If you’re about to set off on an economy
class flight, you could wonder if it is possible to access airline lounges when you’re not traveling in business or first class. Fortunately, some travelers can access airline lounges even when traveling on the economy.
How to access the lounge as an economy class traveller
When traveling for leisure, the journey is just as exciting as reaching the destination. The experience from leaving your front door until you arrive at that golden sand beach or historical city or are reunited with friends and family helps ensure your cup is eternally half full.
Airline lounges around the world have differing eligibility requirements for entry, and it can become confusing for some who don’t fully understand the mileage program for the respective airline. However, for many airlines, you can access the airline lounge when traveling economy class, depending on your frequent flier membership tier or if you are a member of the lounge program itself. For some lounges, you can also obtain pay-per-visit access.
As part of airline loyalty benefits, global carriers worldwide have built an extensive list of lounges to serve their loyal customers. An example of this is Emirates, one of the world’s largest airlines by international customers. At the end of 2022, it had built up over 32 lounges worldwide, stretching as far as Auckland, Cairo, Boston, Dusseldorf, and Milan (to name a few; you can find the complete list below).
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The airline recently reopened its lounge in Concourse C of Dubai International Airport, marking its seventh at its Dubai hub.
What’s the benefit of accessing the lounge?
Let’s start: What are the benefits of economy class passengers accessing the lounge? If you haven’t been fortunate enough to access an airline lounge before, these exclusive spaces allow several perks that separate you from the rest in the terminal. These additions usually include:
- Complementary WiFi access
- Complementary food and beverages
- Comfortable lounge chairs and dining areas
- Business centers, including printing facilities
- A dedicated lounge host that can assist with schedule changes or changing your allocated seat
- Complementary newspapers and magazines
- Shower and toilet facilities
Accessing the lounge also provides calm from the general hustle and bustle in the airport terminal. If you are traveling with children, a lounge usually has a small kids’ area where they can play with toys, books, and games to keep them occupied until it’s time to take a flight.
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Which airlines offer paid access?
While this list is not extensive, I’ve outlined several airlines that offer paid lounge access so you can make the most of your journey next time you are taking off somewhere special:
Other airlines, including Air China, Lufthansa, and members of Sky Team, enable passengers to purchase lounge access by purchasing it via a range of apps, including Lounge Buddy.
Within the United States, the ‘Big Three’ all offer access to their lounges starting from $59 for a day pass, while Emirates has a range of differing lounge access requirements, as outlined below:
You can access the Emirates lounge in Auckland, Bangkok, Birmingham, Boston, Brisbane, Cape Town, Colombo, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Stansted, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Milan, Munich, New York John F. Kennedy, Paris, Perth, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo Narita, and Zürich.
Access to these lounges is available for passengers up to four hours before your departure. The costs are explained below and vary depending on if you are a Emirates Skywards
(Emirates frequent flier program) member:
Lounge |
Cost (USD) |
Cost (USD), for Skywards members |
---|---|---|
Business class lounge – Dubai |
$175 |
$150 |
First-class Lounge – Dubai |
$300 |
$250 |
Upgrade from business class to first class lounge – Dubai |
$175 |
$150 |
Other lounges worldwide |
$155 |
$125 |
Is it worth paying to access an airline lounge?
Depending on your budget, accessing a lounge can be worth the cost. If you are planning to arrive at the airport early, with plenty of time to spare, or have a long layover, it can be worth having the additional comforts at your disposal. If it were me, and I was connecting through a foreign city after a long-haul flight, the opportunity for a cooked meal, warm shower, and peace in a secluded space would be worth its weight in gold.
How to access airline lounges when you’re traveling
Depending on your airline of choice, airlines can allow you to purchase one lounge access at the entry desk of the lounge. Be sure to have your boarding pass and ID handy. Access may depend on the duration you plan to remain in the lounge and their current occupancy. Paid per-entry guests are usually only permitted into the lounge if they aren’t busy.
Another way to access airline lounges is if you are a priority pass member, which allows access to several lounges worldwide. Other options include if your credit card is linked to airline loyalty programs, such as the Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinium card. This card grants spenders access to the Air New Zealand lounge with vouchers after a certain spending threshold; however, the airline grants just two vouchers per year for this benefit.
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Six of its lounges are located abroad.
Access to lounges for frequent flier members
Airlines will commonly reward their most frequent fliers with complimentary lounge access, depending on their membership tier. Star Alliance, for example, permits its Gold-level members access to any Star Alliance lounge worldwide before their flight, even when traveling in economy. If you are traveling in First or Business, you will also be entitled to access the lounge.
Each airline offers a lounge with its unique spin on local cultures and cuisines. However, in some locations, the alliance has its own Star Alliance lounge, such as Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Buenos Ares, Guangzhou, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro.
Remember that lounge access can depend on your ticket class, frequent flier status, and sometimes even fare paid. Please check each respective airline’s lounge access policy before you travel to see if any caveats could affect your ability to access your lounge of choice.
A spotlight on the SAS lounge
For those traveling with SAS
, the newest member of SkyTeam, after it left Star Alliance due to investment from Air France / KLM, allows its EuroBonus Gold and Diamond members free access to the SAS selection of lounges. However, you can also add lounge access by paying directly through managing your booking or at the airport. Inclusions usually experienced in the SAS lounge include:
- Complimentary food and drink
- Unique and calm atmosphere to socialize with other travelers or relax
- Free WiFi
- Complementary newspapers and magazines
- Shower facilities at selected lounges
- Meeting Facilities
- Business center at selected lounges
- Kids room including games consoles, puzzles and books
Accessing the KLM Lounge Guide
Another SkyTeam member that permits economy class passengers access to its lounge network is Dutch flag carrier KLM. The airline operates a robust network of international routes from its hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
(AMS). The airline only has a small number of KLM Crown Lounges located in Amsterdam (non-Schengen and Schengen), Toronto, and Houston.
KLM allows passengers to access their lounge if they are traveling on a same-day ticket with either KLM or SkyTeam-operated flights (airline members include Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeroméxico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, Scandinavian Airlines, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and XiamenAir.)
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To access the KLM lounge, you can pay by redeeming KLM Flying Blue miles (between 3,500 and 9,000) or by paying the fee as outlined below:
Region |
Entry fee |
---|---|
Europe |
EU 25 to 50 ($26 to $51) |
Africa |
EU 25 to 50 ($26 to $51) |
Asia-Pacific |
EU 25 to 50 ($26 to $51) |
United States |
$35 to $50 |
Canada |
CA $30 to $50 (USD $24 to $35) |
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