Lounges

Is it worth it?

Lounges run the gamut between offering the bare minimum of amenities and everything except water costing extra to lush temples of relaxation and getting done some work before a business flight with all imaginable luxuries available. There are often reviews by other travelers, which of course run into the same problems of subjectivity and paid positive reviews as do those for hotels and airlines in general. As well, domestic and transborder terminal lounges tend to be relatively inferior to international terminal lounges, given differences in their clientele.

If you are flying first (except within the US) or business class and your ticket includes lounge access anyway, checking out the lounge can't hurt, but whether you should arrive at your initial departure airport early just to be able to spend more time in the lounge depends on your preferences as much as the quality of the lounge. Bear in mind that baggage drop-off often doesn't open until a few hours before departure (though some airlines offer to drop off your bag the evening before for a fee or as an added bonus for higher tiers of their frequent flier program or higher class tickets) and many lounges are past security. If you have a long connection, there is often the question whether you should go to a lounge (maybe even a pay-per-use one) or explore the city. If immigration prevents you from leaving the airport anyway and you have a layover of several hours, a lounge - even one on the expensive side - can "pay for itself" if there's included free WiFi, food, drinks and so on which can get expensive if purchased otherwise at the airport.

Some amenities that are particularly attractive may not be available within certain timeframes. For example, some airport lounges may only offer liquor after noon due to liquor laws, or have a made-to-order noodle bar only open during a certain period of the day. In smaller airports, there may not even be hot food available except during certain periods of the day. It's a good idea to clarify what amenities are available at the time of entry before making a decision to purchase entry, if you are a pay-per-use visitor, either at entry or by phone/email.

Lounges generally have time limits associated with entry or sell passes with the expectations that they be used for only 2-3 hours. However, enforcement of these terms are arbitrary and inconsistent. For example, a lounge that is nearly empty or has negligent staff may not care if you stay in the lounge for half a day, or even sleep overnight, on a 2-hour Loungebuddy pass. Other lounges may ask you to purchase another pass, or check-in again if using a lounge access scheme so they may bill the scheme again for the duration that you are in the lounge. In unusual cases, you may be asked to leave the lounge, and in extreme cases, you may be referred to airport security or police for being disruptive and overstaying your welcome. Enforcement varies from lounge to lounge, airport to airport and country to country. There is oftentimes flexibility associated with lounge access, but take care not to overstay your welcome!

Travel class-based admission

For international flights, if you booked in at least business class, it is highly likely that lounge access is already included in the fare you paid. However, some carriers may exclude business class passengers on deeply discounted fare buckets (e.g. Emirates) and/or those who are travelling on business class as a result of an operational upgrade (i.e. those who originally purchased a ticket for a lower travel class but for operational reasons were upgraded to business class at the last minute).

If you are flying first or business class on a carrier that is part of an airline alliance, then you are generally free to use the equivalent lounge of any member of that same alliance as long as they operate in the same terminal as your departing flight and they are open shortly before departure. For instance, if you have a British Airways business class ticket departing from London Heathrow Terminal 3, then you may also use any One World airline's lounge located therein (e.g. Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Qantas). You may visit as many of them on the same day but you will obviously need to allow a lot of time at the airport to binge-visit and enjoy them, keeping in mind that carriers will only open bag drop four hours or less before departure.

For domestic flights on a U.S. carrier however, having a first class ticket itself no longer entitles a passenger to automatic lounge access. Exceptions include Alaska Airlines and selected transcontinental flights on other carriers which offer cabin service akin to what is seen on a long-haul international flight (e.g. flights between New York and Los Angeles). North American regional independent airlines such as Porter Airlines and Harbour Air are known for providing free lounge access or amenities to all passengers, but many have started closing lounges in favour of additional flexibility and free standby for all passengers to mitigate layovers in general.

When it comes to railway travel, lounge access is usually reserved for passengers in the upper classes and those who have paid slightly more flexible (and thus expensive) fares.

Frequent flyer tier-based admission

Star Alliance Gold, One World Sapphire and higher, and SkyTeam Elite Plus members (except those travelling domestic within the U.S.) get lounge access as one of their perks. Individual carriers may permit lounge access at the 2nd or 3rd tier level of their programme but for those who offer lounge access at the former, that privilege may not necessarily extend to flights with partner carriers.

Passengers who have elite status on the frequent flyer programs of U.S. airlines are no longer entitled automatic lounge access based on their Frequent Flyer tier. However, being on the higher tiers may provide discounts on annual membership fees for access those airlines’ lounges (see next section). In addition, people with elite status in the frequent flyer programs of foreign airlines in the same alliance are also generally granted lounge access on U.S. domestic flights.

Moreover, passengers seeking lounge access based on their membership tier need to be flying with a participating carrier on the same day they are seeking access to the lounge. For instance, if one only has Star Alliance Gold membership but holds a ticket for a flight to Cathay Pacific (a One World alliance member), then one will not be able to access the Star Alliance lounges for that day. You might be permitted to bring a "guest" but this (and the conditions of said guest admission) will vary from carrier to carrier and from lounge to lounge.

Paid and third-party-based admission

Passengers who don't have a first or business class ticket or a frequent flyer with elite tier membership can still often access independent lounges on a pay-per-use basis. The admission price usually starts at US$40. Some lounges allow individuals to purchase access directly, while others offer access through LoungeBuddy (which only accepts American Express cards) or through pay-per-use tiers of a lounge access scheme such as Mastercard LoungeKey or Priority Pass.

Another option is to subscribe to a lounge access scheme. Depending on the chosen scheme, subscribers may pay a discounted per-use rate, receive an annual allowance for access, or have unlimited access to the lounge for the duration of the subscription period. Priority Pass is one of the most well-known schemes and has historically offered good coverage (the program has become subject to severe limitations, however, due to the proliferation of lounge access schemes). Mastercard LoungeKey also offers comparable coverage and requires the cardholdership of a Mastercard World Elite-tier card.

In many cases, membership in Priority Pass and similar programs is complimentary for premium credit card holders, depending on whether the credit card issuer has partnered with such companies. For example, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X in the US, and several American Express cards worldwide include a membership in Priority Pass. Some worldwide Mastercard World Elite-tier cards are also eligible for the pay-per-use LoungeKey program, and many of these cards come with a complimentary number of passes. Some private banking or investment clients may receive a lounge access scheme membership through their banking or investment relationships.

However, it's important to note that lounge access scheme members usually have the lowest priority for accessing lounges and may be subject to space constraints or limited hours of scheme card acceptance. Priority Pass is particularly notorious for this, with most lounges not accepting Priority Pass clients outside of limited off-peak hours (especially in the US) - it is sometimes possible to book your place but this will often come at a surcharge.

U.S. carriers offer access to their US lounges on an annual membership basis, costing $600-750. This is becoming the only way to access airline lounges for those taking domestic flights as of 2022. Passengers need to hold a same-day ticket with the airline whose lounge they hold membership with. In some cases, U.S. carriers partner with credit card companies to offer co-branded credit cards that include complimentary lounge scheme membership to selected cardholders. However, the credit card issuer may charge high annual fees and issuance is subject to credit checks and approval.

Emirates offers pay-per-use admission to its lounges at Dubai International Airport starting at $136.50 for non-Skywards members who travel in an economy class or business class special fare ticket. It's also possible to access Star Alliance lounges such as Lufthansa and Air Canada through the Air Canada Maple Leaf Club, but worldwide access starts at a hefty $665 CAD and is limited to departures on a Star Alliance flight. This option is worth considering if you primarily transit through airports that have a heavy Star Alliance presence but don't have an equivalent third-party lounge operator such as Plaza Premium or Skyteam.

In airports without accessible third-party lounges, some Priority Pass memberships entitle pass holders to a restaurant, spa, experience, or other type of credit worth approximately $27-55 USD. This may be considered a superior value by some travelers.

American Express runs a network of lounges around the world for holders of some of their premium credit cards like the Platinum and Centurion cards. These charge high annual fees and require you to have a high credit score to qualify. Some financial institutions may also operate lounges for their premium customers; Singaporean bank DBS has lounges in Changi Airport for the exclusive use of their private banking customers. The United Service Organization (USO) operates a network of lounges throughout the U.S. for the exclusive use of active soldiers in the U.S. military

Air travel

Airlines usually operate their own lounges in their hubs and selected airports where they mount multiple flights a day to. However at other stations, they will partner with other airlines or third-party lounge operators to accept their passengers.

Rail travel