Airport Lounge Access

Travel days are stressful and airport lounges are a great way to be able to relax before your flight to alleviate the pressure of your travel day, whether it’s with a gourmet meal, complimentary beverage, or just relaxing in a quiet, comfortable atmosphere. Even the most basic airline lounges offer assistance with your flight itinerary, complimentary food & beverage service, comfortable seating with power outlet access, and dedicated restrooms. In the premium lounge spaces, you’ll find extensive full-service food options, complimentary alcohol, showers, spa services, and even direct gate access or private transfers to your flight.

There are thousands of lounges worldwide, and there are a number of ways to gain access to them pre-flight. It’s true that frequent flyers on a particular airline can gain access, but it’s actually pretty easy for even the most casual of travelers. Here are some of the best ways to access airport lounges:

• Download Lounge Buddy: The phone app version of Lounge Buddy allows you to enter your flight & cabin information and will give you a list of lounges you’re eligible to enter with your boarding pass.

  • Click My Trips > Create a Trip and follow the prompts to enter your flight & cabin information.

• Flying in First Class on select routings or in Business Class overseas

  • Gaining access to a lounge when flying in First Class domestically varies by airline and routing:

    • AA: If the cabin you’re booking has ‘Flagship’ in the name, you’re able to get into AA’s Admiral Club network. These are on routings between JFK and LAX, SFO, or SNA; between LAX and BOS, JFK, or MIA; between HNL and CLT, ORD, or DFW; and between DFW and HNL, KOA, and OGG.

    • Delta: Any booking in a '‘Delta One” cabin is eligible for Sky Club access.

    • United: Booking ‘United Business’ on one of their premium transcontinental routes (between EWR/JFK and LAX/SFO) earns United Club access.

    • Alaska: First Class passengers can gain entry to Alaska Airlines’ lounge network.

  • Most all Business Class tickets on overseas flights offer access to the airline’s dedicated lounge and/or any lounge in the airline’s network. For example, if you’re flying on United Airlines through London Heathrow, not only do you have access to the United Club Lounge, but you can also access the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, Lufthansa Business Lounge, or Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge with your boarding pass.

• Premium Credit Card Access

  • Amex Platinum or Business Platinum - Centurion Lounge, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying same-day Delta), Plaza Premium Lounge, Priority Pass lounges

  • Capital One Venture X or Venture X Business - Capital One Lounge, select Plaza Premium Lounges, Priority Pass lounges

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve - Chase Sapphire Lounge, Chase Sapphire Terrace, Priority Pass lounges

  • Chase United Club Infinite - United Club, select Star Alliance Lounges

  • Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve - Centurion Lounge (when flying same-day Delta & flight is booked with this card), Delta SkyClubs (when flying same-day Delta)

Priority Pass Membership

• As noted above, Amex, Capital One, and Chase’s premium cards all provide complimentary access to Priority Pass lounges, a network of over 1400 lounges around the world. Before visiting a Priority Pass lounge, you do need to enroll for the membership through the respective premium card login.

  • Amex Platinum: Once you’re logged into your Amex online account, you want to make sure the Platinum is selected, then click Benefits & Rewards > Rewards. Scroll down until you find “The American Express Global Lounge Collection,” where you can enroll in Priority Pass.

  • Capital One Venture X/Venture X Business: To activate a Priority Pass on your premium Capital One card, visit the Capital One Priority Pass page to start the sign-up process.

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve: With Chase, you will want to log into the Ultimate Rewards portal and navigate to the Sapphire Reserve page. Click on Card Benefits in the top left corner, then scroll down until you see the boxes with the card’s benefits. By clicking “Travel,” a box for “Complimentary Airport Lounge Access” will appear, where you can click “activate now” to go through the process.

    • In addition to lounge access, the Chase version of the Priority Pass membership also comes with a $28 food voucher at participating airport restaurants. Consult the Priority Pass website to see eligible restaurants by airport.