I think airline lounges are great. I agree with most other FTers that having the free soft drinks/snacks/a quiet environment is nice. I even thought about purchasing the PP myself.

However, I decided to give airport bar a try the last few times I traveled and discovered that those were actually better than airline lounges! (and it's FREE)

A couple of weeks ago while traveling from HNL, I was craving for some chicken wings so I decided to go to the airport bar. I picked a corner table, ordered a drink and some wings and really enjoyed it! It was very quiet, relaxing, and I had a table and nice chairs all for me to work/sit on/munch.

I was actually very surprised that I enjoyed the airport bar more than the airline lounges. With the $24-$50 per visit fee at airline lounges, I got a couple drinks/beers and some appetizers at the bar far superior than airline lounges.

So, give airport bar a try next time vs airline lounges