Have you ever walked past those airline lounge doors and wondered how to affored a membership? If you've sat through weather delays and mechanical breakdowns, you know how much it will mean to sit in a quiet, comfortable seat. Airline lounge membership gives regular travelers a much-needed sanctuary.
Maybe you've looked at the price for a memberhip and thought "well, so much for that." You're not alone. Most travelers don't realize there are several ways to access the lounges, at a variety of prices.
1. The obvious method is to purchase at full price from the airline. I don't recommend outright purchase personally -- at a price tag of several hundred dollars (depending on the airline) it's not much of a bargain. Unless your company pays for membership, you probably won't go this route.
2. If you travel rarely, consider a day pass. Prices run from $25 to $75 for the day, depending on the airline. There's a catch though: the passes are sold on a space-available basis and are good only in that particular airline's clubs.
3. Do you carry an American Express Platinum card? If so, you already have access to many lounges run by four different airlines. Platinum cards are only offered to well-established potential customers, and there's a healthy annual fee. If you want the full suite of Platinum card services, this is worth considering.
4. A less expensive option is to get a Diners Club card. They have relationships with a number of airport lounges internationally -- most of which are very well-rated. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing Diners Club has only 5 lounges in the United States.
5. If most of your travel is on one airline, you probably qualify for a discounted membership with that club. Most airlines offer discounted membership prices if you have frequent flyer status, and may allow you to purchase membership with airline miles insead of hard currency. I don't travel a single airline enough for this to be practical.
6. Now for the rest of us. For those of us to fly multiple airlines and don't relish shelling out the money for a single-airline membership, the Priority Pass program is a lifesaver. Priority Pass has negotiated access to 500+ airport lounges across 90 countries, in over 275 cities. They have several membership plans, starting as low as $99.
Hopefully you found an airline lounge membership option in the list above that meets your needs. For me, Priority Pass was the right choice. I don't travel a single airline enough to get much of a discount, and am too cheap to pay for the other options. You'll need to weigh your own budget and travel habits to determine what works best for you.
Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/
Still undecided? Make sure you check out Beth B's discussion of the Priority Pass program and why the Priority Pass program was right for her.
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