Since 1996, UFL has been a specialist supplier of terminal furniture to airports – large and small. We’re so dedicated to this part of the travel sector, we created a division solely to serve it.
After the past couple of years, we’re very excited about the future of travel and supporting airport specifiers and clients with the right furniture, practical advice and dedicated after sales support and maintenance.
We know the market, because we are the market – a team of well-travelled individuals who travel for business and pleasure. In ‘normal’ times, we regularly visit our European partners to build relationships and stay au fait with the latest furniture design. And we’re always travelling to support our clients.
Airport furniture needs a specialist
During this extended ‘delay’ the UFL team of travel experts hasn’t stopped researching. New products, new technologies, and new ways to work. How we fly has taken a seismic shift and we know it’s essential to be at the front of the wave as New Zealand reopens.
The best thing about our job is working with clients and sharing research to develop products that are perfect for their needs. Then we work with our designers, engineers and craftspeople to bring those ideas to life.
Built to last, by people who know airports
We know by revisiting projects decades later, that our products stand the test of time. Tipsy passengers, a couple of gins deep, dancing on the tables. The excited twins whose parents are trying to exhaust them pre-flight by letting them use the gate lounge seating as an adventure playground. This, more than anything we can write in this article, says ‘quality’.
We’ve had the same seating in some airports for 20+ years. Except for a little wear and tear, and an upholstery update, Auckland Airport still has original UFL beam seats in use from 1997. They are structurally as good today as the day they were delivered: well designed, well-engineered and well made.
New, fast and cheap is not always better
Some new players promise the world – manufacturing locally, fabricating cheaply and delivering quickly. But they do these things at the expense of quality, longevity and originality. These pieces will break or fail sooner rather than later, and because these businesses are built on sales, not relationships, long-term support is often MIA.
We are not those people. From the start, UFL has been about design-led quality and accountability for every piece we sell. While imitation is the biggest form of flattery (you know who you are), New Zealand isn’t big enough for being anything less than authentic. Reputations are on the line.
We are well supported by our trusted brands. Enea has been used in airports worldwide since its inception. Lottus, our popular Enea collection which launched in 2010 is durable, well-designed and doesn’t break. A constantly evolving selection of bases and colourways means no two projects look the same. Designers can go to town on creating a unique space.
The future of airports will be more welcoming
Airports can be scary. Echoey departure halls, intimidating security, customs officers who make you feel automatically guilty of smuggling. And the fear of imminently flying. We aim to make future airports calmer, more inviting spaces where passengers want to arrive early to enjoy destination shopping, restaurants and chill out spaces. A place that is warm and comfortable, yet commercially viable, functional and up to the task of looking after millions of passengers on their way home and away.
Highlights from 25+ years of serving airports
1996
Supplying Vanuatu Terminal with counters, seating, tape barriers, lounge furniture, art, even a new puppy to the terminal manager – now that’s a full service
1999
Design to installation of proprietary case goods for Auckland’s international terminal check-in counters
2003
UFL creates an Australian business dedicated to Australian airports
2008
A world first! ! We design and manufacture a rotating tape head for smooth, efficient passenger movement
2018
Winning two massive Shanghai projects to supply thousands of beam seats – a great achievement delivering a project on this scale
2019
We once again worked with Vanuatu Airport on a terminal expansion
2020
Watching kids leap from ottoman to ottoman in Canberra’s Airport – looking good 7 years after they were first installed
1996 – today
A hands-on, family-owned business where the owners and directors are personally there for delivery and installation (even at 3am)
Read our airport trend forecast and top picks for traveller-friendly furniture.