Until relatively recently I did not spend much time in airports. Traveling a lot less, and with the very limited vacation time that US employment typically allows, I was focused on buying flights that had few, if any, layovers. Additionally I would tend to be arriving at the airport rather too close to departure time. I did not need a lounge back then. Now, averaging a flight per week, I focus on value instead of speed, and often have a layover between flights. In addition I am very seldom in a hurry, and am content to arrive at the airport early. Lounges are now a very welcome amenity.
I enjoy the relative calm of a lounge – the drinks, and sometimes surprisingly good food. Clean bathrooms (sometimes a shower), solid WiFi and once a year a useful a good old fashioned printer help to make transportation more refreshing. During particularly long layovers I tend to bounce between lounges (four is the current record) for a change of scenery.
I confess that I do not understand the lounge business model. They vary drastically in quality, even within a particular brand. Some are Airline specific, some are airline alliance branded. I do not have access to these, because I will never have the required ‘status’ on an airline. Some appear to be leased by loose groups of unrelated airlines, increasing numbers are independent and dedicated lounge operators, and in at least one case appeared to be operated by the baggage handling entity. Lounges are as far as I can tell are completely randomly located. In some important international hubs there may be none to be found, and yet a modest regional field might have two or more. Nearly all lounges are located ‘skyside’ after security, but a very few are ‘landside’.
Getting to the punch line – buy a membership in the PriorityPass program for either $299 or $429, based on your predicted travel (or much better still get it free when you sign up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card). PriorityPass gives you fee free access to many lounges around the world. Based on my utilization I value this benefit to be worth about $600 a year.
Be aware though that wherever you go with PriorityPass, you are a second class citizen. Some locations have restricted hours during which members are permitted to visit, and if the lounge is near to full capacity, PriorityPass members are the first to be turned away. The lounges available will not be the airline specific ones (Turkish Air) or the alliance ones (Skyteam). Most often they are the independents (with names like Aspire and Global Premium) or the mongrel pack.
To increase options (and expense) there is LoungeBuddy. This is a service that permits members to buy a day pass to some lounges. Reservations must be made ahead of time, are rather expensive, and like PriorityPass members, LoungeBuddy customers can be turned away if the lounge gets busy.
In approximately 100 recent transits through airports ranging from huge to tiny, 50 had no lounges that I could access (from huge JFK Terminal 5 to tiny São Tomé). Of the 50 where I did have some access 10 were really ratty lounges that I left immediately, 25 were at least decent with WiFi and some food and drink. Roughly 10 were great, with good comfort and selection of amenities, and the last 5 were outstanding lounges that I was fully prepared to live in if they let me (Incheon, South Korea). My conclusion is that this is a valuable membership (especially if it is a free perk of my credit card), but I am fully aware that it will deliver only about a third of the time.