Travelore Tips: Airport Lounges, How To Get VIP Treatment With An Economy Ticket

Airport lounges ooze exclusivity and warm muffins. They are also a revolving door for the travel elite and road warriors - the "cool kids" of the air. But how can the everyday traveler escape the hustle and bustle, and gain access into this coveted airport territory?

While most airline lounges are reserved for premium class travelers and top-tier status holders, there are ways to 'cheat' the system and ditch the crowds.

Purchase a Day Pass

If you're flying with an American airline, you're in luck. Most major North American airline clubs offer day passes. In addition, a trend in independently operated airport lounges have begun to take-off.

Here's the low-down on the most popular clubs offering day passes:

Admirals Club

American Airlines was the first to start VIP lounges back in 1939 starting with LaGuardia Airport in New York. The Admirals club now has over 40 airport lounges worldwide that accept day-passes.

Amenities: Complimentary wine, beer, spirits, light snacks and Wi-Fi.
Known for: Impeccably kept lounges.
Cost: $50 per person, or $100 for a 30-day membership.
Best Lounge: Dallas, TX (DFW).
What the DFW Lounge Boasts: 7 showers, business centre, music room, and exercise facilities.

United Club

This United Airlines club has over 45 locations worldwide.

Amenities: Complimentary beverages, light snacks, phone service, and Wi-Fi.
Cost: $50 per person.
Known For: Great staff and service.
Best Lounge: Houston, TX (IAH).
What the IAH Lounge Boasts: Showers, conference room, family room, and fun bar staff.

US Airways Club

This US Airways club has over 20 American locations.

Amenities: Complimentary beverages, snacks, and Wi-Fi.
Cost: $50 per person (or $29 online), or $120 for 90-day membership.
Known For: A wide range of free eats.
Best Lounge: Philadelphia, PA (PHL).
What the PHL Lounge Boasts: Large lounge with healthy snacks, conference room, comfy chairs and tons of plugs.

Independent Lounges

Recently, a new wave of independent VIP lounges have been popping up, and opening their doors to travelers willing to pay a flat rate. Some examples are the Airspace Lounge in BWI Airport and the Oasis Lounge in JFK Airport. Pricing ranges from $15-50 per person daily, or hourly rates starting at $10.

Servisair is an independent Executive Lounge company that has mostly a European presence, but also has a global reach to countries like Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates. Depending on your lounge and flight departure time, you are quoted a price (starting at $28 for a 3-hour stay). The amenities include the usual beverages, snacks and Wi-Fi.

Snag a Guest Pass

Annual airline club memberships don't just give members lounge access, but often grant access to member guests as well.

Road-warriors are often flying solo, and are looking for someone to bide their time with. If you're not interested in loitering around lounge entrances and profiling the right members to leverage your potential for free entry, there are often posts made on travel blogs and forums by these travellers offering to bring in guests. Blind date anyone?

Flyertalk and Milepoint are two good forums that often have these types of posts made by club members or Business-class flyers. In addition, lounge guest passes and day-passes tend to pop-up on Kijiji and Craigslist at discounted prices.

Memberships

Buying a membership requires more commitment since on average they cost about $500 every year. But if your office is in the sky and you haven't earned status with an airline, buying a membership could be a worthwhile investment.

Admirals, United and US Airways Clubs

On top of the American lounges you can access with a standard day pass, with club membership you also get access to international airports. However, you generally have to fly with the same alliance (i.e. American Airlines = OneWorld, United = Star Alliance).

US Airways has the most reasonable annual fee at $450, while Admirals and United clubs are both at $500. If you travel often with your spouse, they have free entry, as well as children under 18 (21 for United and US). But if you and your spouse travel independently a lot, then a combined membership works out cheaper ($675 for US Airways, $750 for United and $825 for Admirals)

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Ultimately, many lounges are accessible to the everyday economy traveler. With a little exploration, you'll be ready to ditch the seedy airport bar, and head straight for the lounge with confidence.

Contributed by Grace McClure

This article was originally published on Flightfox, a human-powered travel platform.

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6 Of The Best Adventure Destinations In the World

Adventure holidays no longer have to be the exclusive domain of the intrepid, young, single traveler, ready to rough it in the world’s most remote places. Many couples and families like a bit of an adrenaline rush too. Here are just some ideas for those who would like to inject a spot of action into their travels, whilst not losing out on comfort and luxury.

Costa Rica

With more protected land than any other country in the world, more bird species than the whole of North America, more butterflies than Africa and beaches on tow oceans, Costa Rica could have been put on the planet as a living classroom for natural history. A two-week trip could encompass Pacific rainforests, nights in a jungle loge, an exhilarating river-rafting trip, the impressively active Arenal volcano and the cloud forest of Monteverde where you can test your nerve on a canopy walkway high in treetops. And there’s a final wind-down at a beachfront hotel on the Pacific coast, with swimming, surfing, horse-riding and turtle watching on the menu.

Morocco

First to Marrakech and ‘the biggest circus in the world’ on Djemma El Fna, the main square, with its daily show of juggles, acrobats, snake charmers and drummers. From there, drive to the exotic south, to Ouarzazate, the gate to the desert. You can then drive by 4WD through the palm groves of the Draa valley, visiting the kasbahs of ancient warlords who guarded the caravan routes through the Atlas Mountains, before spending the final few days on the beach of Essaouria.

Nepal

Why not give skiing miss this year and go trekking, white-water rafting and elephant riding in the world’s greatest adventure playground? On trek in the Himalayan foothills, you can either camp o stay in warm, comfortable lodges if the rigours of life under canvas do not appeal, before running the rapids of the beautiful Seti River down to the Royal Chitwan National Park. Here you stay in lodges built on stilts, track one-horned rhinoceros and Royal Bengal tiger through the lowland jungles of this spectacular wildlife, and even get to wash your own elephant at the end of the day – animal therapy at its very best!

Thailand

A mixed bag of exotic pleasures, starting with the high-octane capital of Bangkok. After doing the hot rounds of historical sights, including the Grand Palace, a walled, magical inner city filled with a fantasia of murals, ceramics, gold-leaf and mother-of-pearl topped by dreaming spires, there’s also time for hair-raising jaunts by tuk-tuk and longtail boats. From there we would recommend heading north to Chiang Mai and up to Chiang Rai, gateway to the so-called Golden Triangle, an elephant camp and visit exotic hill tribes before spending time on once of Thailand’s fabulous beaches.

Oman

Arguably the most interesting of the Middle East destinations and ideal for couples and families who would like to inject a measure of education into their holidays. As well as beach, Oman reveals a rich seam of history, markets unchanged since Biblical times, nights in the desert with adventures ranging from dune bashing to camel rides and spectacular mountain scenery.

Peru

Woven into its geography of coastal desert, a backbone of soaring Andean peaks and Amazonian jungle are fabled archaeological sites, a vibrant Indian culture and a veneer of Spanish colonialism. Plus there’s Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world with its unique Uros islands made form floating reeds, the Inca capital of Cuzco and the classic trek to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, past waterfalls, ruins and cloud forest. Or you can take the train for ease and speed. We would also recommend, if time permits, adding a cruise of the Galapagos Islands, Darwin’s ‘Living Laboratory’.

Conributed by Nick Van Gruisen, Managing Director of The Ultimate Travel Company. www.aluxurytravelblog.com

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New Lufthansa Premium Economy Class Now Available. Book By June 30th On Flights From US To Europe To Save Up To 15%

Boeing 747-8 with new range of services from December – Affordable starting prices; Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 for Premium Economy and Business Class

The new travel class can now be booked on flights flown by Boeing 747-8s. From December 10, 2014, the Premium Economy Class will have guaranteed availability on all flights served by the new jumbo. The destinations that can now be booked include the routes from Frankfurt to and from Buenos Aires, Chicago, Hong Kong, Mexico City, São Paulo, Seoul, Beijing and Washington, D.C.

From late January 2015, the first retrofitted aircraft of the type, A340-600, are scheduled to take off from Munich for Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo with the Premium Economy on board; from late April the A380-800 is planned to then fly from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, New York, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Shanghai and Singapore offering the new travel class to the passengers.

To mark the start of sales, travelers who book their ticket by June 30, 2014 can get special deals for flights from the US to Europe and save up to 15%: For example, Premium Economy tickets from Washington or Chicago to Frankfurt start at $1512.32, including taxes and surcharges. These prices are valid for a travel period between December 2014 and March 2015.

“We have had an incredible positive response for our Premium Economy Class since its launch event, particularly from passengers who we are trying to reach with this new offer. The Premium Economy travel experience will now be even more within reach – up to 50 percent more personal space at attractive prices and already honored with an award as a product in the premium segment,” said Jens Bischof, member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board – Sales, Product and Marketing.

The design experts in the panel of judges of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 were so impressed by the new Lufthansa range that the design competition’s panel of judges, which is made up of forty experts, awarded the seats in Premium Economy and Business Class each a Red Dot Award in the category ‘Vehicle Accessories’. During the competition, international design experts deliberated on and evaluated 4,815 entries from 53 countries. The final of the internationally renowned product competition will be celebrated on July 7, 2014 in Essen with the official award-giving ceremony.

The design and features of the seat are based on extensive passenger surveys and workshops with sales partners. More than 1.5 million passengers per year will be able to enjoy a new travel experience with the installation of 3,600 seats in all 106 long-haul aircraft in just one year.

Up to 50 percent more room and ‘German engineering’

The new seats were designed in partnership with the company müller/romca Industrial Design in Kiel and produced by the seat manufacturer ZIM Flugsitz near Lake Constance. Depending on the aircraft type, they are up to 1.2 inches wider and provide greater privacy, as well as approximately 3.9 inches more room on the side due to each seat having its own wide armrest and a center console between the seats. The back rest can be reclined further and the seat pitch is a significantly more spacious 38 inches. As a result, passengers have around one-and-a-half times as much room as Economy Class. The head rests can be set to the exact height desired and folded at the sides for added comfort and support. Height-adjustable foot rests from the second row back and – for technical reasons – leg supports with an integrated foot rest in the first row provide extra comfort. Practical features around the seats such as a bottle holder, an electrical socket and lots of storage space for passengers’ belongings also help to ensure a relaxed journey.

Additional services for Premium Economy passengers

With a baggage allowance of two items weighing up to 50lb each, passengers can take twice as much free luggage with them compared with Economy Class. For an extra $35, passengers can also enjoy the comfort of the Lufthansa Business Lounges before their departure from the US. The Welcome Lounge in Frankfurt, with its spacious showers and a breakfast buffet after night flights, can be used for EUR 50. Lounges were previously only open to status customers and are otherwise unavailable on a paying basis. Check-in and boarding procedures, as well as hand luggage regulations, are the same as in Economy Class.

An enhanced service awaits Premium Economy passengers on board: They are greeted with a welcome drink and will find their own water bottle, as well as a high-quality amenity kit with practical travel accessories at their seat. Meals are presented on menus commensurate with the new travel class and served on porcelain tableware.

Passengers can navigate the extensive in-flight entertainment program using their own touchscreen monitor on the seat in front of them. This can also be done using a remote control, which serves as a controller for video games as well. The screens are 11 or 12 inches, depending on the aircraft type, which makes them at least two inches bigger than the screens in Economy Class. A wide selection of magazines and newspapers completes the range of entertainment on offer.

Up to 52 seats, depending on aircraft type

Lufthansa Premium Economy Class is located within the cabin as a clearly identifiable separate compartment between Business and Economy Class. It has a high-quality design and contains between 21 and 52 seats, depending on the aircraft type. Installation of the new travel class, which will be carried out on a gradual basis, sub-fleet by sub-fleet, will start this autumn and finish in summer 2015.

More information on the Premium Economy is available here.

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