Airport Lounges: Here are 5 of the Best Ways To Get Access

We at LoungePair are in the business of selling airport lounge access on behalf of our partners. However, we also want to give our customers the choice and educate them on the other ways that they can get access.

Airport lounges are a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal. During the COVID-19 pandemic where distancing yourself from others is often desirable, an airport lounge offers that much needed escape before your flight.

While there is a perception that airport lounges are for the wealthy, or those who fly a crazy number of miles in a year and acquire flashy status, there is usually an avenue for anyone to get access to all but the most exclusive lounges. This guide shares the top 5 ways that you could get airport lounge access.

1. Pay for Access to an Airport Lounge Direct or via a Third-Party

Do you know all those lounges that you can use Priority Pass to get into? Subject to capacity, you can usually just pay to walk right in the door. Alternatively, you can book and pay online in advance.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of links to sources that will let you purchase airport lounge access:

• LoungePair, which is yours truly. We compile lounge offers from all known sources online, so you can compare prices in one place. We sell passes for hundreds of lounges directly, with complete flexibility on use - just purchase a pass, then book your flight at whatever time and date suits you within the pass expiry range.

• Lounge Pass, which is owned by Priority Pass. You may like to check the websites for individual lounges to ensure you’re getting a good price (affiliate link).

• LoungeBuddy, which is owned by American Express. You must have an American Express credit card to purchase access.

• Sleep ‘n fly who offer fantastic ‘sleep’ pods and rooms in Dubai and Doha.

• Plaza Premium Group, the world’s largest independent airport lounge operator (affiliate link).

• No1 Lounges, who have lounges in the United Kingdom and Australia. They have been bought out by Airport Dimensions and Swissport.

• Marhaba, owned by Emirates.

• Executive Lounges, owned by Swissport. Many of their lounges are under the coveted Aspire Airport Lounge brand.

• Escape Lounges, who have lounges in the United Kingdom and the United States. Owned by Airport Dimensions, a division of Collinson.

• LoungeMe, owned by TAV.

No1 Lounge in Birmingham, United Kingdom

2. Apply for a Credit Card that Offers Airport Lounge Access

Applying for a credit card that offers airport lounge benefits is by far one of the easiest ways to ensure that you have access before your next flight.

The credit cards that offer unlimited airport lounge access usually have very high annual fees. American Express is the most commonly known card issuer that offers this benefit, particularly their Platinum card. This card comes with an annual Priority Pass membership for the main cardholder, and also for one supplementary cardholder. You can also use the card to get complimentary access to a range of other lounges with partners like Escape and Plaza Premium.

There are also credit cards that offer a limited number of annual lounge access passes per year. The fees on these cards are usually reasonable to most. Often this more limited benefit will suffice, particularly if you only fly a few times per year.

There are also cards that offer a new lounge access pass each time you hit a specific spend threshold, and these are good if you have an approximation of how much you’d spend on your card per year.

Because we’re global, we cannot cover all the different cards where this benefit is offered. There are some great travel sites out there that write extensively on this topic include Point Hacks (Australia), One Mile at a Time (United States), and The Points Guy (United States).

3. Buy an Airport Lounge Membership

This is an option for those that find themselves loyal to one airline, but do not fly frequently enough to earn status, and do not spend enough cash or points to find themselves in Business or First Class.

There are many airlines that offer paid membership programs. In our home country, Air New Zealand offers an annual paid Koru membership, which many can get cheaper through corporate work packages, or from discounts for holding select credit cards.

In Australia, Qantas and Virgin Australia both offer paid lounge membership programs.

Expect to pay $399 to $650 per year, plus an “initiation fee” or “join fee” (waived for some if they have the right credit card). As long as you renew each year, or even purchase a multi-year membership, you’ll find yourself paying less as time goes on.

However, you need to make sure you do the maths. This could be a good option for those who would otherwise pay for one-time access or have other memberships like Priority Pass but fly via airports that don’t offer participating lounges (i.e. they’re dominated by airline-run lounges).

4. Attain Elite Status

Whether paid for by you or your employer, most airlines reward those who live on their aircraft for ridiculous amounts of time, and even more so if you’re up the pointy end in Business or First.

The status earn requirements are different depending on the airline you fly with. Attain Gold status on Air New Zealand, for example, and you’ll get access to most Star Alliance airport lounges around the world.

The SkyTeam Airline Alliance made up of airlines like Delta, Air France, and KLM offers airport lounge access for certain elite members.

One favourite is the oneworld alliance, which is spearheaded by Qantas and Cathay Pacific in the Asia Pacific region.

Some airlines like Qantas and British Airways even offer lifetime status after you’ve earned a certain number of ‘status’ points.

Once achieved, this means that you can fly once a year and still get access to oneworld lounges worldwide.

5. Be a Guest of Another Traveller

As most will know, LoungePair started off as a site where you could rely on the kindness of strangers to gift airport lounge access. One only has to read travel forums like FlyerTalk to find that there are plenty of examples of travellers standing outside of airport lounge doors, hoping that someone will kindly guest them in. You can also check for airport lounge guest passes for sale online, however, note that this will likely be against the terms and conditions of the lounge membership program, and if you are caught out, you’ll likely find yourself back in the terminal with everyone else.

Common Questions Answered

What is the best way to get airport lounge access?

The answer to this question really depends on how much money you have, your time, your appetite for risk, and how often you fly. If you can afford it, get yourself a credit card that offers complimentary access through a program like Priority Pass, and then plan your travel based on the lounges you know you will get access to. The best way to get access with no strings attached or long-term commitments is to just buy access via websites like ours.

What do you get in an airport lounge?

Each airport lounge is a little different, but as a rule of thumb (and this may be different during COVID-19), you will find yourself with access to:

• Hot and cold buffet food

• Drinks including beer, wine, champagne and spirits

• Magazines and newspapers, though usually now offered via PressReader

• Television

• Free Wi-Fi

• Workstations with computers and printers

• A comfortable (and private) area to sit and relax before your flight

• Charging points, including specifically for phones and USB.

• Showers and bathrooms

How do I get free airport lounge access?

The only absolutely ‘free’ method is to be a guest of another. All other paths to access do involve an element of paying for it, whether it’s a result of time away from family, credit card fees, or booking a seat in Business or First Class:

• Get a credit card that comes with either an annual membership with a program like Priority Pass, or at least a couple of passes that you can use per year with select lounges

• Earn elite status and then be gifted with airport lounge access

• Get free access as an active military member (usually in the USA only)

Summing up

As you can tell, there are a myriad of different options for getting access to airport lounges.

There is no ‘best’ airport lounge access method for everyone. It will often depend on budget, travel frequency, what airport you’re flying from, or whether you want a high-end credit card.

LoungePair offers flexible day use passes for hundreds of lounges worldwide, with no fixed entry date or time, and at competitive rates compared to other sources. We also list all other sources so you know you’re getting the best price.