I’m sitting on a squishy, low-slung chair in Venice Marco Polo airport lounge. There’s a distant view of the canal city from the big glass windows and I’m drinking a sunset-coloured spritz with a plate of ‘cicchetti’ or traditional Venetian snacks.
I’m normally a budget traveller who would consider an airport lounge an unaffordable luxury. I know many people think like me, so I talked to Christopher Evans, CEO of lounge network Priority Pass, about why he thinks it’s worth it for a stress-reducing start or end to a holiday.
How COVID has changed airport habits
Travel and the travel industry have returned to pre-COVID conventions in many respects. But airlines still advise passengers to arrive at airports several hours early, as was recommended when travel restrictions are in place.
Evans says that the general tendency for travellers to get to airports with plenty of time to spare is making lounges more appealing. “They are islands of calm in the stressful airport environment,” he says.
Recent research by the group’s marketing team, which surveyed 8,500 people across 11 countries, found that over a third of people find it difficult to fully switch off from everyday life while on their travels.
The data also shows that the airport experience is critical to how well people can – or cannot – switch off, with 62 per cent of travellers saying pre-flight issues can initiate “fear of switching off” during the rest of their trip.
However, 53 per cent of people said that visiting an airport lounge has improved how they’ve been able to switch off during previous travels.
“Travel is a vehicle to get away but it has been a tremendously pressurised environment for people through COVID, post-COVID and cost of living crisis,” says Evans.
“The ability to relax, calm and destress [in lounges] means people are getting more out of their holiday and sets them up for their trip.”
Airport lounges offer outdoor pools and mini golf
More than just a quiet space where you’re guaranteed somewhere to sit, airport lounges can become your first holiday activity.
In lounges with Priority Pass access, you can visit a spa in airports including Heathrow, Frankfurt and John F Kennedy International. There’s a gaming lounge at Los Angeles CA-LAX International and an outdoor swimming pool at Punta Cana International in the Dominican Republic.
For golfers, there’s a virtual putting green at Minneapolis International while the Sky Bridge at Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok gives travellers drinks with a view.
Priority Pass’ annual awards help travellers looking for the top experiences. Vienna Lounge was the overall winner this year thanks to its Viennese cafe with sweet treats and working stations.
Pioneer of the Year went to five lounges including Hacienda Santa Lucia by The Grand Lounge Elite at Felipe Angeles International in Mexico where drinks are delivered by robots.
The group also hopes new additions to their app will improve travellers’ experiences. “We’ll be able to look at your historical behaviour so we can recommend the lounges tailored to you,” says Evans, “and you’ll receive offers and rewards that are pertinent to you.”
Soon, there will also be a function to see how busy a lounge is so that you can choose to book in a different lounge should there be more than one in an airport. Members will also be able to pre-order food and dinners in some lounges.
Is paying for an airport lounge a money-saving travel hack?
So is it worth the money?
A Priority Pass gives access to over 1,500 lounges in airports around the world. The ‘standard’ annual fee is €89 with each visit costing €30 while a ‘standard plus’ costs €289 and entitles the holder to 10 free visits after which they cost €30.
Some credit card providers offer Priority Pass membership as a benefit – one that travellers value second only to cashback, according to the group’s recent research covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
62 per cent of respondents even said they would change their card provider if it stopped offering this perk.
Before my flight from Venice Marco Polo, I nipped downstairs to a wine bar to try and calculate what my eating and drinking would have cost me there. Adding up the two spritz, water, coffee and various substantial snacks (including eggplant parmigiana and lasagna), the bill would have been over €30.
Evans also reminds me that in many airports, you’d end up moving around a lot to buy all the items that I consumed in one place in the lounge.
If you’re lucky enough to fly from an airport where the lounge has a spa or pool, you’re certainly getting a lot for your money.
Although I still see lounges as a luxury that I wouldn’t invest in for every trip, I can see the appeal of skipping the stressful airport experience for important holidays and making your time off count from the moment the journey begins.