How to Get Lounge Access When Flying Premium Economy

Premium economy class can be a cost-effective way to fly in greater comfort, without shelling out for an expensive business class ticket. You’ll enjoy a larger seat, extra legroom and improved onboard service. But what about the airport experience?

Premium economy is primarily designed as an onboard upgrade, so lounge access is usually not included. But access to an airport lounge while you wait for your flight can equally make a huge difference to your travel experience.

Luckily, there are ways you can still access airport lounges when flying premium economy. This guide explores your options.

Premium economy tickets do not generally include airport lounge access, but there are a few exceptions.

Lounge access policies vary by airline, route, airport, and upgrade type. Some airlines only offer lounge access on selected long-haul or international routes, while others exclude passengers who upgraded at check-in or at the airport.

The following airlines provide lounge access at selected airports when you fly premium economy:

As a unique benefit, Air Astana also includes lounge access with Economy Sleeper bookings.

Unfortunately, other airlines do not include complimentary lounge access for premium economy passengers. So, you’ll need to explore other ways of getting in.

The following airlines offer discounted access to their lounges for customers in premium economy:

• Air Canada

• Austrian Airlines

• Lufthansa

• SWISS

Air Canada premium economy passengers can pre-purchase Maple Leaf Lounge access for a discounted price of CA$49 (US$36).

Meanwhile, passengers in economy or premium economy on Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS can purchase access to Lufthansa Group Business Lounges at selected airports. These airlines offer a discount for passengers ticketed in premium economy.

Here are some example Lufthansa Business Lounge prices at selected airports (correct at the time of writing):

Some lounges also sell one-time entry passes directly through their own websites or at the airport (subject to availability). However, these airlines do not offer discounts to premium economy passengers.

Carriers that may sell full-price lounge access to premium economy passengers include:

• Air France

• Alaska Airlines

• American Airlines

• Emirates

• KLM

• Qantas

• United Airlines

• Virgin Atlantic

Many airlines offer complimentary lounge access to passengers who hold an eligible frequent flyer status tier, either with that airline or with one of its partner airlines. Access based on elite status is often available regardless of the cabin class you’re flying, so eligible status could still get you into a lounge when flying premium economy.

In general, most airlines offer lounge access (where available) to passengers holding the equivalent of Gold, Platinum or higher status. This includes:

• oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status (e.g., British Airways Silver/Gold, Qantas Gold/Platinum, and Qatar Airways Gold/Platinum)

• SkyTeam Elite Plus status (e.g., Eastern Miles Gold, Flying Blue Gold, and Lotusmiles Platinum) 

• Star Alliance Gold status (e.g., Aeroplan 50K, KrisFlyer Elite Gold, Lufthansa Senator, and Maharaja Club Gold)

There may be exceptions, depending on your airline or frequent flyer program. For example, most US airlines don’t provide lounge access to customers holding elite status when flying within North America. Conversely, some airlines (such as Cathay Pacific) might provide access at selected lounges to their Silver members.

Check with your airline or frequent flyer program for details about what lounges you can access.

Some premium credit cards provide access to airport lounges as a benefit for cardholders. For example, the American Express Platinum Card offers access to many different airport lounges.

The range of lounges you can access, and the number of annual visits you receive, will depend on your credit card. Some airports may not have participating lounges.

If you’re a frequent flyer, you could also consider purchasing a Priority Pass membership for a fee. This gives you access to lounges within the Priority Pass network.

The number of included annual visits will depend on your membership tier, while additional visits or guests cost US$35 each. Note that the cheapest annual Priority Pass membership option does not include any lounge entries.

If the above methods don’t work for you, or aren’t good value, you can easily purchase one-time access to over 1,400 airport lounges through LoungePair. This can be a practical option if you only want occasional lounge access without committing to a membership program.

LoungePair allows travellers to compare and book lounge access across more than 600 airports worldwide, including many lounges that can be accessed regardless of airline or cabin class.

You don’t need any sort of membership to purchase lounge access through LoungePair, and you can use your pass when flying with any airline or cabin class.

If you’re travelling in Premium Economy as a couple, and want to enjoy lounge access before each flight of your trip, it could make sense for one of you to purchase a LoungePair+ membership.

This is not required to buy a lounge pass from LoungePair, but it does come with additional benefits and could save you money overall.

With LoungePair+ membership, you can get a free annual lounge pass to use at any of the 1,400-plus lounges that partner with LoungePair. Plus, up to twice per year, LoungePair+ members can get 50% off a second lounge pass when purchased with a full-price pass. You’ll also get a free FlexiPass add-on with every pass — making it fully refundable — and more benefits.

Making your journey more comfortable and enjoyable, at a reasonable price, is precisely why premium economy exists.

The airport experience can be just as important as your time on board the plane. Having access to a lounge before your flight can make a significant difference, especially during long layovers, at crowded airports, or before overnight flights.

Lounges typically offer complimentary food and drinks, Wi-Fi, comfortable seating and quieter spaces away from the main terminal. Many also provide showers, while some include additional amenities such as business facilities or family areas.

Whether paying for lounge access is worthwhile will depend on your circumstances. Business travellers may value a quiet place to work, while leisure travellers might simply appreciate a more relaxing start to their trip.

However, if you only have a short connection or your airport already has excellent public facilities, paying extra for lounge access may not make sense.

Most airlines do not automatically include lounge access with premium economy tickets, although there are a small number of exceptions.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of ways to access an airport lounge before your flight. Depending on the airline and airport, you may be able to buy lounge access directly, use frequent flyer status or credit card benefits, or purchase a one-time pass through LoungePair.

Even when lounge access is not included in your fare, paying separately can often be a relatively affordable way to further improve your travel experience.