Airport lounges - whats the point?

[RRS_Staffs]

Ok what am I missing please?

Im off on a lads trip in a few weeks and have just been contacted by my pal to be told I must book an airport lounge at Manchester for departure.
He flies a lot more than me and probably has some sort of discount code

Ive looked at the websites and am struggling to see whats on offer for the £18 it will cost me besides a croissant, a coffee, a second hand Daily Mail and an absence of poor people (joke)

Id imagined it came with some kind of priority pass through security but as far as I can see it doesnt

So Im keen to hear from frequent fliers what the deal is
And would you pay for a lounge yourself if it wasnt some kind of loyalty jolly?

To be honest I actually like kicking around the terminal and duty free shops anyway
Plus Im a skinflint

Cheers

[Puggit]

Frequent flyers don't use the lounges that can be paid for

As someone who has had lounge access for quite a few years now, given to me because I fly a lot - it's an excellent privilege. Somewhere to escape the masses, unwind, plug in to free power and free wifi etc. With drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and snacks. In Gold only lounges, often there is decent food as well. They really come in to their own when you're delayed for hours.

The occasional times I've had to use lounges you can pay to enter (ie Aberdeen Servisair lounge when flying bmi) I've often grabbed a quick drink and left again as there's more air and space in the gates area.

I suspect your friend wants the free booze...

[Silver993tt]

I was a frequent flyer with BA (Gold level) for years. With the advent of web checki-in, they became redundant IMO. Printing off a boarding pass at home allowed me to turn up 45-60mins before the flight, another 15 mins for security etc and that's down to 30-45mins tops. Boarding starts around 25mins before, so that's 10-15 mins to kill. Plenty of seating around, a couple of calls and it's boarding time.

Now I'm a frequent flyer with Lufthansa, same thing applies - never bother with the lounges because I don't have time.

[hornetrider]

Do the paid for lounges offer free beer? If so, there's your answer.

[RRS_Staffs]

10AM flight
Travelling with outsize luggage so will arrive unfashionably early
Both sharing driving on the other side so its not for the beer!

[Silver993tt]

RRS_Staffs said:

10AM flight
Travelling with outsize luggage so will arrive unfashionably early
Both sharing driving on the other side so its not for the beer!

You don't need to arrive early with outsized luggage. The check-in for this is invariably empty since most won't have it, if any.

[Parsnip]

The free ones (like the "I work in oil" petroleum ones) are pretty good and generally just nicer places to be - often I will have a few hours to kill before going to the heliport, so they make sense.

If I had to pay or had no reason to be in the airport early (no connection etc.) I would never bother - getting there at the last millisecond and boarding the plane as the doors close is the grail of flying imo.

[Jonathan27]

I like airline lounges, the food can be quite decent (in some) and the free booze helps pass the time. Quite a few have extra facilities such as showers, or a spa. But these are the lounges hat are run by airlines;94 premium passengers.
Any lounge that you pay for, especialy if it's just £18, will just offer the basics, you would be better spending your money in the airport costa.

[Puggit]

RRS_Staffs said:

10AM flight
Travelling with outsize luggage so will arrive unfashionably early
Both sharing driving on the other side so its not for the beer!

He just wants to pretend he's posh then!

[sneijder]

I've dealt with certain folk, and been asked to make sure they are listed for the Windsor Suite at LHR. It's free to use if you are of the right stock, otherwise it's £5000 a head if they consider inviting you.

Haven't seen any pictures, or heard what goes on, but one would assume panda steaks are on the menu.

[llewop]

I've got Priority Pass through my bank and even though it is access for the lounges that you'd otherwise pay for, I still think it is worthwhile, for instance, based on recent experience:

T4 at Heathrow it was open before the cafes in the morning
At Kiev Borispol even if you don't go for an alcoholic drink: a roll, coffee and wifi are cheaper than you could get 'outside' + a lot more comfortable (assuming you paid the £15/visit fee - which I don't of course )
Malta lounge was very nice and civilised

fair enough, not all are great, for instance one at Rome was crowded and out of the way, but, depending on what you are paying for it and how long you are likely to be there, worthwhile. Okay, not for the gamblers that want to turn up just in time for their flight (a fine art if you are travelling any distance to the airport....) but each to their own.

[GT03ROB]

RRS_Staffs said:

Ok what am I missing please?

Ive looked at the websites and am struggling to see whats on offer for the £18 it will cost me besides an absence of poor people

This. I'm serious. Any of the charter airports in holiday season are a total nightmare. Nowhere to sit, noisy, huge queues for overpriced coffee, Wayne & Waynetta dragging their evil, screaming spawn around. It's hell. Somewhere that is peaceful, quiet is heaven.

[Silver993tt]

GT03ROB said:

RRS_Staffs said:

Ok what am I missing please?

Ive looked at the websites and am struggling to see whats on offer for the £18 it will cost me besides an absence of poor people

This. I'm serious. Any of the charter airports in holiday season are a total nightmare. Nowhere to sit, noisy, huge queues for overpriced coffee, Wayne & Waynetta dragging their evil, screaming spawn around. It's hell. Somewhere that is peaceful, quiet is heaven.

Well, my experience of the BA lounges at Heathrow for example (incl 1st at T5) was that they were often like zoos with much more space outside the lounge.

The best solution as I mentioned earlier is to web check-in and get to the airport within an hour of the flight. No need for the lounge, no need to eat/drink/queue up etc.

[GT03ROB]

Silver993tt said:

GT03ROB said:

RRS_Staffs said:

Ok what am I missing please?

Ive looked at the websites and am struggling to see whats on offer for the £18 it will cost me besides an absence of poor people

This. I'm serious. Any of the charter airports in holiday season are a total nightmare. Nowhere to sit, noisy, huge queues for overpriced coffee, Wayne & Waynetta dragging their evil, screaming spawn around. It's hell. Somewhere that is peaceful, quiet is heaven.

Well, my experience of the BA lounges at Heathrow for example (incl 1st at T5) was that they were often like zoos with much more space outside the lounge.

The best solution as I mentioned earlier is to web check-in and get to the airport within an hour of the flight. No need for the lounge, no need to eat/drink/queue up etc.

Fair point! I have from time to time seen the same in the BA lounges, but at least they are free (if you exclude the premium ticket prices )

[tr7v8]

For JIT type travel then I wouldn't bother. When you start flying frequently & get stuck in airports because of cancellations, broken aeroplanes, weather etc. then they become essential. They are quiet places to work, read a book or whatever, where you can get free wifi, leave kit laying around, get a tea & a sandwich or similar.
Mind you the BA one at Amsterdam is not great having spent 5 hours there a few months back!

[The jiffle king]

I'm a frequent flyer (Gold, silver and silver on the 3 main groups) and I do use the lounges to grab bottles of water before a flight. Like other frequent flyers, my airport routine is based on being there less than 60 mins in total and web/mobile boarding is perfect now.
Good lounges are LHR T3 First which does good hot food (BA), LHR T5 when outside of the early rush and the Sunday 3PM US trip. I fly from BCN often and the lounge is great, but the food limited. I was there this morning to grab bottles of water before coming to the UK
Most lounges are crisps and a drink type places though and not worth it. If you get delayed, then they are great, if not, then you might as well spend the money on a meal in the airport

[Puggit]

The jiffle king said:

I do use the lounges to grab bottles of water before a flight.

Sadly most lounges seem to have got wise to this. After the liquids ban came in, I would always look to acquire water in the lounges.

Most seem to have moved to either glass bottles or large 2 litre bottles to prevent this

[davidjpowell]

If you have to hang around for a while they are invaluable. Desk to work, plug for laptop etc. Used the Servisair lounge at Gatwick a couple of weeks ago, and was not so impressed, but it was better than wandering around the terminal for a couple of hours and being stuck in a shopping mall with seats designed to make you shop.

Spent three hours at Glasgow airport yesterday as you can't pay cash on the door, only by card. Bit inconvenient when I have had to cancel my cards due to somone breaking into some online accounts...

[jj333]

I have one through the bank account as well and have fond memories of drinking far too many vodkas at 9am before a flight to NY recently (I'm powerfully built so I can handle it). Between two of us we must have drunk £50 worth easily, plus a full brekkie. Anything to avoid the riff raff old chap

[mattdaniels]

I've never been in a lounge that you have to seperately pay for, have only ever used the ones that were included in the ticket price. I fly Virgin Upper whenever I can, the LHR lounge is absolute heaven.