Airport lounges, please post your experience, how to get to the lounge, if it was worthy of the visit, and if you had to go through security again...

[bnoble]

Puerto Vallarta (PVR) has a small but so far very uncrowded Priority Pass lounge on the land side, over by the departures area just after the customs exit. It is also easily accessible from the departures area. We checked out of the Grand Mayan and decided to head to the airport early, but the Delta desk isn’t open for another hour. Much calmer than trying to hang out in the departures hall.

Small food items, drinks, and a restroom behind the door.

I would not make a special trip for this lounge but if you have time to kill before your check in desk opens it will do!

 

[JerseyDeb]

We get Global Entry on way too many cards to even consider it a benefit of any card. I get it on my Marriott Amex Brilliant, and my Hilton Aspire, and my Chase Sapphire Reserve. I have only used CSR for the Global Entry.

I keep the Marriott because we get so many points with our MF's. The lounge benefit is not good for restaurants, but the hotel room can be a very nice perk of that card because we get up to an 85,000 point reservation with it, and that is a pretty nice hotel on Maui for those points. The fee is $650, and $300 credits for restaurants (which means I have to remember to use that card when we go out) + the hotel night, it's not a bad card to have. I also have the Platinum Elite hotel status to go with it, which I never had it before.

I get 6X on my Marriott MF's.

 

[bizaro86]

We ate at the PGA grill in Terminal 2 at San Diego today. Priority Pass covered $56 of the bill, which came to $76 with tax/tip for a steak sandwich, a fish/chips entree and 2 kids meals. Quite pleased with the value, I don't really care for the priority pass lounge in SAN and the timing worked that we needed a full lunch not just snacks before boarding.

 

[Eggrollcreative]

SEA (Seattle) has two lounges, but we mostly fly First Class out of SEA and use the Alaska Board Room lounge before our flights. They have great lounges with Starbucks coffee machines and pancakes. Rick laughs at me with the pancakes because I won't eat anything but a single protein pancake at home, but give me an old-fashioned pancake or two, or three, and I am in heaven.

We bought Alaska lounge membership in hopes our Aspire will reimburse us $250. You have to call and tell Aspire what your airline is for the year. We did that. Hope we did it right! The Tampa American Airline lounge no longer takes Alaska members. Also they make it so you can only go to your section of the airport …scans your ticket and won’t let you go anywhere but your own darned gate. So no lounge access. That’s ridiculous.

 

[bobpark56]

Priority Pass does not always get you in to a Priority Pass lounge. We have been turned away twice at Boston. They said they were full, but we could see empty seats.

 

[buzglyd]

We bought Alaska lounge membership in hopes our Aspire will reimburse us $250. You have to call and tell Aspire what your airline is for the year. We did that. Hope we did it right! The Tampa American Airline lounge no longer takes Alaska members. Also they make it so you can only go to your section of the airport …scans your ticket and won’t let you go anywhere but your own darned gate. So no lounge access. That’s ridiculous.

I just stand at the electric turnstile and wait for someone else to scan their ticket and walk in behind them.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

I have no free lounge access, but last March when I was traveling with a friend and we had a seven hour difference in flights, I paid $40.00 For entrance to the lounge by the Alaska terminal in Cabo San Lucas. Well worth the money, it was quiet, with free drinks and snacks and a place to put my feet up. And nice bathrooms. Always a bonus. Did not have to go through security twice.

 

[moonstone]

We get 4 passes a year from credit cards but they usually go to waste as the lounges are never open when we need them. Departing from Toronto to most points south, flights leave very early in the morning. We are told to be at the airport 3 hrs before departure (so 3am) and even after going through Security and US Customs when they finally open, the lounges arent open for us to enjoy before our 6am flight. When we fly to some parts of Florida or Belize the connection is usually an hour or slightly more (sometimes less) and by the time we visit the restrooms and change terminals it is almost time to board.

A few years ago we had a many hour layover in Dallas but the lounge closed at the same time as our flight landed. A year ago when we took my 91 yr old dad to The Netherlands his first class ticket gave him lounge access so we used our passes for ourselves ad DD to accompany him. Dad thought it was great to sit in a comfortable chair with arms instead of the benches at the gate. We were also able to have a nice dinner instead of buying an expensive one elsewhere in the terminal.


~Diane

 

[PamMo]

Due to where we’ve lived, we’ve been “captive” American Airline flyers for decades, and used to enjoy quiet layovers with our kids in the Admirals Club lounges. I can’t think of any lounge visit lately that was all that enjoyable. (I’m in an Air France lounge in CDG right now.) Lounges have been monetized to the point that they are noisy, crowded, and not all that special.

 

[buzglyd]

Due to where we’ve lived, we’ve been “captive” American Airline flyers for decades, and used to enjoy quiet layovers with our kids in the Admirals Club lounges. I can’t think of any lounge visit lately that was all that enjoyable. (I’m in an Air France lounge in CDG right now.) Lounges have been monetized to the point that they are noisy, crowded, and not all that special.

I have to agree with you Pam. I gave up my United cards years ago because the lounges are so packed you can hardly find a place to sit.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Once again, we are considering the Delta Amex to get the lounge access. We are flying to Italy next April. We happen to have a Delta flight booked to Maui with a stop in LAX for February as well. That flight I already purchased. I haven't purchased the flight for Italy yet.

I assume that you have to use the card for the Delta flight to use the airport Delta lounge?

 

[bnoble]

I assume that you have to use the card for the Delta flight to use the airport Delta lounge?

No, you just have to be flying on a Delta-marketed flight (NOT a partner) and hold the appropriate card. Note that the card only gets the primary card-holder into the lounge. To get other people you either need a guest pass (you get two/year) or you need to get them additional cards.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

OGG Maui priority pass lounge. Only major benefit was AC.

Soft drinks and potato chips. No WC.

Next time we will pass.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Aspire Lounge at SAN (San Diego). Mediocre to begin with. This morning ~10 am, I walked past as I was heading toward baggage claim. Lounge was closed due to being at capacity, and there must have been about 30 people standing in line awaiting a turn to get in.

 

[bnoble]

The DTW Delta SkyClub near A18 yesterday had a new chicken recipe: mustard bbq. It was surprisingly good, and much better than the old take on bbq. It was busy, but there were a few groups of 2-4 seats if you looked.

 

[rickandcindy23]

The DTW Delta SkyClub near A18 yesterday had a new chicken recipe: mustard bbq. It was surprisingly good, and much better than the old take on bbq. It was busy, but there were a few groups of 2-4 seats if you looked.

Are you headed to or on Kauai? Let me know what you think of Shearwater.

Never has a Delta flight worked well for us from DEN>OGG, but we have a stop in LAX for a couple of hours before the flight to OGG, I think the card may be worthwhile. I would have to get an additional card for us both. Problem is, I already have lounge access with Chase. I just find that many of the lounges have a wait to enter.

 

[geist1223]

Our favorite Lounge of all time is the Air Fiji in Nadi. Very comfortable seats, lots of 110/120 Electrical Outlets, good Food, self serve top quality Liqour, and Showers. They provide Soap, Shampoo, and Towels.

 

[bnoble]

Are you headed to or on Kauai? Let me know what you think of Shearwater.

Kings Land first, then inter-island to Shearwater, and finishing at Marriott KBC.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

SJC has a nice priority pass lounge.

IMHO. With a few exceptions, we prefer the restaurant benefit over lounge food.

 

[bnoble]

The SEA SkyClub has a nice panoramic view of the A/B gates that face one another, and is central to both of those concourses. Food is okay, the Designated Chicken Dish is mandarin (which is not really that, but it is okay). There is a gelato machine, but it is not staffed at the moment. On the plus side they have Ivar's clam chowder. It is not busy, and we got here early and have a 2 hour delay, so we will be here a while.

There is also a Centurion Lounge just across the corridor, which in hindsight might have been a better bet.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I just found out that we will not be allowed in the Alaska Boardroom without paying a membership fee of $500 per year. We choose Alaska for that benefit when we fly first class to Hawaii. We were always invited into the Boardroom, which was a big deal to us. There are some Priority Pass lounges we can try in Seattle, but the Alaska Boardroom was very nice. We have three upcoming flights on Alaska. Hmmm....I think we are done with Alaska.

$500 per year would never pay for itself for two RT flights. We also fly United, when the price is good.

Makes me really want that Delta card now. Flights to/ from the islands on Delta with one stop are abundant from Denver.

Also considering the United card.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Adding another lounge experience, the International VIP Lounge (Priority Pass) at AUA (Aruba). While it was nice to not be in the melee outside, the food was being cooked (sorta) on the warmers and we just had chips and a Balashi beer. I'd have been really annoyed if I paid like $40 to get in there. We would up getting food at Sbarro because there really wasn't anything there.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

FWIW re lounge access via credit cards. When I see lounges restrict access due to overcrowding, access via credit card programs seems to be the first group that is turned away.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

FWIW re lounge access via credit cards. When I see lounges restrict access due to overcrowding, access via credit card programs seems to be the first group that is turned away.

That seems to be the fair solution. If I am paying for a business class ticket and am promised lounge access with that, i would be really upset if i was turned away. Likewise if the Priority Pass lounge happens to be owned by an airline, and pay for membership to that airlines club network, i expect to be let into the lounge.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

That seems to be the fair solution. If I am paying for a business class ticket and am promised lounge access with that, i would be really upset if i was turned away. Likewise if the Priority Pass lounge happens to be owned by an airline, and pay for membership to that airlines club network, i expect to be let into the lounge.

Yeah - I would expect that an airline lounge would give first priority to those who have purchased membership in their lounge and to people who are flying on of their flights with access privileges. Second priority would go to people who are elite flyers within their airline travel group and who are at a level that gives lounge privileges throughout the group. Lowest priority would be any affiliations that are simply via credit card.

The Aspire Lounge in San Diego that I mentioned upthread is not part of an airline group. As I noted, it looked as if they simply shut the door once capacity was reached.