Wishing for an Airline Lounge Membership? 6 Ways to Get One
Have you ever walked past those airline lounge doors and wondered how to afford a membership? If you’ve sat through weather delays and mechanical breakdowns, you know how much it will mean to sit in a quiet, comfortable seat. Airline lounge membership gives regular travelers a much-needed sanctuary.
Travelers are often surprised to learn how many different ways there are to get into an airline club. Lounge access isn’t just for the wealthy, honest! Here’s the six most common ways to become a member — and a nice range of prices.
1. One of the more expensive approaches is to purchase membership directly from the airline, at full price. The price tag varies between the airlines, but is several hundred dollars. I wouldn’t turn it down if my company purchased this membership for me, but am too thrifty to spend the money myself.
2. If you travel rarely, consider a day pass. Prices run from $25 to $75 for the day, depending on the airline. There’s a catch though: the passes are sold on a space-available basis and are good only in that particular airline’s clubs.
3. If you’re offered an American Express Platinum card take a few minutes to consider the services it brings. The annual fee is pricy ($450 least I checked) but it does give access to many airline lounges. I recommend this approach if you plan to make use ALL of the card’s services.
4. If you travel internationally you might consider getting a Diners club card. Diners Club airport lounges airport lounges are available around the globe. Unfortunately, they operate very few lounges within the United States (5 at the time of this writing).
5. Do you nearly always fly on one airline alliance? If so, you probably have frequent flyer “status” and quality for reduced loung membership prices. Some airlines will let you apply your frequent flyer miles towards the price. I wish I traveled on a single airline enough for this to work for me.
6. Still haven’t found the option for you? Take a look at Priority Pass, my personal favorite. If you travel a variety of airlines, in both the United States and abroad, Priority Pass membership is a good option. My membership gives me access to over 500 lounges in 90 countries — including all the major U.S. cities I fly through. There’s three different membership levels starting at $99 plus $27 per visit.
Airline lounge membership isn’t just for the wealthy any more. I’ve listed the most common options for joining, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each. You can spend hundreds of dollars and stay with a single airline, much less and work with multiple airlines (Priority Pass), and a variety of options inbetween.
Filed under: Travel & Leisure