What is the attraction of lounges?

[Cruiser Elite]

=> jetpack - excellent question. And please don't take this the wrong way - it's not worth answering.

What is the attraction of chasing FF points? Not worth answering either.

Some get it - most don't. It all makes up 'The Rich Tapestry Of Life!'

 

[snabbu]

... then when I get to Sydney I pop into the Flounge for a glass of champas and Eggs Benny usually, but if the stopover is more than an hour, I drift over to the Business lounge where I can pour my own oversize bourbons. ...

Self free pouring in the J lounge... hmm i wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the heads up

 

[cambriamarsh]

Thanks for the responses. My SG status is about to end and I am trying to decide if I should spend money to maintain lounge access. It's been a nice thing to have so far and am tempted to maintain it but I don't think think I value it enough to pay for it.

I enjoy the peace and quiet and it's a nice start to a holiday with my +1.

I also travel for business a bit and often need to print documents to review (I'm hopeless at reviewing on a screen and anyway can't scrawl notes on a phone). More than once the lounge has been a godsend when the unexpected has happened.

There's also the benefit that the Angels are often more proactive and aware than the day to day customer service people in the terminal if changes or irrops happen.

I don't like paying for it but I do get value from it. Of course YMMV.

 

[GSP]

Mind you I was in there too But that was ONLY because I really needed to connect to the net...

Having an internet dongle removes that necessity, and sometimes in the lounges the wifi is bollocks, so that is my backup (and often my goto) plan for net access.

 

[Deleted member]

Self free pouring in the J lounge... hmm i wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the heads up

No longer in the BNE lounges if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Muppet501st]

I don't pay a single cent for lounge access, I get it as a by-product of work travel. Lots and lots of flying and time away from the family.
I love being able to "cash in" on the access it gives me and my family when we go on holidays. It saves a few dollars feeding my family of 5 especially at airport prices.

 

[theweaselsteve]

I did a status run to get access to lounges, among other benefits. A bit of space, a shower and security are all great, but the clincher has to be free booze!

 

[JohnK]

Interesting question.

For me it's all about a quiet space away from the terminal. I do love people watching but don't want to do that for 2-3 hour transits. Generally I can find a quiet place to sit in the lounge with some food and drink.

In saying that lounges can also get very crowded and loud but for me I don't want to go back to the days where I had no choice and had to wander around the terminal waiting next flight. Have one of these next Monday morning in SIN connecting for EK to 3K and QF lounge not open. May just go for a walk around the terminals.

 

[harvyk]

Free food and drink are nice, but for me the real value behind lounges are they are typically far more comfortable places to relax than down in the main terminal. They have proper lounge suites to sit on, they have tables and chairs with actual padding, they have desks with proper chairs to sit on, and they DON'T have those horrible bench seats with plastic arm-rests in between.

There is also something to be said about been able to have showers during your travels. I typically have a shower at the lounge before I fly (assuming it's not short haul) if I've been out and about all day and haven't had access to a hotel room. It makes me feel more human.

Yes you can sometimes purchase a better variety of food in the main terminal, and yes I have in the past done just that and brought it back to the lounge with me, and it's all because in general the places to sit are far more comfortable than in the main terminal.

 

[Chara David]

I'd rather be exploring the city rather than spending some luxury on lounge..

 

[seanpodge]

Lounges are nice to have. I get to use them via *G status. That said, besides one or two notable exceptions (e.g. Turkish Airlines IST lounge), I'd struggle to justify spending significant money for access.

 

[ermen]

Lounges are nice to have. I get to use them via *G status. That said, besides one or two notable exceptions (e.g. Turkish Airlines IST lounge), I'd struggle to justify spending significant money for access.

Yes probably would struggle for *A lounges...
OW F lounges though are generally very good

 

[Skyring]

My first big overseas trips both involved long transits in LAX to catch the late evening SYD flight. Hours of uncomfortable seats, regular loud and annoying announcements, increasing numbers of tired and cranky people battling over the power outlets, having to constantly watch over my stuff, limited food and beverage choices. It was just awful and tedious and unsafe; the very essence of what makes travel so irritating.

Since that time, twelve years ago, I've done my best to fly at the sharp end or have enough status to enjoy lounge access.

For a domestic sector, I don't really care. If I have fifteen minutes spare between getting out of the Uber and boarding my economy seat, I'll browse the bookshop or look at the window at the planes doing stuff. For just about everything else, I like having a shower, comfy chairs, a bit less worry that somebody's going to nick my bag, and the odd drink.

Especially if I'm stuck there for a couple of hours or so.

It depends how much one flies, and what sort of flying it is. A couple of domestic legs a year, who cares? A couple of big international multi-leg or RTW trips each year (which has pretty much been my life since 2005) and lounge access becomes the difference between a pleasant trip, and one that is full of airport friction.

Others have likened it to what sort of car you drive. I look on travel as a hobby, like collecting antiques or restoring vintage motorcycles. You can spend thousands on hobbies. Travel is my hobby.

 

[Pushka]

I'd rather be exploring the city rather than spending some luxury on lounge..

Can't really do that 2 hours before the flight.

 

[JohnK]

I'd rather be exploring the city rather than spending some luxury on lounge..

Not possible on a 3-4 hour transit and personally I wouldn't do on a 6 hour transit either especially if I am tired and another long flight ahead.

 

[OATEK]

When you arrive in Helsinki at 6am after nearly 24hrs of flying, and have 3hrs until your flight to Paris, then the allure of a shower, decent food and drink, and a quiet place to recover, becomes absolutely vital.

 

[amaroo]

When you arrive in Helsinki at 6am after nearly 24hrs of flying, and have 3hrs until your flight to Paris, then the allure of a shower, decent food and drink, and a quiet place to recover, becomes absolutely vital.

+ free internet to update your AFF trip report

 

[seanpodge]

Yes probably would struggle for *A lounges...
OW F lounges though are generally very good

Anything F is well out of my league.

Besides the TK IST lounge, I have been to a few other pretty good *A lounges. Liked the ones in LAX, NH@NRT and even had a soft spot for the SAS lounge at CPH. Others were fine without being spectacular. Probably wouldn't pay $50+ to enter these (unless I had a very long connection) but they are pretty good in my opinion.

The lounges in PR China are generally rubbish (CA international lounge at PVG being an honourable exception). The decision on whether to even bother with the lounge is largely dependent on which of the lounge or the terminal is more crowded.

 

[NZflygirl]

I paid for lounge access in my first year of frequent flying. Free food and zero dishes .

Yes the food in the terminal is better but most days I'm not flying so I can buy food from anywhere at anytime. I worked out I saved a fair bit by eating in the lounge. Also flying TT I prefer to not spend money on food on board but a preferred seat instead.

If I have a morning flight I don't get out of bed early for the lounge as a bed tends to be more comfy than a lounge. If staying in a hotel/motel the night prior then I appreciate the food in the lounge rather than spending more money on food.

Sometimes you have to leave to get to the airport early just to beat traffic rather than catching the flight and I don't particularly feel like eating really early like 5am but later closer to the flight then I'll eat in the lounge.

I think it depends on how you travel as to what use you get out of it. And buying food in the terminal if you're taking a lot of flights does add up.
Free alcohol is great although 75% of the time I don't indulge but I like the option.

I'm sure in the latter years I will go back to paid lounge access - there's other things like priority baggage, speedy check-in etc. I'd probably have to drop below 5 trips a year to say NZ Koru isn't viable for my partner and I. But who knows what things will be like in 10 yrs time. It's an ever changing landscape. Also hope to continue to accumulate points to fly at the pointy end.

Having lounge access doesn't stop me from browsing the shops now and then. I have bought food from the main terminal - mainly in Perth but admit it has been infrequent. I think Syd actually has some really good terminal seating areas, but I value the freebies too much.


If you are paying for lounge access then do it the cheapest way possible, but yeah you do need to have a think about what it is you value.

 

[harvyk]

Anything F is well out of my league.
<snip>

Yeah, I used to think like that too...
Whilst I certainly don't get to do the FLounge thing often, I certainly have managed to sneak in past the front doors a few times now.