fhbrooklyn

Hello...I recently traveled with a colleague and our flight was delayed so she invited me to hang out at an airport lounge . THIS IS HOW Y'ALL LIVE !!!! Unlimited food and drinks, bathrooms to shower, comfy chairs etc !! I'm trying to get on this gig. Just kidding but not really. I believe she used AMEX so my question is what is the best way to access Airport lounges i.e. Credit card (?)/other avenues ??
Sorry I'm sure this has been asked already but I'm new to this forum.
Thank you

goodeats21

Welcome to FlyerTalk, fhbrooklyn !!

First visits to lounges can be quite eye-opening. Glad you enjoyed it.

As usual, it will be a complicated answer. The best way to access lounges will be based on your travel patterns and frequency. And note that not all lounges are equal. Some are much better than others.

If you travel often and mostly with the same airline, a membership to their club/lounge can be purchased. Usually in the $600 yearly price range. You will need to figure out if that works out to an acceptable per-visit cost based on your expected travel patterns. It helps if your home airport has a lounge that you can use each time you travel. (Some of us at more remote outstations don't have that luxury )

There are also credit cards that offer lounge access as part of their benefits, but annual fees for these cards are pretty high. 2 major programs here.
* American Express Platinum cardholders can access Centurion lounges, which are regarded pretty highly, though often crowded. You should look into their locations to see if this option makes sense based on your travels.
* Other travel-focused cards offer membership into Priority Club, which has a much more extensive collection of lounges, as well as an occasional meal benefit at airport concessions. The quality of these lounges tend to be much more variable, and again, not always an option at all airports.

Note that if you travel long-haul internationally, most business class or higher tickets offer lounge access as part of the ticket.
Also, if you travel enough to obtain status with an airline alliance, that can also confer some lounge access benefit.

You will have to do some research to see if any of these options make sense for you. Or you could just continue to travel with a companion that can guest you inside, which solves it neatly. Haha.

Let us know if you have any specific questions.

fhbrooklyn

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and providing me with such a detailed answer !! I truly appreciate it. Yes some homework is definitely due on my end !!! Was a nice experience though. maybe I need to travel with the friend more often 🤔

MSPeconomist

AFAIK the AmEx Plat (regular charge card, unbranded) and Centurion cards still give a Priority Pass "Select" (limited) membership as well as access to other lounge networks such as Escape.

Note that most access due to status in a FF program requires that you be flying on an international itinerary using that alliance, although there are exceptions.

mia

Centurion lounges are only a tiny portion of the access provided by American Express Platinum, read here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/idc/...ollection.html

While the coverage is extensive, it does NOT include any American Airlines or United Airlines operated lounges, nor does it include Restaurants which accept Priority Pass.

Visconti

I'm with you!

While I suspect many FT'ers have become so accustomed to the lounge experience to find them utterly ordinary and something to be tolerated, I still like them and always look forward to spending time in them. Loved it when I was a kid, like them even more now, and always will. Now, if we can pare down the crowding, it'd be an even better experience.

Have fun!

PS - As alluded to, CCs & elite status (matches and/or promos if you can swing it) are the way to go.

goodeats21

You are most welcome. This site is a great resource to learn all about the travel ins-and-outs. Browsing the forums can uncover all kinds of great tips.
I caught the travel bug about 12 years ago and FlyerTalk has been an amazing place to learn and share.

Happy travels!

dhuey

Welcome, fhbrooklyn. As mentioned above, if you describe your flying patterns (home airport(s), common destinations and connecting airports, preferred airline), you will get some helpful advice here on your best options for enjoying more lounge time.

skywatcher

I compared AMex with CapOne Ven X and got the venture x card for the lounges. It's nearly $300 less expensive than amex at $395/yr and allows you and 2 guests into the cap one lounge (currently at DFW and more planned) or the priority pass lounges mentioned in another post (unlimited times/yr). The $395 costs disappear quickly with the other credits cap one offers like $300 travel credit by booking through cap one travel, $100/10000 mi travel annual credit toward travel, and $100 credit towards tsa pre check and global entry costs. There seems to be a generous bonus on stuff booked through their travel center but I have yet to try that. It's still a new card for me. Dig a bit into this card. Make sure to look at the VENTURE X card.

NotSoFrequentColorado

It's often possible to purchase a day pass to an airline lounge as long as you're flying that airline that day. Price is about $59. I sometimes think it's worth it if I have a layover of 2 hours or more, not only for food and drink but for the quiet and the comfy chairs.

dhuey

I've only paid that to get a guest into a lounge to join me. I've never paid that for my own access, and it'd take some very unusual circumstances for me to pay that solely for myself. In most airports, you can get plenty of good food and beverages, in a nice restaurant, for under $59.

mfcallahan

Oh yeah, and once you get used to it, you can't go back. You may not even have to fly all that often to make it worthwhile. I have Amex plat and with the annual fee being $700, I need to fly 7 round trips per year to "break even." This is just very rough, approximate math (and credit card perks' value can both vary greatly and be very subjective). I typically spend about $50 at the airport bar for a meal and some drinks before each flight, $100 for the round trip. Do that 7 times per year and I've spent as much as I would have on the Amex annual fee. Other cards have different fees and lounge access, I would highly suggesting getting in on the lounge game!

joejones

This can also be a good use of the airline fee credits on premium Amex cards.

worldwidedreamer

I think that the Venture X is a no brainer for people who travel even occasionally. I have it in addition to my Amex Plat, which I must keep because it is the only choice for a lounge at my home airport of Reno.

One thing to note: the Amex comes with a Priority Pass card that does not include restaurants, and the Venture X (along with Chase Sapphire) include restaurants. Also of interest: the X also provides access to different Plaza Premium lounges than the Amex Plat.