An airport lounge is a lounge owned by a particular airline (or jointly operated in the case of an alliance). Many offer private meeting rooms, phone, fax, wireless and Internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance comfort such as free drinks and snacks. At lounges, passengers will also find more comfortable seating, quieter environments and better access to customer service representatives than in the airport terminal.

Contents 1 Access to lounges 2 What lounges offer 3 Further information 4 Lounge systems and locations 5 External links 6 References

[edit] Access to lounges

Access to airport lounges may be obtained in several ways. In the United States, the most common is by purchasing an annual or a lifetime membership. Membership fees are sometimes discounted for elite members of an airline's frequent flyer program, and may often be paid using miles. Travellers flying internationally in first class or business class are often offered free access on their days of travel.

Lounge access can also be attained with an airline status card. The top levels often offer access to any of an airline's lounges or partner airlines' lounges, when travelling in any class of travel on any of the partner airlines (usually it is required for the cardholder to be booked on one of the carrier's flights within the next 24 hours).

Generic lounges provided by an airport operator also exist. A fee is paid, which ranges from a daily fee to yearly fees or lifetime memberships. Independent lounge programs such as Priority Pass offer lounge access for an annual fee. Premium credit and charge cards such as Diners Club International, American Express Platinum and Centurion charge cards, and the Morgan Stanley i24 Card, offer lounge programs for members. As of 2008 the American Express Platinum (in some countries) and Centurion charge cards, Morgan Stanley i24 card and the RBS Black Card include Priority Pass membership. American Express also offers access to lounges belonging to partner airlines when flying with those airlines.

[edit] What lounges offer

Besides offering more comfortable seating, lounges usually provide beverages like coffee, water, soft drinks, juices, beer and other alcoholic beverages. Domestic US lounges such as the Alaska Board Room, Continental Presidents Club, Delta Crown Room and Northwest WorldClub offer free alcoholic beverages; the American Airlines Admirals Club and United Red Carpet Club notably do not. Lounges also provide snacks like fruit, pastries and cheese. They generally offer television, usually a sports or news channel, newspapers, and magazines. Phones are spread out through the lounge, allowing members to make calls or access a dial-up internet service. Free Wireless internet access is becoming more and more common, some airlines offer wi-fi operated by contract providers for a nominal daily or monthly fee.

Some lounges, such as the Emirates Lounge can offer extensive luxuries such as full buffet meals, massage services and even swimming pools.

Lounges also provide a more comfortable, stress-free wait for the aircraft, and sometimes offer luxury services such as massages, gyms and spas.

[edit] Further information

Most major carriers have one or more lounges in their hubs and additionally in major airports they serve. Major US airlines such as American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United operate dozens of clubs, smaller airlines like Alaska tend to only operate clubs in their hub cities. Outside the United States, most full service airlines operate clubs at most destinations.

Certain ground handling companies also operate lounges and invite passengers from the airlines which they handle.

Some airlines in the USA may also offer a First-class lounge or a Business-class lounge in some airports that can be different from their regular lounges, more in line with the European/Asian concept of an airport lounge as outlined above. In most cases, airlines will offer first class passengers a free pass to their standard airport club. They may also offer Arrival lounges for passengers to shower and rest after coming out of a long-haul international flight.

A quick comparison of various paid lounge programs worldwide is located at Andrew's Frequent Flyer resources many airlines outside North America and Australia do not sell lounge membership, reserving lounge access for elite frequent flyers. Due to alliances between airlines, many of these airlines lounges can be accessed through the paid programs of their North American and Australian partners - for instance Qantas Club membership provides access to British Airways lounges.

The American Airlines' Admirals Club was the first airport lounge when it opened at New York's La Guardia airport in 1939. Then AA President C.R. Smith thought that it would be a great tool for VIP passengers.

[edit] Lounge systems and locations

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it.

Airline / Lounge Operator	Lounge Name	Locations
Aer Lingus	Gold Circle & Premier Lounge	Dublin, Cork, Shannon, London-Heathrow, Boston
AeroMexico	Salon Premier	Cancún, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, León, Mérida, Mexico City (4), Monterrey, Tijuana
Air Canada	Maple Leaf Lounge	Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Montréal (3), Ottawa, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Quebec City, Regina, St. Johns, Toronto-Pearson (3), Vancouver (3), Winnipeg [1]
	Arrivals Lounge	London-Heathrow [1]
Air India	Maharaja Lounge	Chennai, London-Heathrow, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York
Air New Zealand	Koru Club	Auckland (2), Brisbane, Christchurch (2), Dunedin, Hamilton, Honolulu, Invercargill, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Nadi, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Queenstown, Rarotonga, Sydney, Wellington (2) [2]
Alaska Airlines	Board Room	Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Vancouver [3]
Alitalia	Sala Freccia Alata	Athens, Brussels, Catania, Chicago, London, Milano-Malpensa (2), Milano-Linate (3), New York-JFK, Rome-Fiumicino (5), Palermo, Turin, Venice
American Airlines	Admirals Club	Atlanta, Austin, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Chicago-O'Hare (2), Dallas/Fort Worth (4), Denver, Frankfurt, Honolulu, Kansas City, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami (2), Nashville, Newark, New York-JFK (2), New York-LaGuardia, Orange County, Panama City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Rio de Janeiro, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan, Santiago, Santo Domingo, São Paulo-Guarulhos, St. Louis, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan [4]
	Flagship Lounge	Chicago, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, New York-JFK [5]
	Arrivals Lounge	London-Heathrow [5]
Asiana	OZ Club Lounge	Seoul-Incheon, Seoul-Gimpo
Avianca	VIP Lounge	Bogotá, Cali, Caracas, Barranquilla, Buenos Aires, Guayaquil, New York-JFK, Madrid, Medellin, Quito
Blue Islands	Customer Lounge	Guernsey, Jersey, Southampton
British Airways	Concorde Room	London-Heathrow (T5A), New York-JFK
	Galleries First	London-Heathrow (T5A), Philadelphia, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver
	First Lounge	Bermuda, Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, London-Gatwick, New York-JFK, Newark, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Dulles
	Galleries Club	Brussels, London-Heathrow x2 (T5A), Philadelphia, Munich, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver
	Galleries Lounge	London-Heathrow (T5B)
	Terraces Lounge	Abderdeen, Amsterdam, Athens, Atlanta, Berlin-Tegel, Boston, Budapest, Cape Town, Chicago-O'Hare, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Denver, Dubai, Durban, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Harare, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jersey, Johannesburg, London-Gatwick (2), Los Angeles, Manchester, Miami, Milan-Malpensa, Mumbai, Newcastle, New York-JFK, Newark, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles
	Executive Club Lounge	Abuja, Bermuda, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dhaka, Houston-Intercontinental, Kingston, Lagos, Lusaka, Milan-Linate, Nairobi, Phoneix, Rome-Fiumicino, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Stuttgart, Vienna, Warsaw
	Gate 1 Lounge	London-Heathrow (T4)
	BA Chesapeake Club Lounge	Baltimore
	Galleries Arrivals	London-Heathrow (T5A)
Cathay Pacific and Dragonair	Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge	Bahrain, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Osaka Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Penang, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita, Vancouver [6]
	Dragonair and Cathay Pacific Lounge	Beijing-Capital, Shanghai-Pudong [6]
	G16 Lounge	Hong Kong [6]
	The Pier	Hong Kong [6]
	The Wing	Hong Kong [6]
China Airlines	Dynasty Lounge	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Kaoshiung, Kuala Lumpur, Okinawa, San Francisco, Singapore, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita [7]
Continental Airlines	Presidents Club	Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Guam, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental (5), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, Newark (3), Panama City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Reagan [8]
Copa Airlines	Presidents Club	Panama City [9]
Delta Air Lines	Crown Room Club	Atlanta (8), Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (2), Dallas/Fort Worth, Frankfurt, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, London-Gatwick, Los Angeles, Miami, Munich, Nashville, New Orleans, Newark, New York-JFK (4), New York-LaGuardia, Orlando, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Santiago, São Paulo-Guarulhos Brazil, Tampa, Washington-Reagan, West Palm Beach [10]
	Arrivals Lounge	London-Gatwick [10]
El Al	King David Lounge	London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Tel Aviv [11]
Emirates	Emirates Lounge	Auckland, Bangkok-Suvarnbahumi, Brisbane, Dubai (2), Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Melbourne, Munich, New York-JFK, Perth, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Singapore, Sydney [12]
	Arrivals Lounge	London-Gatwick [13]
EVA Air	Evergreen Lounge	Bangkok, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Taipei
Finnair	Finnair Lounge	Helsinki, Stockholm-Arlanda
Hawaiian Airlines	Premier Club	Hilo, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Lihue, Los Angeles, Pago
Korean Air	Korean Air Lounge	Chicago, Honolulu, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, New York, Osaka Kansai, Seoul Incheon, Tokyo Narita
Jet Airways	Jet Lounge	Delhi, Bangalore, Brussels, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Newark
Lufthansa	Senator Lounge	Athens, Atlanta, Berlin-Tegel, Boston, Bremen, Cologne-Bonn, Detroit, Dresden, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Houston, Leipzig, London-Heathrow, Milan-Malpensa, Mumbai, Munich, New York-JFK, Newark, Nürnberg, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Stuttgart, Zurich[14]
	Business Lounge	Athens, Bangkok, Berlin-Tegel, Boston, Bremen, Cologne-Bonn, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Houston, Leipzig, London-Heathrow, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, New York-JFK, Nürnberg, Stuttgart[15]
	First Class Lounge	Frankfurt (First Class Terminal and First Class Lounge), Munich [15]
Malaysia Airlines	Golden Lounge	Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Narita, New York, Penang, Singapore, Sydney
Mexicana Airlines	Salón Ejecutivo	Buenos Aires, Cancún, Chicago-O'Hare, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Monterrey, Portland, San Antonio, Tijuana, Toronto, Vancouver
Middle East Airlines	The Cedar Lounge	Beirut
Midwest Airlines	Best Care Club	Milwaukee
Northwest Airlines	WorldClubs	Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Detroit (4), Honolulu, Los Angeles, Manila, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul (2), Newark, New York-LaGuardia, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul-Incheon, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan [16]
Olympic Airlines	Onassis Lounge	Athens (2), Alexandroupoli, Heraklion, Thessaloniki
Philippine Airlines	Mabuhay Lounge	Bacolod, Cebu (2), Davao (2), General Santos, Iloilo, Los Angeles, Manila (2), San Francisco
Qantas	Qantas Club	Adelaide, Alice Springs, Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Broome, Cairns, Canberra, Christchurch, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Launceston, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Mackay, Melbourne (Tullamarine), Perth, Rockhampton, Singapore, Sydney, Townsville, Wellington[17]
Royal Jordanian	Crown Lounge	Amman, Aqaba,Dubai[18]
Scandinavian Airlines System	Business Lounge	Brussels, Chicago-O'hare, Copenhagen (2), Gothenburg, Helsinki, London-Heathrow, Newark, Oslo (2), Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Seattle, Stockholm (3)[19]
	Scandinavian Lounge (First/Star Alliance Gold)	Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm,
Singapore Airlines	Silver Kris Lounge	Adelaide, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Osaka Kansai, Penang, Perth, San Francisco, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo-Narita [20]
South African Airways	Baobab Lounge	Cape Town, Johannesburg, London
	Cycad Premium Lounge	Cape Town, Johannesburg, London
TAP Portugal	Top Executive	Funchal, Lisbon, Oporto [21]
Thai Airways International	Royal Orchid Lounge	Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Dhaka, Hat Yai, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Khon Kaen, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Osaka Kansai, Phittsanulok, Phuket, Singapore, Surat Thani, Taipei, Ubon Ratchathani, Yangon [22]
United Airlines	Red Carpet Club	Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago-O’Hare (4), Denver (2), Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, Newark, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Orange County, Orlando, Osaka, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland OR, San Diego, San Francisco (2), São Paulo, Seattle/Tacoma, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles (3), Washington-Reagan[23]
US Airways	US Airways Club	Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte (2), Greensboro, Hartford/Springfield, Las Vegas, London-Gatwick, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, Philadelphia (3), Phoenix (3), Pittsburgh, Raleigh/Durham, Tampa, Washington-Reagan[24]
Virgin Atlantic Airways	Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse	Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Newark, New York-JFK, San Francisco, Tokyo, Washington-Dulles[25]
Virgin Blue	The Lounge	Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney

[edit] External links

• LoungeGuide.net - airport lounge review wiki

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Airport lounge

[edit] References

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