lounges can be pretty useful when _arriving_ if you're meeting someone new (or an old friend) and want to break the ice a bit. eg: let's stop by the Golden Wing club for a beer and sandwich....

And yes they are a haven for when you miss a flight, like my last one in May when I missed my flight in BNE (Brisbane). AN very nicely reaccomidated me on a later flight via SYD, and it was with such relief I was able to go into the lounge and order up a tall cold beer, and not have to pay for it http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif that made the time that much sweeter (and when my connection in SYD turned into nearly 2 hours, having a lounge was wonderful. It meant I could escape the blaring video walls, noisy kids and other things one must endure in a crowded airport).


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RichardMEL, UA 1K
A Star Alliance Member.

When traveling in the US it is a great place to check in for flights as well. On the family vacation earlier this month we dropped the bags with the skycap (the Premier line was long that morning in DEN) and decided to check in at the gate. Got to the gate and saw the line there was about 20 people deep (777 to LAX) so turned around and stepped into the RCC and were checked in within about 2 minutes. Plenty of time for a cup of coffee and a danish.

Besides the ultility of being able to use the clubs, it is a real treat for my wife and family to use them when traveling with me. I kind of take club use for granted being in them so often, but the family gets a big kick out being able to use them.

Anagnorisis: you are quite right that many of these responses are specific to North America. How often do other continents' pax get the opportunity to do $215 FC roundtrips of over 4000 miles? (We've been commuting monthly to SAN in Biz/First on that fare.)

The money we spend for the Delta Crown Room Club is extremely well spent. There are two of us travel a lot, we get a spouse + membership.

Whenever traveling through Atlanta, I always allow for 3-4 hour layover. Lounge is wonderful then. Otherwise, you risk missing your connection.

Most Delta lounges have a place where you can escape the bloody awful disgusting &*%$#@ television (what is your real opinion, sir?). These are now omnipresent, and much too loud, in almost all US airport boarding areas.

Most Delta lounges also now have internet connections.

And Delta doesn't charge for the beer! Cheers!

Not to speak of the advantages others have mentioned about being able to deal with the lounge staff for changes/irregularities.

All in all, it's great!

But I'm a relaxaholic. All this "make every second count" stuff puzzles me. Doesn't watching planes out the window count?

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"Service" should be a noun, not a verb.

The lounge, for me at least, is a more soothing and peaceful environment, away from the crowds and the unintelligible announcements. A place where I don't have to shout in my phone, where I can have a quiet drink and gather my thoughts.

To all those individuals who don't care to use lounges for whatever reason despite their ability to do so, whether by ticketed class or elite status, thank you for making them less crowded.

Actually to me, they are loud enough to be distracting, but often NOT actually loud enough to decipher what they are actually broadcasting over the general airport noise level.
USAirways is behind on this - we only get phones with connections for our laptop modems.
USAirways does, but I usually prefer to stick to non-alcoholic drinks anyway - so I wouldn't pay extra for the club membership based on that, and USAirways club does cost less than many.
Unfortunately the RDU USAirways club has an excellent view of the new parking garage construction, but their lounges in other airports (CLT, PIT, PHL, DCA, BOS, BWI, and maybe even MCO) that I've been to make up for this. And yes, I DO like to watch (planes that is http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ).

I regularly go to DL CRC or NW WC evry time I fly. It's a great way to enjoy pleasant surroundings, have access to clean rest rooms, have a drink, watch TV, read the paper, check email, visit with friends passing through the airport. I plan my trip to allow 30-45 minutes of fun time in the lounges.I think it makes the trips more pleasant and enjoyable.

I was going to post something about how the lounges can be a real lifesaver if you are hit by bad weather/delays etc.

I think one of the differences between North America and the rest of the world is that in many places the lounges are garbage, and by letting in every Business class passenger they have destroyed themselves.

I personally avoid lounges such as Swissair in Zurich and Lufthansa lounges in Munich as they are always filled to the gills with pretty much every mid-manager who is flying business that day. These guys often arrive at the airport early just so they can go to the lounge, hence the lounges are totally full, services are practically non-existant and beverages are poor (I know I'm going to whacked for this). For example, most US lounges have had free internet access and multiple terminals for years. In Europe, internet is only now being introduced in many lounges and in some cases you have to pay for it.