7. April 2026
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ITA Airways Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

ITA Airways Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN)

ITA Airways Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN)
3

Rating

 3.0/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Beautiful design with airport view
  • Italian vibes at the coffee bar

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Too limited capacity
  • In fact, access only by stairs (elevator access hidden)

I finished my February 2026 trip to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Italy at Milan-Linate Airport (LIN). It was not only my first flight ever from the Southeast Milan airport (after many Malpensa / MXP flights), but also my first experience with ITA Airways. Flying business class gave me the opportunity to check out their lounge there. Here is my review of the ITA Airways Runway Lounge at Milan-Linate Airport (LIN).

 

ITA Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN) – Location & Access

The ITA Runway Lounge is located in the Schengen area of the airport, close to the gates 17 and 21. It also serves non-Schengen flights, you have to factor in time you need for passport control. The gates are rather in the rear of the terminal, so that I had some three to five minutes walk back to my flight to Dusseldorf (DUS). The lounge is on a floor above the gate area. You have to take stairs which also lead to a restaurant. As I visited the lounge on a Monday morning, There is an elevator (which leads to the middle of the lounge, behind the reception desk), which is difficult to spot, though. There are also no explicit signs at gate level how to access the lounge by elevator

The lounge is operating daily from 6:00 to 22:00 hrs. At my time of visit, the lounge was open to status guests of ITA and Miles and More, including Miles & More Frequent Travelers) as well as business class guests of ITA and Lufthansa Group airlines. Additionally, the lounge is open to platinum and gold credit card holders of the ITA Airways American Express card. With the recent integration of ITA to Star Alliance, the lounge should also be open to any Star Alliance Gold frequent flyers. The ITA Airways Runway Lounge does not accept any lounge passes.

 

ITA Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN) – Atmosphere

After passing the reception desk, you can split the lounge into two sections. The main area, which also holds the food and drink facilities, offers different kinds of seating. However, the distance between the different tables is rather close, which leads to a packed atmosphere. The window overlooking the apron and a large screen on the opposite side lead to a more relaxed setting, though.

The second part of the lounge is located behind a wall, which reminds of the body of an ITA aircraft. This area is more relaxed and also thought being a more quiet zone of the lounge. You can look into the main area of the lounge through windows reminding of airplane one. This area also features three working areas offering privacy by glass doors. ITA gives a size of some 480 square meters. The lounge has a capacity of some 120 seats. Later during my visit,  the lounge was absolutely packed. Also due to the integration of the Italians into Star Alliance, you have to expect that during your visit, the capacity of the lounge is too small for the demand required, unfortunately.

 

ITA Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN) – Food & Drink

The buffet of the lounge is located along a wall of the lounge. The breakfast service provided by ITA Airways during my visit was reasonable. The selection is a bit of limited, but the quality was nice. There were different kinds of breads and pastries, as well as sweet and salty breakfast components. Due to the high volume of visitors during my visit, I could not take pictures of the cafe bar, which is located in one corner of the Runway Lounge. Italian coffee is obviously a lovely treat at a morning visit. All drinks, not only hot and alcoholic ones, were provided by the staff at the counter. This feels very comfortable, but might also unnecessarily delay your wait for a drink, though. Hot dishes are served for lunch and dinner only.

 

ITA Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN) – Services

I had no issues accessing the complimentary WiFi. The connection stability and speed was very good. Close to the buffet, there are also the bathrooms. Again, the capacity of this part of the lounge felt very limited as well. The staff was friendly during my visit.

 

ITA Runway Lounge Milan-Linate (LIN) – My View

I really loved the design of the lounge. It somehow warms my aviation geek heart. The food provided is sensible, the coffee bar adds some Italian vibes, even though it also comes with downsides like delayed waiting times. Unfortunately, you just cannot deny the two downsides of the lounge. First of all, being more or less only able to access the place by stairs feels bothersome. More than that, the capacity of the lounge is simply too low. As Linate (LIN) overall does not feel to be too generously sized, having an additional size upgrade does not feel realistic.

 

Lounge Reviews (last year)

Here are all my lounge reviews I posted during the last twelve months:

 

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