Airport lounges are enviable places. There, you can relax away from the hustle and bustle of the open airport terminal, while enjoying (often complimentary) food and drink. WiFi is provided, as well as a comfortable place to work, relax, charge your devices, or even nap, and you don’t feel like you’re being rushed out the door.
These airport lounges are typically affiliated with certain airlines. They offer entry to frequent flyers, premium members, those willing to pay the premium at the door, and even some first- and business-class passengers. And of course, certain credit cards give you lounge accesslike the Platinum Card from American Expresswhich gives you complimentary access to American Express Centurion lounges, or one of thebest travel credit cardsthat come withPriority Passaccess like theChase Sapphire Reserve.
So, which airline lounges will give access to business class travelers when they’re only traveling on a domestic flight?
American Admirals Club
American Airlines offers Admiral Clubs® in 28 cities across the countries. They also offer access to partner lounges in five cities. These include Alaska Lounges in Anchorage, LA, Portland, and Seattle, as well as the AirSpace Lounge in San Diego.
If you’re flying business or first class on a qualifying international flight, you’re usually offered complimentary access to the lounge that day. What if you’re flying domestic, though?
Well, in that case, you’re almost always out of luck. In fact, there are only three domestic American routes that offer business class passengers Admirals Club® access. If you’re on the airline’s A321T nonstop transcontinental flight from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles or from New York (JFK) to San Francisco, you’ll get Club access. Also, if you have a premium-class fare on a route between Los Angeles and Miami (MIA), you’ll also get to enjoy the Club.
Otherwise, you’ll either need to pay the daily rate of $59, or find another way in. There are a few other ways of getting into the Admirals Club® without the hefty one-day price tag, too. You can:
- Be an annual or lifetime Admirals Club® member
- Hold the Citi®/AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard®
- Be an AirPass or ConciergeKey member with Admirals Club® access
- Hold an AAdvantage® Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, or Platinum level membership
- Be a oneworld® Emerald or Sapphire level frequent flyer
- Be active-duty military flying in uniform that same day
United Club
If you’re flying United business class, you may be wondering if you’ll have access to United Club locations in 25 different airports around the country, or one of the participating Star Alliance® affiliated clubs. Well, this airline is very similar to American in that there are really only two domestic routes that will get you there.
If you have a premium business-class ticket on a transcontinental flight, you might just land yourself at the snack bar of your airport’s United Club. The qualifying routes are those with premium nonstop service between New York/Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX) or New York/Newark (EWR) and San Francisco (SFO). If flying those routes business class, you can access United Clubs at both your origin and destination airports.
Otherwise, you can pay the $59 one-time pass rate to get in the door. There are a few other ways to access a United Club on the same day as your domestic travel, though. You can:
- Sign up for a United Club membership, ranging in price from $450-550 a year
- Have a valid Star Alliance Gold membership
- Hold the United MileagePlus Club Card (which includes free membership)
- Use a day pass offered by your United MileagePlus Explorer Card
DeltaSky Club
There are 50 Delta Sky Club airport locations in North America, offering upscale amenities and a premium resting place during your travels (some locations even offer showers). So, will your domestic business class ticket get you in?
Yet again, the answer is: only with certain transcontinental flights.
If you’re traveling with a nonstop, Delta One ticket on one of four routes, you’ll have access to the Delta Sky Clubs in your departure and arrival cities for the day. These routes are New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO), Washington/Reagan (DCA) to Los Angeles (LAX), and Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO).
Otherwise, you’ll need to pay the daily rate of $59 or find an alternate source for entry, such as:
- Holding the Delta Reserve Credit Card
- Holding the Gold or Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (gives you discounted access of $29 a day)
- Being a SkyClub member
- Having elite status from another SkyTeam airline
- Carrying the Platinum or Centurion Card from American Express
International Travel
Of course, flying internationally is a completely different ball game. For many airlines, you’ll get complimentary access to their lounges (or affiliate lounges offered by partner airlines) when you hold a premium international ticket. In most cases, you can even get access to an airport lounge if you have a domestic connection prior to your international flight, provided it’s on the same day.
Airport lounges are premium getaways within the craziness of the airport terminal. Of course, you’ll pay a premium to get in the door.
If you’re on a domestic portion of a transcontinental flight and have a business class ticket, you should be able to enjoy all of the snacks, space, and amenities provided at either airport. Otherwise, you can look into getting a credit card that offers access to airport lounges.
This will not only open the doors for you the next time you travel but allow you to avoid the hefty daily rate charged.
Why You Want Lounge Access
As I mentioned, these airport lounges offer a premium experience for travelers, making them a little oasis when you have a long layover or time before your flight.
Typically, lounges offer an array of seating, from big lounge chairs to a bar top and even nap areas. You can spread out, stretch your legs, and even catch some Zzzs before jumping back into the airport madness.
If you want to work or check email, lounges usually offer complimentary internet access. If you want to make changes to your travel plans, change seats, track down a lost bag, or even rebook a flight, the airline-affiliated lounges even have airport staff available to help you do so.
Hungry or thirsty? Airport lounges have you covered. The offerings vary from a self-serve beverage cart to a full bar with service, and everything in between. Some lounges offer complimentary snacks, others allow you to order off of a premium menu, and some even set up a complimentary hot buffet. What you will find is contingent on the clubchosenand even the airport it’s in.
You can even keep yourself occupied for a while. There are usually large televisions for watching the news or a big game, and guests are able to request a certain channel (a big change from the terminal TVs). There are newspapers and magazines available, from a variety of sources.
So, you can see why these lounges are a welcome treat for most passengers, especially those who haven’t earned or paid for annual memberships. Whywouldn’tyou want to snag complimentary access when you’re flying business class?
