As we know, one of the perks airlines offer business and first-class customers is the exclusive use of their lounges. These lounges provide customers with a comfortable seating environment and, in many cases, free wi-fi as well as, most notably, complimentary food and drink. For the most part, these are generally cooked buffet meals that offer a wide selection of food and drink and a variety of international cuisines, although this may depend on the lounge. However, the cost of a business class ticket is at the very least over 3 times the price of a standard economy class ticket, with first-class tickets costing over 5 times the price.
Banks and Credit Card Companies
There are however other options for customers who do not want to pay the steep cost of a business or first-class ticket. There are several banks and credit cards that offer the facility of free lounge passes. This means that customers can access lounges at airports around the world by showing their card or bank account details.
In the UK, Barclays and Natwest premium bank accounts both offer free airport lounge access. Barclays offers six free lounge passes per year for an account that charges £22.50 per month. The package includes other perks such as worldwide travel insurance for you and your family as well as car breakdown cover in the UK and Europe.
However, as one can see, there is a limit to the number of lounge visits. Natwest, on the other hand, does offer unlimited visits. In this case, however, customers have to pay a £36 per month account fee. In addition, to be eligible for this account, customers need to have an income of £100,000 per year (or as a couple a joined income of £120,000 per year), £100,000 in Natwest savings or investments, or £500,000 in a Natwest mortgage. Having such funds would be a tall order for many people.
Credit cards from around the world also offer the opportunity to access airport lounges. ICICI Coral Plus Debit Card offers two complimentary airport lounge access passes per quarter in India. In the UK, both HSBC and Lloyds have credit cards offering access to airport lounges around the world. In the United States, the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite credit card and The American Express Platinum Card also offer airport lounge access.
Credit cards that offer these facilities do however tend to charge a fee and not everyone is eligible to have one of these cards. The HSBC Premier Card for example, similarly to the Natwest Account, requires the applicant to have an income of £100,000 per year or £100,000 in savings which is again a tall order for many.
Options for the Majority
One might want to ask therefore what are the options for the many who either may not be eligible for one of those options or may not want to commit to a monthly fee? Some airlines such as British Airways offer lounge access to people who fly frequently with them.
In addition, it is possible to buy airport lounge passes from lounge operators such as Lounge Pass or Holiday Extras. These lounge passes are in the region of £20.00 per person but in some cases can be lower at £13.50 per person at the operator Lounge Pass. The complimentary food offered at these lounges tends to be more snack-type foods such as crisps, biscuits and chocolates. For more high-end buffet-style meals, the cost can be around £40.00 per person. So for those who want a lounge experience, these costs are significant. However, for those who want a lounge experience but aren’t particularly interested in more high-end dining, there is the opportunity to get this for around £20.00.
As one can see, accessing airport lounges is costly, but is not the exclusive privilege of those who have business and first-class tickets. In addition, for those on more of a budget, there is the opportunity to dine less luxuriously in lounges at a cost which would still most probably be less than dining at an airport restaurant. However, those who want more buffet-style food end up having to pay more. Even on the high street, all-you-can-eat buffets in certain places such as Pizza Hut cost less than £40.00 per person.
There is therefore scope for airport lounges which offer this type of cooked food at a lower rate. We will have to wait to see how this progresses.
