7 Ways to Score Airport Lounge Access

Several airlines sell day passes to their airport lounges, allowing you to relax in comfort without a long-term commitment. Alaska Airlines sells day passes for the airline’s lounges for $65, while American charges $79. Keep in mind, however, that most of these airline passes are limited to U.S. domestic airport lounges and will only be honored if there is capacity in the lounge.

If you’re traveling internationally, check out Lounge Pass, which sells day passes to hundreds of airport lounges worldwide, including London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Admission to these airport lounges typically ranges between $40 to $60 (with a few outliers to the north and south), and most of them restrict the amount of time you can spend there. Some only offer access to passengers flying within that country, so check before you buy.

Best for: Casual travelers.

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If you fly one airline exclusively, an airline membership is something to consider. Airline club memberships also give you access to alliance lounges, including the Star Alliance and Oneworld airlines, which will get a lot of use if you’re internationally. Of the airlines based in North America, Alaska and Delta currently offer lounge memberships with one or more locations at each major airport they serve.

Before investing in a membership, check to make sure that the destinations you visit the most actually have airport lounges; as a rule, you’ll only find these types of clubs in the world’s busier airports.

Best for: Frequent travelers who rely on one airline or alliance.

If you fly on several airlines, an airport lounge membership purchased through a third party might make more sense. Priority Pass offers access to more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide for an annual fee. Participating lounges include a mix of airline, airport, and independent locations, mostly in international departure areas.

Priority Pass offers different membership levels, ranging from $329 per year for 10 free visits to $469 for unlimited free visits.

Top airline credit cards, AmEx Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards, and several other premium cards include Priority Pass membership.

Another nice thing about the Priority Pass is that it includes many of the airlines’ own lounges, such as the Turkish Airlines Lounge at JFK. However, the pass doesn’t guarantee that you’ll gain access to all of the airlines’ lounges—entry is subject to space availability. If you want to make sure you’ll be allowed into the lounge, you can reserve your spot at select lounges for a fee.

Best for: Frequent air travelers who take different airlines.

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Who needs to worry about those airline-owned clubs? In some airports, public lounges—which let you pay a fee for comfortable chairs, snacks, Wi-Fi access, small meals, and non-alcoholic beverages—give the legacy airport lounges a run for their money. Their business model depends on two revenue sources: pay-to-play visits by individual travelers and per-visit charges paid by individual airlines with insufficient traffic to justify their own lounges for premium-ticket flyers. Day rates can start at around $20; some rates are hourly.

At Cleveland’s airport, for example, you can enter The Club CLE after security up to three hours before your flight’s scheduled departure time by paying a $50 flat rate. Similarly, guests can relax in The Club at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for $50. The Club also has lounges at a number of other U.S. airports (including in Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Seattle) and a handful of international airports, including London and Hong Kong.

In addition, a few smaller chains and one-off lounges operate at a range of other North American airports. For the most part, these programs operate on either a day-fee or airline-referral basis rather than on annual memberships.

International travelers can consider Plaza Premium, which offers buffet meals and drinks; some lounges even offer massage and spa services for an extra fee.

Best for: Travelers who want more flexibility than airline lounges provide.

Best for: Travelers who want more flexibility than airline lounges provide.

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Loyalty does have its privileges. Most airlines offer airport lounge access to their customers who make elite status, with benefits that extend throughout the network.

Star Alliance Gold members, for example, get access to any member airline lounge at the airport where their flight departs if they’re flying on a Star Alliance member airline operated flight, no matter what class they are flying in.

Best for: Frequent travelers who fly exclusively, or almost exclusively, on one airline or alliance.

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Getting a credit card that offers airport lounge privileges is perhaps one of the easiest ways to get lounge access, although some of these cards carry hefty annual fees.

Take the American Express Platinum Card. For a $695 annual fee, the card gives you access to the Global Lounge Collection.

Airline credit cards can come with airport lounge perks, too. The United Explorer Card, for example, gives you two one-time-use passes to get into United Clubs, plus other travel extras; there's no fee for the first year (if you spend $3,000 within the first three months of opening your card), and then you'll pay $150 per year thereafter. Select credit cards from Air Canada and Delta also include free or discounted day passes.

Caveat: Before applying for any credit card, read the fine print to ensure that your spending and traveling habits make getting a card worthwhile.

Best for: Big spenders who don’t mind paying annual fees for perks and occasional flyers willing to pay a smaller annual fee for a limited number of airport lounge day passes.

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Finally, there’s always the kindness of strangers. Some people on travel forums such as FlyerTalk say that they gained lounge access by striking up a conversation with a lounge member, who then offered to bring them in as their guest.

Best for: People who don’t mind asking strangers for favors.

Most lounges follow a few basic rules, regardless of how you get in. Most are located airside of security, although a few large airports also have landside arrivals lounges. Typically, you need to show a boarding pass for a flight on the day you enter.

The main problem you might encounter is at a large airport with separate terminals: If you can’t find an airside lounge in the terminal you’re using, you may have to go outside security to a different terminal, go through security there to gain access to the lounge, then repeat the process to get back to the terminal you’re using.

Airport lounges have become increasingly popular, and it’s not uncommon to find long lines outside of lounges at capacity. Keep in mind that unless you have a high status or a first-class ticket, you are not guaranteed lounge access.

Airport lounges can vary quite widely in terms of amenities and conditions. Check the LoungeReview website to see if a lounge is worth your money.