Catania airport inaugurates new "Angelo D'Arrigo" VIP lounge: protests are sparked on social media (and block comments)
Renovation work began in December last year and today, April 28, 2025, with a few days of [...]
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Renovation work began in December last year and today, April 28, 2025, a few days in advance, the inauguration was held: the new VIP Lounge "Angelo D'Arrigo" of theCatania airport is ready.
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At "ribbon cutting", in addition to SAC CEO Nico Torrisi, His Excellency Monsignor Luigi Renna, Archbishop of Catania, Maria Cristina Busi Ferruzzi, President of Confindustria Catania, Antonino Belcuore, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Southeast Sicily Chamber of Commerce, and Giovanna Candura President of SAC were present.
Those who entered before the work will probably struggle to recognize it as the spaces have been completely renovated as well as expanded: increased from 70 to over 400 square meters of floor area, with a total of 200 seats. The lounge is located in the airside, in the boarding area, in front of gates 5 and 6. The offerings are basic but functional: lounging areas, work zones, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a lavish buffet; what the average traveler is, in fact, looking for.
Photo: @Aeroporto di Catania
Who will be able to access it? As SAC explained in a note, access will be allowed "to premium card holders and active conventions, but daily admission will also be available for purchase by accessing the hall directly." Translated: priority pass members will be able to enter Dragonpass and the holders of the Catania Airport VIP Card. We will see whether passengers on board the group's flights Lufthansa will be given access to ITA Airways lounge. Or they will continue to use this one.
Photo: @Aeroporto di Catania
In short, just in time before the start of the hottest months for air travel, Catania are both lounges open again (the other is ITA Airways' "Piazza Bellini," ed.). One would expect a very warm reception from travelers, yet the controversy: and to realize this, one need only read the comments left under the Facebook post through which the airport announced the opening of the lounge.
Many users, in fact, complain about the inadequacy of the air terminal: 'instead of opening the vip lounges, why don't you expand the waiting rooms,' someone writes; 'we need to fix the services, not the VIP areas,' someone else writes instead." And meanwhile, in the post on Instagram, comments were turned off...
