How to Get Airport Lounge Access

An airport lounge, then, is like a VIP breakout room: a stylish oasis of calm, focus, and comfort amidst the sensory overload. Here you can freshen up, enjoy tasty bites and a glass of joy, settle into a cozy arm- or spa chair, catch up on work, or let the outside world drift away—until it’s time for your plane to board. 

If you love to travel (and we know you do), gaining access to the many perks of an airport lounge will happily change your life. 

Here's how to get lounge access at the airport:

Airline elite status

Mid- or top-tier elite status in an airline’s loyalty program can be your ticket to complimentary lounge access, but this status is generally earned through dollars spent with the specific airline.

Having elite status with a major airline will also generally grant you elite status in one of the three major airline alliances, with the following lounge privileges: 

Oneworld (650+ lounges): 

• AA Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold 75K and 100K have Oneworld Emerald status. Members can access first class, business class or frequent flier lounges.
•  AA Platinum and Alaska MVP Gold  have Oneworld Sapphire status. Members can use non-business class and non-first class lounges.

SkyTeam (750+ lounges): 

• Delta Medallion Gold, Platinum and Diamond have SkyTeam Elite Plus status, and can access SkyTeam lounges. 

Star Alliance (1,000+ lounges): 

• United Premier Gold, Platinum or 1K have Star Alliance Gold Status and can access   Star Alliance Gold lounges.

Premium cabin tickets

On most US airlines, flying internationally in business or first class gives you automatic access to that airline’s lounge (or an alliance lounge) while you await your departure. However, flying in a premium class on a US domestic flight doesn’t always guarantee lounge access; you might also need elite status in that airline’s mileage program. Most international carriers allow lounge access to their premium-class travelers on both domestic and international flights.  

Credit cards with lounge access

Many credit cards include complimentary lounge access as a cardholder benefit. Check out our picks here. 

Centurion lounge access

Designed to compete with international airline lounges, the posh American Express Centurion lounges are now so popular that access is limited to three hours before your same-day departure time. This limited access is only available to cardmembers of the following American Express credit cards:

Delta SkyMiles Reserve® Credit Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card members may access the Centurion Lounge only when flying a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. 

^{*Effective February 1, 2025, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on February 1, 2025, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, and each calendar year thereafter. Once all 15 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits (including Grab and Go) at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card.}

Amex Centurion Lounge guest policy

Guest policies for Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders:

• $50 apiece for each guest ($30 each for children aged 2 through 17, with proof of age). 
• If you spend $75,000 or more on the card annually, you qualify for complimentary access for two guests at all US Centurion Lounge locations.

Guest policies for Delta Reserve cards:

• $50 apiece for each guest ($30 each for children aged 2 through 17, with proof of age). 

Note that all guests can only enter and remain in Centurion Lounges while they’re accompanied by the cardmembers that provided them access. 

Priority Pass lounge access

Priority Pass membership enables you to access about 1,300 airport lounges in 650 airports across 148 countries. Amenities at participating lounges range from comped refreshments and free wifi to spa treatments, massage rooms, and sleeping areas.

You can purchase a Priority Pass membership directly here.  

Several credit cards offer a Priority Pass membership, but enrollment is required to activate it. This includes:

Enrollment required. Contact your card issuer to learn how to enroll. 

Day passes 

You can purchase day passes via third-party lounge providers like LoungeBuddy, Plaza Premium, The Club, and Escape Lounges (see above), but some airlines also enable you to purchase passes to their branded lounges. You can also purchase day passes to an airline's lounge, such as American Airlines’ Admirals Club. Prices may vary.

Major airport lounges 

Major airlines with their own lounges

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge 

Air France Lounge 

American Airlines Flagship First and Admirals Club 

British Airways Concorde Room (only JFK and LHR), Galleries First, Galleries Club, Arrivals

Cathay Pacific Lounge, The Wing, and The Pier (only HKG)

Delta Air Lines SkyClub

Emirates First, Business, Worldwide, and Marhaba (only DXB)

Etihad First Class, Business Class, and US Premium

Lufthansa First Class Lounges and Business Lounges

Qantas Club, International First, International Business, and Domestic Business

Qatar Al Safwa First, Al Mourjan Business, Al Maha, Oryx, Silver, and Platinum

Singapore Airlines First Class, SilverKris, KrisFlyer Gold 

Turkish Airlines Lounge

United Polaris Lounge and United Club

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse 

Major third-party lounge providers

American Express Centurion

Dragon Pass

LoungeBuddy

Priority Pass

Plaza Premium

The Club

What to expect in an airport lounge

Seating

When it comes to seating, lounges offer the style, peace, and coziness you’re unlikely to find <gestures at rest of airport> out there. 

The interior design of a great airport lounge can rival that of a luxury hotel lobby, with stylish couches and armchairs settled into soft carpet or atop gleaming tile floors. Most of these seats are upholstered in wool, microsuede, or even leather, often with accompanying side tables, lamps, and power outlets. Configurations range from solo spots to living room layouts, inviting everything from quiet reflection to a group catch-up. 

Most airport lounges offer bars with at least a few cushy stools, and some feature semi-private pods with adjustable lighting for getting serious work or napping done. Some have gas fireplaces for getting cozy, while a handful of lounges—such as the Delta Sky Clubs at LAX and JFK—offer outdoor decks with views of the runway. 

Wifi

If you want to get some work done, play a game on your phone, or simply scroll the internet, you’ll be glad to know that free wifi is a standard lounge perk. And because each lounge generally has its own router, you won’t have to compete for a signal with everyone else in the airport. Throw in power outlets, charging stations, and often a printer, and an airport lounge becomes your pass(word) to being as productive as you’d like. 

Amenities

As airport-lounge popularity soars, providers like airlines and credit card companies race to expand square footage and upgrade user experiences—which translates to amenities up the wazoo. While many lounges have long offered luggage storage and/or access to a seasoned travel agent, increasingly you’ll also find a kids’ play areas and game or media rooms. 

Wellness areas are also becoming more common, some with yoga spaces, relaxation pods, and audio-visual guides for meditation. The Sanctuary by Pure Yoga, found at Cathay Pacific’s The Pier business class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), has all of these features and more.

Some high-end lounges—such as the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow (LHR) and the Air France-KLM lounge at New York-JFK—even have their own in-house spas, offering complimentary treatments, salon services, or even a hot tub. Others have their own swanky cocktail bars where skilled bartenders mix libations from scratch (often for free), while others offer full-service, sit-down restaurants. 

Food & drink

While most busy airports have stepped up their eatery options in the last decade (we see you, SFO, MIA, LAX, and DFW), it’s still hard to beat the food in a great airport lounge. Ever-changing buffets full of hot and cold items, plus self-serve snack dispensers, are the norm. However, you might also see omelet and sandwich stations, espresso bars, soft-serve ice cream, and comprehensive wine lists.

Culinary standouts include American Airlines’ Flagship First Lounges, which offer restaurants with seated service and menus by James Beard Foundation-honored local chefs, and American’s Admirals Club lounges, which often feature make-your-own guacamole bars. However, just about every airline lounge has something delicious to offer, such as Cathay Pacific’s business class lounge noodle bars, Turkish Airlines’ authentic baklava at its Dulles (IAD) lounge, and 12 local beers on tap at Alaska Airlines’s lounge at Seattle Airport (SEA). 

Showers

Ever wished you could freshen up with a hot shower in the midst of a long-haul journey, or before a redeye flight? Many airport lounges fulfill this desire with a shower room, or sometimes several. Often tiled to the nines with luxurious marble, state-of-the-art chrome fixtures, and high-end bath products, these lounge showers are either first-come, first-serve (which means you’re likely to encounter a wait) or must be reserved in advance. 

The United Polaris Lounge at SFO (the airline’s largest lounge) has all of eight dazzling shower rooms. Their walk-in rain showers and private toilets are already exciting, but there are also marble vanities and benches, soft music, backlighting, and Saks Fifth Avenue-branded towels. American Express Centurion and Qantas also have notable shower suites at most of their lounges around the world. 

Domestic vs. international airport lounges 

Lounges in the international terminals of major hubs are generally lauded for their stellar interior design, delicious food and drink, great service, and cutting-edge amenities. Domestic-terminal lounges have long suffered in comparison, with a reputation for being more utilitarian than luxurious. 

To counter this perception and boost member incentives (see more on this below), major lounge providers have been stepping up their domestic-terminal lounge game for the last several years. Square footage of domestic lounges has been increasing, decor is being steadily refreshed, and new amenities and food offerings are added on the regular.