Originally Posted by
Artpen100
I wonder about this. Certainly the lounges are packed, but on the other hand, there seems to be a fair amount of business class saver awards for this summer. I’ve booked several TATLs. Maybe leisure travelers are not flying as much J? Though when looking at expertflyer seat maps, loads seem light in all classes on a lot of flights one or two months out, particularly EU carriers. Maybe lounge crowding is more affected by people being more aware of them and being in the habit of arriving earlier at the airport and having longer connections post-COVID?
Keep in mind that in many airline alliances people with frequent flyer status have lounge access no matter which cabin they are flying in (i.e. people with status get access even when flying coach). Additionally people with status can usually guest one or two people in, again irrespective of cabin/class, whereas usually folks just traveling in business class but without status, are usually not allowed to guest anyone in and only receive access for themselves.
Short answer is: J availability probably doesn't tell the whole story on lounge crowding.
Regards