The Airplane Bar Is Dead. Long Live the In-Flight Lounge

In 2020 the coolest airplane bar is actually parked at New York’s JFK airport. It’s been decades since American Airlines had its onboard piano clubs or Continental had Polynesian Pubs aboard; now even Emirates is pivoting away from its horseshoe-shaped bars.

Instead the new high-altitude drinking den is a best-of-all worlds lounge designed like a coworking space but with flight attendants who can bring you cocktails. And while it’s been slowly cropping up as a trend—Etihad introduced the idea in 2014, with other airlines from Virgin Atlantic to Qantas recently embracing it—expect more airlines to follow suit with flexible and relaxed spaces setting the tone for your mile-high carousing.