Jet Airways, India's largest privatised airline, has begun to fly to 20 new international routes in the last 12 months. It has added four services from North America -- New York from JFK and Newark, and Toronto -- to India, via its hub in Brussels, Belgium, and also a flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Shanghai.

The airline, however, is discontinuing its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight from January 13, 2009, due to global economic slowdown.

But Jet is solidifying its presence in North America by opening a luxury lounge room at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

The lounge room (previously occupied by Silver Jet, which recently went bankrupt) will be shared by Jet Airways [Get Quote] and the French airline, L'Avion.

"It is wonderful. Something that we were trying to achieve for one year with the airport authorities," said Nikos Kardassis, Head of Americas for Jet Airways. Kardassis was Jet Airways' CEO from 1993 to 1999 and recently returned to the management of the airline, heading its North American operations. He is also a senior advisor to the chairman for corporate strategy and finance.

"It's a nice, comfortable space. We have first class and business sections here. And food and drinks � both, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. It is also a space where you can check-in the passengers and take care of them."

Located right near the taxi drop off and the check-in section at the Newark Airport, the Jet Airways and L'Avion lounge room is a calm space with even-toned, colored furniture, quiet corners for private meetings, magazine and newspaper racks -- including publications from India -- and a wall full of drinks and food items.

The lounge room can hold from about 80 persons. The two airlines have staggered schedules and none of their flights overlap. So each airline's passengers can occupy the space at different times.

The current space is located before the passengers enter the security check, a reflection of the fact that Newark Airport is rather old, built around the time when providing a resting area for premium class passengers was not the norm. But times have changed and all airlines now realize that a lounge room is part of good customer service.

"We hope to get a larger space and only for Jet Airways," Kardassis said, adding that he wished for a lounge room space closer to the boarding gates. His dream would be a lounge room space similar to the one that Jet Airways has in Brussels with marble floors and private showers for first class passengers.

"There are two different airlines and two different cultures," said Robert Sargenti, principal architect, who redesigned and refurbished the Silver Jet space for Jet Airways and L'Avion. His goal was to evolve the space that would work well for the two carriers. He was joined in his efforts by interior designer Kati Curtis, who matched color schemes to bring a convergence of the identities of the two different airlines.

"Eventually the two airlines wanted a place for their elite passengers, to service the customers who are homeless," Sargenti added. "They need to have a drink and decompress before they board the airline. The atmosphere in the lounge has to be a place of refuge and calm. It is a nice way to go 'aaaah,' before you get on the plane -- to make the whole experience more pleasurable."

Currently Jet Airways flies out of Brussels to New Delhi and Mumbai. This November the airline will add Bangalore to its direct flight schedule from Brussels. Kardassis added that the airline is also considering direct flights from Brussels to Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Other plans include flying out of Chicago and Washington DC to Brussels and then to different destinations in India.

Jet Airways is also a convenient connection for Indian passengers traveling to other European cities, Kardassis said. Jet's relationship with Brussels Airlines allows passengers from India to switch flights at Brussels and head to 20 other European destinations, and also to Tel Aviv.

Images: Jet Airways' luxury lounge room at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. | Photographs: Aseem Chhabra