Austrian charter operator Grossmann Air Service opened a new passenger lounge at Vienna airport on September 8. The ceremony was attended by local Austrian politicians and celebrities, including the Austrian science and traffic minister, Dr Caspar Einem, and Dr Kurt Waniek, member of the board of directors at Vienna Airport. According to sources at Grossmann Air, the guests were each presented with a small tree, said to "symbolise the growing of the air-charter company." Said Waniek: "Today it is more than ever important for airtaxi companies to take care of the passenger and offer the best service possible."\rHowever, the opening of the lounge was the culmination of some difficult negotiations, according to Grossman Air. "In Austria, things like this are very hard to achieve," said Daniel Gabler, a spokesman for the company. "It's not like the UK where a company can build a new terminal, and it's no problem. If you want to build something on the territory of Vienna airport, there is still this state monopoly idea. General aviation is always the step-child of all the airports." The lounge features an internet link, fax and telephone, and a conference table that accommodates up to 10 people. There is also a bar, sofas, and a restaurant serving food. Grossmann Air is about to purchase a 24-seater Fairchild Dornier jet, so the lounge has been designed to cope with this number of people. Typically, two members of staff work in the lounge, although this number is doubled when things get busy. "The unique thing about the lounge," said Gabler, "is that it exists. It is the only one of its kind."\rThe new facilities have been a success, according to Gabler. Vienna is an important centre for business meetings and political conferences, and the new service offers its customers the chance to avoid waiting in public places and "be amongst themselves." Within its first week the lounge has been visited by the rock star Billy Joel. Grossmann Air is no stranger to celebrity customers, however. The company, which operates a Learjet 55 and a Challenger 600 out of Vienna airport, is often contracted by music tour organisers, and has transported Whitney Houston around Europe in the past. Grossmann, like many charter operators, is currently seeking to expand into the former eastern block, as far as China.\r"American companies land in Vienna and carry on with one of our aircraft because we know the area better," commented Gabler. "We've been doing trips to places in Siberia that I've never heard of, some weird places!"