Category Archives for Lounges.
The aesthetic of the space, combined with excellent restaurant-style dining (Cathay’s food > BA’s) and a calmer, more polished service make this one of the best outstation first class lounges anywhere.
I decided to write about the Marco Polo Club at the Venice Airport for only one reason: it’s exactly what a Priority Pass lounge should be. It’s not the greatest lounge. It doesn’t have great food. But it’s spacious and clean, offers plenty of seating, and has food and working espresso machines available.
TSA employees have learned this trick, “invading” the Aspire Lounge at the Ontario Airport in California run by Swissport. They don’t ask for boarding passes either. After all, that means more card swipes – and they get paid per swipe.
I think I like the B44 lounge more than the A concourse United Club, but not so much that I’d choose one over the other for any reason other than being closer to my gate. A has more empty seats up on the top floor, because it’s not as convenient to get up there, and it’s brighter.
American Airlines has the most exclusive lounges in the country. Few people realize though that there are certificates that AAdvantage elites can redeem miles for to gain access to these lounges. And it’s actually a pretty good deal, especially when traveling with family.
At this point I think that Capital One has the two best credit card lounges in the United States – their JFK lounge, and their ‘Landing’ tapas restaurant at Washington National airport in D.C..
There are 3 United Airlines United Clubs in Denver, plus the grab ‘n go Club Fly. One of the two clubs on the B concourse is currently closed. The lounge on the A West concourse near gate A25 is just a couple of years old. It’s big, it’s bright, and there’s plenty of seating.
Airport lounges are the distinctive domain of the upper middle classes, and with the rise of the new wealthy in China outstripping their capacity, one lounge has a fascinating restriction to keep away the crowds.
One rumor about tipping just isn’t true, that when you pay for premium drinks with SkyMiles at a Delta Sky Club that the airline pockets the tip and doesn’t pass it onto the server.
The highlight of the lounge – and some people love it, others hate it, my view was a bit more in the middle – is the food. They have actual beef, not something I’ve seen much of in Centurion lounges the past several years as the food budget appears to have been cut back.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
