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With a presence of 1,300-plus airport lounges across 600 cities in 148 countries, the Priority Pass network is the largest independent program of its kind worldwide. While one can pay for a Priority Pass membership outright, most existing memberships are obtained for free through select credit cards. These lounges run the gamut from singular, airport-managed lounges to some owned and operated by major airlines. However, Priority Pass lounges all seem to have one thing in common: They’re usually crowded.
Here’s why Priority Pass lounges often reach capacity—plus, tips on how to avoid the crowds.
While it’s not guaranteed that a Priority Pass lounge will be filled to the max, it’s often the case. There are several reasons behind the overcrowding.
Numerous lounges in the Priority Pass network are not exclusively for Priority Pass members. This is easy to see with airline-branded lounges that are part of Priority Pass like the Turkish Airlines lounges in Miami (there are two) and the Air France lounge in Boston. These airline-branded lounges typically grant access to their passengers flying business or first class, as well as those who have obtained elite status with the airline. In addition, access often applies for those holding status or premium tickets within the brand’s airline alliance, which is Star Alliance in the case of Turkish and SkyTeam in the case of Air France.
However, many third-party Priority Pass lounges are also contracted to host first- and business-class passengers of airlines that don’t have a presence in a specific airport. For example, the non-airline-affiliated Shongololo Lounge is the main business- and first-class lounge for dozens of airlines flying in and out of Johannesburg, South Africa, including Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Swiss, and Etihad—and you betcha, it’s always packed!
Popularity of premium credit cards is at an all-time high. And with this comes the masses of credit card holders who have gained Priority Pass membership as a complimentary benefit through their card issues. Popular travel credit cards like Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee), Chase
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More than 60 years after Jackie Kennedy first visited this small island in the Cyclades and thrust it into the limelight, the pull of glittering Mykonos is still strong. During summer, the jet and yacht set cruise in alongside throngs of travelers eager to party, snap Instagram photos, and see and be seen. And with the island's sprawling and sandy beaches (a rare find in the rocky Cyclades) it’s not hard to see why. But the island has a long-beloved, quieter side than the beach party scene would lead you to believe.
You can’t escape the orange. That’s what travelers this summer have been reckoning with — swaths of tangerine, traffic cone and burnt sienna on maps indicating record high temperatures around the globe. Four concurrent heat domes from the southern United States to East Asia descended on millions — Phoenix residents enduring 31 days of 110-degree-plus temperatures. Italians in more than a dozen cities under extreme weather warnings. And in South Korea, at least 125 people were hospitalized for heat-related conditions at the World Scout Jamboree.
The passenger who generated dozens of memes for accusing another passenger of being "not real" on an American Airlines flight is said to live in a multimillion-dollar house in Lakewood, Dallas, per a New York Post report.
A female passenger who tried to fly to a resort with her French Bulldog ended up abandoning the animal in a parking lot when staff refused to let the pet on board, officials said.
In its latest effort to capture the hearts, minds, and expense accounts of the travel universe’s most privileged 1 percent, American is raising the bar for airport lounges.
Bike sharing has become a way of life for many Americans—a quintessentially Northern European trend that took hold of our hearts and wallets in recent years, and that grows each time someone moves to a city and opts for a two-wheel commute. Trendy and sustainable, bike sharing is now a major presence in every major U.S. city.
I cringe when the duty-free pitch starts at 35,000 feet, but according to a new study by HSBC, it’s the highlight of the flight for many travelers. HSBC polled thousands of flyers and found that Americans spend an average of $51.32 on in-flight purchases each time they fly, with the bulk of that splurge going to duty-free purchases ($32.53). Other top expenditures were for onboard Wi-Fi ($4.92), food ($11.68), drinks ($4.56), and alcoholic drinks ($4.76).
Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.
I don’t suppose that most travelers choose their trip destinations based on a country’s happiness index. On the other hand, if they knew that Country A scored near the top of the happiness index and Country B scored near the bottom, it seems probable they’d be inclined to book their flights to Country A. Who wants to spend their vacation among unhappy people?
If you’re not already familiar with Priority Pass, you might want to be for its ability to get you out of the crowded airport terminal and into an airport lounge. Priority Pass is a membership program that provides access to more than a thousand airport lounges around the world, for an annual fee.
AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).
With rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft taking over, you might be wondering where in the world it’s still possible to take a cheap taxi. Cabs aren’t dead, yet: These countries still heavily rely on them.