounge attendant also made sure that I knew that my flight was departing from terminal 2.
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Lounge Overview
The lounge was almost as simple as it gets – and basically consisted of one fairly small room with sofa chairs arranged around coffee tables, mostly in sets of four.
What made the lounge interesting, though, was that it also served as a check-in facility. The check-in counters at the very back of the lounge also served as the lounge’s reception. Unfortunately, the check-in counters are of limited use since they are only available for Alitalia passengers.
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Besides the sofa chairs and check-in counters, there was also a counter with three high-top chairs along one of the walls.
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Finally, there was also a small buffet counter with a selection of drinks and bites to eat.
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Food and Drinks Selection
Soft drinks available in the lounge included canned soda and ice tea, juices, coffee and tea.
Alcoholic drinks were available as well. There was a selection of liquor and wines as well as bottled beer.
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As for food, while no hot options were offered, there was a decent choice of lighter things to eat. There were yogurts and whole fruits.
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Then, there was a cherry pie and a selection of snacks including potato chips and peanuts.
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And, finally, there was a variety of sandwiches and wraps.
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Personally, I had a cup of orange juice, a pack of cut melon, a yogurt, a wrap and a baguette, all of which were fairly tasty.
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Club S.E.A. Sala Respighi Milan Malpensa Summary
Given that the lounge is located before security, and that there are other Priority Pass lounges located more conveniently after security, this lounge will be of limited use for passengers departing from Terminal 1.
The three uses where I can see this lounge being the right choice if you have Priority Pass is if:
- You fly out of Terminal 2 where there is no lounge
- You fly out of Terminal 1, but arrive before your check-in opens (you should be able to get in with your ticket confirmation)
- You arrive at the airport (I was rejected, but my friend could use the lounge with his arrival boarding pass in the past – so it will depend on how lucky you are with the staff)
In either case, though, the lounge is nothing to arrive at the airport early for.
