Are Airport Lounges Worth It? (2024)

Airport lounges are exclusive locations within airports where travelers can access benefits such as free food, Wi-Fi and even showers. Airport lounges fall into three categories.

Airline Lounges

These are lounges like the American Airlines Admirals Club, United Club, Delta Sky Club or Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. These lounges are associated with a specific airline and access is primarily afforded to people flying on said airline or those holding a premium co-branded airline card.

Some airlines sell club memberships while other airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, only offer access to their premium-cabin flyers and top-tier elite program members. Sometimes access is provided to Alliance members, as well. For example, American Airlines provides reciprocal membership to their American Flagship lounges to Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members.

Credit Card Operated Lounges

Credit card operated lounges are operated by a credit issuer, rather than an airline. American Express Centurion Lounges are the most well-known in this category and operate under the American Express name. Cardmembers with The Platinum Card® from American Express (terms apply), for example, automatically gain access.

Capital One is another option, currently operating lounges at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Denver International Airport (DEN).

Chase also has its own lounge network known as the Sapphire Lounge by The Club, which can be accessed if you hold a premium Chase travel card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card* or JP Morgan Reserve Card*. Current lounge locations include Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), with one international location in Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). Future lounge locations in Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are in the works.

Third-Party Lounges

Third-party lounges operate independent of any airline or credit issuer. Such lounge locations are usually accessible via membership through programs like Priority Pass or by paying for daily access. Many third-party-owned lounges contract with airlines that may not have their own lounge at a particular airport, so that they can provide access to their premium passengers.

You’ll often find beverages and light snacks, free Wi-Fi, a place to sit and clean bathrooms. Sometimes there will even be places to get some work done or do some plane spotting. But while lounges provide added luxury, they can sometimes be crowded and may even have wait times to enter. Many basic lounges are nothing to write home about.

That said, sometimes you’ll get lucky enough to find a Priority Pass lounge, like the Primeclass Lounge in JFK’s Terminal 1, which is reasonably quiet. But be warned, this is a fairly uncommon occurrence as most lounges these days are packed to capacity.

Airlines are the most invested in creating a luxurious lounge experience for their premium customers. For example, United Airlines introduced the Polaris lounge in 2016, which includes plentiful seating, work areas, showers, a buffet, a bar and a sit-down, a la carte dining experience.

Star Alliance member Lufthansa has long been known for super-premium lounge experiences at its two hubs in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). The Lufthansa First Class Terminal is a lounge that is in a separate building, with a full bar, plenty of seating, a sit-down a la carte dining experience, showers (and bathtubs) and even a cigar lounge. Lufthansa’s first-class lounges are exclusively for HON Circle members (Lufthansa’s top-tier elites) and first-class passengers.

One of the most popular ways to access airport lounges is through Priority Pass. Priority Pass is a common perk on many premium travel cards, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, to name a few. Enrollment required.

• The Platinum Card® from American Express. Members have access to American Express Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (but not Priority Pass restaurants), as well as a subset of other lounges as negotiated with various operators. These include Delta Sky Clubs, Escape Lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges. Effective 2/1/25, American Express Platinum card members will receive 10 Delta Sky Club visits per year; unlimited visits can be earned when total purchases exceed $75,000 in 2024 and each calendar year thereafter.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Provides Priority Pass lounge access (but not Priority Pass restaurants) along with a small set of Chase-branded lounges.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Provides Priority Pass lounge access (but not Priority Pass restaurants), as well as access to its own Capital One lounges in Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington Dulles and Denver.

Chase and Citi offer co-branded premium credit cards that provide access to the United Club (United Club℠ Infinite Card) and American Admirals Club (Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*).

Finally, most airlines offer passengers flying in premium cabins access to their lounge or contracted lounge if they don’t have a lounge in that particular airport. Some airlines also provide elite frequent flyer program members access depending on the airline and route they are flying.

For example, Star Alliance Gold members can access United Clubs when flying on a Star Alliance member-operated flight departing from the same airport. If you have Star Alliance Gold status through United, you would only have access if you were flying on an international flight.

Similarly, American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold members and up have access to the Flagship First Lounge, if they are flying between the U.S. and Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand or a subset of South American countries.

Read More: Best credit card lounge access

Not all lounges offer guest passes or annual membership.

As we’ve mentioned above, you can gain access to lounges with a variety of credit cards, such as the Capital One Venture X, which provides a Priority Pass membership. But what if you were to obtain a Priority Pass membership directly?

Priority Pass offers a $99 annual fee membership where members pay $35 per visit, as well as $35 per guest. Additionally, Priority Pass offers two higher levels, a Standard Plus, for a $329 annual fee which provides 10 free visits, then $35 per visit and $35 per guest and the Prestige membership plan for a $469 annual fee which includes all member visits and still has a $35 per guest visit fee.

Airlines sell club memberships as well:

• Delta Air Lines offers two Sky Club membership levels. Executive Membership is $1,495 annually, which allows unlimited club access for the member and up to two guests per visit. The Individual Membership is $695 annually and allows members to bring up to two guests for an additional fee.
• United Airlines offers a United Club membership for $650 annually. Members can bring in one guest and dependent children under 21 or up to two guests in any location.
• For those who do not hold elite status, American Airlines Admirals Club memberships cost $850 per year for individual memberships and $1,650 for household memberships. If you do hold elite status, you’ll receive a discount on your membership cost.

It’s important to note that for each of these airline lounge memberships, there’s a corresponding co-branded credit card that provides airline lounge access for less, inclusive of the annual fee. For example, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* has an annual fee of $595, saving the cardholder a great amount compared to buying an American Admirals Club membership.

Some airlines offer one-day passes for $30 to $79. That may be the only worthwhile option when it comes to paying for access to a lounge, as it is clearly a poor value proposition to purchase lounge memberships directly, unless you fly regularly. The best value is to incorporate your lounge requirements into your credit card choices. For example, if you fly United, adding the United Club Infinite card may make more sense than purchasing a United Club membership outright.

A Cautionary Caveat

Since the pandemic and the ensuing “revenge travel,” lounges have often been overpopulated. It’s not uncommon to see a sign for a Priority Pass partner lounge restricting how many Priority Pass cardholders can enter or waiting lists for Centurion Lounges. Worse yet, you can face excessively long lines, as commonly shared on social media when entering Delta Sky Clubs, for example.

As with many travel preferences, whether or not airport lounges are worth it all depends on your personal priorities and travel habits. The ability to enjoy a drink, snack or even meal, Wi-Fi, clean restrooms and a place to sit away from the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal is always enjoyable. Some lounges, such as the super-premium Lufthansa First Class Terminal or the United Polaris lounge are definitely amazing experiences to visit, if you can find a way to get in.

The larger question is whether airport lounges are worthwhile when faced with long wait times, such as for the American Express Centurion Lounges or Delta Sky Clubs. If you have lounge access, but no lounge will let you in, do you really have access at all?

That said, there are often plenty of lounge options—the American Express Platinum card alone provides access to Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Delta lounges when flying Delta, American Express Centurion Lounges and if you enroll for the included Priority Pass membership, a plethora of additional options.

While it’s possible you’ll encounter setbacks, the numbers favor fairly positive lounge experiences, except in airports that have very limited options.

Airport lounges are generally worth the effort to get in, whether provided by your airline ticket, credit card or elite status. The benefits are truly there, from the basics like Wi-Fi, clean restrooms, and a place for sit-down meals and premium beverages.

Is it worthwhile to wait hours to access a lounge? No. Is it worthwhile to go to the airport hours early, just to experience the lounge? Depends. Stale crackers and cheap wine aren’t worth the trek, but it’s almost always worthwhile to get to the Lufthansa First Class Lounge (or Terminal) early enough to enjoy a nice meal, sip a premium beverage and maybe even partake in the cigar lounge.

Forbes Advisor Contributor Trevor Mountcastlecontributed to this article.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.