codyc1515

You say the Priority Pass is much cheaper than Koru but US$399 = NZ$550. A Koru membership is $629/yr + $255 to join, discounted to just $484 total with an eligible credit card (though you only actually need to know the promo code to get this discount, you don't actually need to have one of those cards). So for starters, the Koru membership is cheaper upfront. That's not to say that there are no catches, quite the opposite. For instance, Koru lounge access is only available on Air NZ ticketed and operated flights (with some exceptions), but they are available at most domestic airports. Contrast this with Priority Pass which only has 3 (international) lounges in NZ (none if you are flying domestically).

With that said, if you are flying internationally often then the Priority Pass is probably the better option (if you are not flying Air NZ and it's partners). If you're going to go the Priority Pass route though, you should also consider looking into DragonPass. If you search online you should be able to find a way to get one year membership, but with the joining fee waived (sign up for free Regus membership, then use the Regus website to give you a free DragonPass membership). Although no passes are included, you simply end up paying per visit, which works out to approximately NZ$30 / person the few times that I have used it. From memory, its lounge access is approximately the same as what you would get from Priority Pass, except with the benefit of it being much cheaper.

I was on the fence as to whether to renew my Koru membership earlier this year also. What pushed me to renew was remembering that it gives free seat select (again, with limited exceptions) and this meant that on two long-haul flights I managed to get a Sky Couch seat for free by changing my seat selection 24-hours out when the remaining seats are released. Sky Couches usually cost somewhere in the vicinity of $1299 one way. So I effectively got all of the lounge and other benefits (free bag anyone?), as well as saving approximately $2500 on sky couches. An absolute no brainer purchase for me. If anything, the Koru membership is too cheap.