As soon as upon a time, it was frequent that should you had an airport lounge membership that granted you entry, it prolonged to your rapid household once they have been touring with you. Sadly, instances have modified.
Over the previous few years, largely resulting from elevated demand and finite lounge area, we have seen program after program limit lounge entry.
Now, buddies, companions and even children underneath 18 have to remain exterior the lounge door for some packages, except you spend sufficient yearly to hit the next tier in that lounge ecosystem or pay visitor entry charges.
And for the primary time ever, I paid the visitor entry charge. Shopping for lounge entry for my children was one of the best $60 I might have spent on that whole journey.
This is why it was value it — simply in case you might be ever in the same scenario and usually decide to skip the lounge when the household is alongside for the journey.
The sudden airport delay
I’d have by no means guessed I might spend more money to have them hand around in a home airport lounge.
We have been recent off a brief cruise from Miami, which meant an early wake-up name and debarkation to start out the trek house to Texas. Flight schedules weren’t actually on our aspect, so we have been going to have a couple of hours within the airport earlier than our flight house, even when every little thing labored completely. However excellent wasn’t on the agenda that day.
As an alternative, a couple of anticipated hours within the airport that morning became over 9 hours when our flight house was delayed … and delayed … and delayed once more.
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Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) is not precisely identified for being one of the best airport within the nation. At the least, within the terminal we have been in, there weren’t lots of shops on the gates to energy your units, the gate seating was removed from comfy, there was a nonstop chiming sound and different passengers additionally going through delays have been mendacity all around the ground of the gates resting wherever they may.
We joined them in that less-than-ideal scenario for the primary few hours of the day.
Nonetheless, as quickly as we have been inside three hours of our initially scheduled flight, which is the earliest you may get in, we headed to the American Categorical Centurion Lounge and did one thing I by no means actually thought I might do: I spent $30 for every child to return into the lounge with me.
In the event you aren’t acquainted, these with The Platinum Card® from American Categorical and The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical can rise up to 2 complimentary friends by spending $75,000 or extra on eligible purchases on the cardboard in a calendar 12 months.
In any other case, it prices $50 per visitor for these 18 and over and $30 for friends underneath 18 (these 2 and youthful can go to for no price).
Associated: The least costly playing cards for airport lounge entry
From chaos to consolation
Spending $60 for my two children to sit back in a lounge seemed like one thing I would not doubtless ever do till I did. This is what it received us:
- Over 5 hours with comfy locations to sit down on couches with our personal shops (given the time length, this is able to have been value it to me all by itself)
- Good restrooms
- Entry to limitless snacks and drinks
- Dinner from the lounge buffet
Contemplating we spent about $55 on airport lunch within the hours earlier than we might get into the lounge, the mathematics simply “mathed” on laborious prices we saved over the five-plus hours we spent there. Airport dinner alone doubtless would have price us over $60, given the value of lunch.
Once we left the lounge to go to the gate, we have been once more confronted with having to battle our strategy to discover some area on the bottom to sit down collectively, as the entire space of chairs and ground area was stuffed with equally exhausted and sad individuals who had additionally spent their entire day ready for his or her flight.
Associated: How to decide on a bank card for airport lounge entry
A secret spot at MIA
In the event you occur to search out your self in the same scenario on the American Categorical Centurion Lounge on the Miami airport, particularly, there’s an space to verify when you have bother discovering seats in the remainder of the lounge.
Once you enter the lounge (after checking in), instantly flip left and go down the hallway, the place chances are you’ll discover couches and tables which are empty even when the remainder of the lounge is fairly full.
Backside line
In the event you thought — like I did — that paying visitor charges on your children to go to a lounge on the airport with you was an choice to dismiss as being one thing you do not really want to think about, I hear that.
Nonetheless, hold it in thoughts as an choice, particularly throughout lengthy delays when issues that often aren’t value it immediately grow to be one of the best cash you spent in your trip.
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Enterprise Platinum Card, click on right here.
