• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Are Airport Lounges Worth the Cost?

x3 skier

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
5,266
Reaction score
2,295
Points
649
Location
Ohio and Colorado
Resorts Owned
Steamboat Grand, The West,
Raintree and, formerly, The Allen House
From what I've seen on the limited number of US domestic flights I've taken first class appears to be little more than a nicer seat with more legroom. What exactly do you get when flying first class?

As mentioned "food" and my favorite, free single malt scotch. Also usually no tussle for overhead storage since you board first and the flight crew typically stores their bags in closets or in coach.

Cheers
 

Jimster

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2005
Messages
2,427
Reaction score
110
Points
423
Location
Crystal Lake, IL
...AND usually no screaming babies. Look people who fly first class come in two forms. Either you have enough money to pay for it without considering the cost or frequent flyers who either have the points or status to get upgraded. People who need to eak out the cheapest ticket they can certainly don't want to or need to fly first class.
 

PStreet1

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,077
Reaction score
43
Points
48
Location
Rosarito Beach, Baja, Mex., & Phx
We just got back from Jerusalem and used the lounges in Tel Aviv, Amman, and Chicago. We had many hours to deal with, and were very happy to have lounge access--for us, an excellent benefit of Chase Saphire Reserve.
 

am1

TUG Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
8,081
Reaction score
1,531
Points
448
Thankfully I have been able to get upgraded with my sons to the front of the cabin a few times. At first they spent more time sleeping on the floor or in my seat then theirs.
 

Jimster

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2005
Messages
2,427
Reaction score
110
Points
423
Location
Crystal Lake, IL
Yes, I have had many excellent meals in first class- especially flying transpac. Perhaps the best was on Asiana which gives you a 5 course meal with wine and all the trimmings. If i got the "bad" meal referred to here, it would be my last flight on that airline. My advice- choose another airline!
 

WalnutBaron

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
2,193
Reaction score
2,585
Points
574
Location
California
Resorts Owned
Hyatt Highlands Inn, Hyatt Pinon Pointe
We got the Chase Sapphire Reserve card that provides the Priority Pass for lounges. There is a separate thread on the benefits of the card. We have enjoyed the lounges that we have gained access too, but we haven't always had access depending on the airport and location of the lounges.

I don't think we would pay a significant fee for lounge access unless we were flying a significant amount.

Mike


Like you, Mike, I also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and recently used my free Priority Pass during an 8-hour layover in Taipei. The lounge was very nice, and I was able to get a lot of productive work done that would not have been possible sitting in the standard gate lounge. It was quiet, good facilities, and a hot meal available. As others have said, a day pass is very costly, but the Priority Pass is a nice perk for having the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card.
 

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
31,901
Reaction score
9,001
Points
1,049
Location
The Centennial State
Resorts Owned
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
We used the lounge at San Jose (SJC) very early on a Saturday morning. There was yogurt, some granola bars, great coffee, cocoa, etc. It's a Priority Pass Lounge, and I can honestly tell you, it felt so good to sit and put my feet up for a while in that lounge. The coffee was so incredibly good in that lounge, and with all of the various creamers I like. I am so happy our Chase Sapphire Reserve cards let us visit this lounge at no cost to us. What a great perk. You do have to request the cards, those do not automatically come to your home with the credit card. Rick loves the lounges.
 

mjm1

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
3,541
Reaction score
1,292
Points
548
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Resorts Owned
Marriott: Resorts and Destination Club Points;
Westin Kierland Villas;
HGVC Flamingo & Blvd;
Hyatt Pinon Pointe
Like you, Mike, I also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and recently used my free Priority Pass during an 8-hour layover in Taipei. The lounge was very nice, and I was able to get a lot of productive work done that would not have been possible sitting in the standard gate lounge. It was quiet, good facilities, and a hot meal available. As others have said, a day pass is very costly, but the Priority Pass is a nice perk for having the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card.

Outstanding! I'm glad to hear you could use the lounge for such a long layover. Definitely a nice benefit.

Best regards.

Mike
 

mjm1

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
3,541
Reaction score
1,292
Points
548
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Resorts Owned
Marriott: Resorts and Destination Club Points;
Westin Kierland Villas;
HGVC Flamingo & Blvd;
Hyatt Pinon Pointe
We used the lounge at San Jose (SJC) very early on a Saturday morning. There was yogurt, some granola bars, great coffee, cocoa, etc. It's a Priority Pass Lounge, and I can honestly tell you, it felt so good to sit and put my feet up for a while in that lounge. The coffee was so incredibly good in that lounge, and with all of the various creamers I like. I am so happy our Chase Sapphire Reserve cards let us visit this lounge at no cost to us. What a great perk. You do have to request the cards, those do not automatically come to your home with the credit card. Rick loves the lounges.

Cindy, glad to hear you enjoyed the lounge in San Jose. We still have family in the Bay Area and SJC was and is our primary airport there. I wish I had the pass when we lived there, but am glad to hear the lounge is nice and well stocked. I look forward to visiting it the next time I fly into town.

Best regards.

Mike
 

samara64

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
1,032
Reaction score
462
Points
443
Location
Seattle
Just came back from an International trip going through 7 countries.

Went to few of these priority pass lounges. One of the best ones I have ever seen was in Dubai. Called Marhaba lounge in terminal 3.

Has a nice indian and chinese buffet plus lots of european food and bakeries. some alcoholic beverages but lots of local stupp like dates with chocolate that tasted amazing

Also in Spain I went to the one in Malaga and Barcelona airport on a previous trip. Both were great with good food selection.

Unlike the "Club at SEA" in Seattle where I had to wait for 3 hours before my flight as we had a delay. There was only tomato soup and some pasta salad. I am glad I do not have to use this one that often as I live here. Great coffee though.

maybe I should try the new Alaska lounges next time.
 

iwanttoflyaway

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Messages
91
Reaction score
36
Points
78
I maintained a Delta SkyClub when I was flying through SLC a lot - much cheaper than drinking at the bar when I was stuck there for hours. Later I started flying American a lot, so I got the Alaska Boardroom membership, which let me into admirals clubs. Now we have Priority Pass, but our home airport doesn't have a participating lounge =( Fortunately it's like fifteen minutes from us and fairly small, so we don't have to get there particularly early. The access is nice when it works out, definitely worth the $225 a year we pay for the CSR card.
 

NiteMaire

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
1,471
Reaction score
1,286
Points
374
Location
Living Aloha in Kaneohe, HI
Resorts Owned
Marriott G. Château
HVC Sedona Summit
VVR The Colonies
I thought CSR was $450 per year.
It is.
I presume flyaway did the following:
$450
- $300 (travel credit)
+ $75 (authorized user)
= $225

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 

iwanttoflyaway

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Messages
91
Reaction score
36
Points
78
Yep, that's exactly how we see it. We travel frequently enough that we can totally legitimize calling the credit worth an actual $300 cash.
 

slip

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
11,138
Reaction score
14,568
Points
999
Location
U'alapue/Kaunakakai, Hawaii
Resorts Owned
Pono Kai, 20 wks; Maui Schooner, 1.5 wks; 1 week Ke Nani Kai; WaveCrest Condo, Molokai, HI
We use our United club passes all the time. It’s great to get away and relax. Getting refreshed and grabbing a drink and a snack gets us ready to finish a long trip.
 

stmartinfan

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2005
Messages
1,816
Reaction score
1,059
Points
523
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Resorts Owned
Divi Little Bay, St. Maarten
Many years ago my husband bought a “lifetime” membership in the Northwest club for $500, because he traveled a lot for business and NW was the ptimary carrier for us. At the time, I thought it was a lot to spend.

When NW merged into Delta, they continued to honor his membership, and that $500 seems pretty reasonable now that the annual fee is nearly that much! He can bring in his immediate family as well, so I and even our adult kids can enter when we travel together. The clubs seem to have gotten busier and busier but we still stop in them often for snacks, free WiFi and nicer bathrooms. It seems as if they have been recently upgrading the food offerings with more regional based items.
 

geist1223

TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2015
Messages
5,974
Reaction score
5,728
Points
499
Location
Salem Oregon
Resorts Owned
Worldmark 97,000 Credits
DRI Cabo Azul 50,500
Royal Solaris San Jose del Cabo
Several years ago when we were returning from New Zealand via Fiji we had about an 8 hour layover in Fiji. This is before they completely rebuilt the interior of the Fiji terminal and added AC. It was worth the $35 for the day to get into the Bula Lounge - AC; Lunch; Dinner; Free Good Quality Liqour; Comfortable Seating; Lots of Plug Sockets to run and recharge all Devices; Free Showers with Towels, Soap, and Shampoo; free WIFI; etc.
 

bogey21

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
9,455
Reaction score
4,662
Points
649
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Back when I was flying extensively for business I found the Clubs to be a necessity. They were particularly useful when having to out wait delays or modify my itinerary.

George
 
Top