Why are people obsessed with airport lounges?

While traveling can be fun, most people don't love being in an airport. They're jam-packed with people, are noisy and often have limited seating. A lounge can offer the perfect hideaway from the hectic nature of the airport. It's much quieter, and most lounges have comfortable, spacious seating — and plenty of it.



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Travelers are flocking to airport lounges in search of complimentary food, drinks and perhaps most importantly, a chance to relax away from the hordes of travelers at the gate.

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Lounges typically set food up in a way where you can help yourself as needed. They often offer free snacks and other food choices, plus drinks, including alcoholic beverages. These food and drink offerings come at no extra cost to you.

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You can get free access to an airline lounge by redeeming miles or opening a credit card with lounge benefits. Airline elite status also comes with lounge benefits.

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You can stay overnight and sleep at 24-hour airport lounges, as long as they don't have any rules on how long you stay. Many airport lounges close at night or limit access to just a few hours before your flight. Go to your airport lounge program's website to review hours and rules at the lounge you want to visit.

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The Cons of Airline Lounges If the lounge is crowded, you might still be able to find a seat, but you could be waiting longer for drinks and have to put up with more noise. If you decide to take your family on your business trip, which some travelers choose to do, take note that not all lounges are family friendly.

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In our airport guides, we include lounges that economy-class travellers can access by paying at the door, purchasing a lounge pass or joining a lounge membership program.

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Some lounges don't allow you to take food and beverages from the lounge. However, some won't mind if you take a couple of sealed items like bags of crisps, a yogurt or bottled soft drinks for your onward journey.

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You can stay overnight and sleep at 24-hour airport lounges, as long as they don't have any rules on how long you stay. Many airport lounges close at night or limit access to just a few hours before your flight. Go to your airport lounge program's website to review hours and rules at the lounge you want to visit.

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Airport lounges provide a standard of service that cannot be mirrored outside the lounge doors. For that reason, a dress code helps to maintain lounge users' expectations.

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If airlines give you something for free, always take it (even if you don't like cookies). Getting a credit card for the lounge access: Tricky. Because these lounges will be available to anyone with the same card, they will likely be crowded almost by default.

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Some people prefer to stay in the airport instead of heading to a hotel, hoping that there might be last-minute availability. Others simply don't want to go through the effort of heading to a hotel late at night only to return a few hours later for an early morning flight.

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Complimentary access is usually given by credit/debit card companies and Airlines. It depends on who owns the lounge, most lounges - Plaza Premium/Above Ground Level are owned by airport and hospitality companies and get paid by credit card companies for providing complimentary access.

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In other words, smart-casual is a good rule of thumb to follow when deciding what to wear in an airport lounge. This means being neat and presentable without being too formal. However, you will find that there are several airport lounges that don't care what you wear as long as you're not offending anyone.

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Many lounges don't even require that you be flying their airline! Most of the lounges that sell day passes belong to U.S.-based airlines like Alaska Airlines (Alaska Lounge), American (Admirals Club), and United (United Club).

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You can stay overnight and sleep at 24-hour airport lounges, as long as they don't have any rules on how long you stay. Many airport lounges close at night or limit access to just a few hours before your flight. Go to your airport lounge program's website to review hours and rules at the lounge you want to visit.

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Valid booking: Many airports are perfectly fine with passengers sleeping before flights, but they don't want strangers using their space. Having a boarding pass or valid flight booking to show staff can help if you are confronted.

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