Lounge Review: GIG’s ProAir VIP Lounge in Rio de Janeiro

Flying out of Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport from Terminal 1 on Copa Airlines, I had ample time before my 2:30am international flight so I wanted to seek out the lounge. There is not much open in the airport in the middle of the night so I was hoping for a comfy airport lounge to help pass the time. The ProAir VIP Lounge in this terminal is for passengers of Copa, Aitalia, Avianca, Aerolineas Argentinas, Iberia and British Airways flying in the business and first cabins, along with holders of Priority Pass and Lounge Club memberships.

Seemingly a mile’s walk from security, it is a long trek through a maze of hallways of once-upon-a-time

stores and food venues. The Lounge was hopefully the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow of now-vacant windows and boarded up spaces. I kept on trekking, even though I was the only one in these quiet halls so late at night.

Comfy lounge? Pot of gold? Hardly.

Here is the door that greeted me. Just one look at the carpet in the doorway and it didn’t bode well.

How about one of the most dated lounges I have come across with the most uncomfortable seating ever. If you happen to claim the one and only faux-leather sofa that they have, maybe your opinion of the seating comfort would be better than mine. But alas, there was one other soul in the lounge and he had already taken possession of the sofa.

Doctor office seating is more comfortable. I’m of average weight and I took up every bit of the width of the straight-back chair. Ah, perhaps the width and lack-of-comfort is to prepare us for the long economy flight ahead? If that’s the case, they succeeded in preparing us well.

Since I hadn’t yet had dinner and knew I would want to sleep through the meal time on the flight, I was hoping for a healthy snack or two. But just like my hopes were dashed on the comfy chairs, they were again as well with the food.

Plastic-wrapped sandwiches and salads, along with puffy dough balls of something, were the offerings. No thanks. My reliable protein bar, ever a staple in my laptop bag, became my meal.

Adult beverages were offered, though I decided to pass on the limited selection. Instead, I grabbed a small plastic container of water.

A few more passengers who successfully navigated the long, barren hallways wandered in. Unfortunately for them if they were hungry, the food offerings were being removed for the night.

The lounge did offer a few positives: free wifi, a bathroom (thank goodness you didn’t have to run back the terminal with your legs crossed), and a safe place to hang out. And the long walk did help me get to my walking goal of 10,000 steps for the day.

I’ll end this review on this positive note, such that it is.