Cruising Altitude: Behind the frosted glass doors of airline lounges, is it really worth it?

Welcome to Cruising Altitude, a new column at USA TODAY focusing on travel trends.

Are airport lounges really worth it? Sure, you might be able to take a shower or shine your shoes, but my overarching thought is: meh.

Ok, yes, it's largely a personal choice. And when I started to write this column, I inadvertently made a parody of the song “General” by Dispatch: “I have seen the lounges … and this fight is not worth fighting.”

I promise I'm not just saying this as an underhanded ploy to reduce crowds. I genuinely don’t find the lounges that enticing these days. Maybe I’m a big enough avgeek (that's aviation geek, for the uninitiated) that staring out at planes from the main concourse is enough of a thrill for me, but the more time I’ve spent in airport lounges, the more I think they’re kind of overrated.

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That said, demand to get in is only growing as more people open credit cards that grant them lounge access – here, I’m part of the problem – and lines are forming more and more often outside of some of the most popular airline clubs as those travelers wait their turn for entry.

But here's a preview of what goes on behind the frosted glass doors so you can come to your own decision on whether it's worth it to join the club and wait in those lines.

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What are the benefits of an airport lounge?

The two big things are free food and beverages and more seating options and outlets compared with a standard airport concourse. Maybe that's actually four things.

“The biggest benefit of being able to access a lounge is knowing that you have dedicated space to sit, charge your phone, grab some water, basic amenities,” Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for airfare deals website Going told me. “All of the things that should be afforded to you at your gate are a little rosier in the lounge.”

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Clean, less-busy bathrooms can also be a perk.

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Annette Richmond, creator of Fat Girls Traveling, is often on the road for work. She said she doesn’t have regular lounge access but is planning to register for it soon.

“I kind of want a more relaxed vibe,” she said. “It’s time to level up.”

Richmond added that she has bought day passes to lounges before so she’s familiar with the perks on offer and feels it’s worthwhile to sign up. Richmond has also taken advantage of rentable sleeping pods on long layovers at foreign airports, though those aren’t technically lounges.

Some of the more high-end lounges include showers, spa treatment rooms and even movie theaters for especially long layovers.

How can I get access to an airport lounge?

There are several ways to get access to a lounge according to Going, and they broadly fall into four categories:

First, you could potentially access a lounge through the airline you’re flying with. If you’re an elite frequent flyer or traveling on a premium cabin ticket (usually in business or first class on transcontinental or international flights), lounge access may be one of your perks.

A second way is through your credit card. When I was working at The Points Guy a few years ago, I was nudged by a manager to open a premium credit card that granted me access to a network of airline lounges. That was my first real exposure to airline lounges. It was neat for a while, but the shine has kind of worn off. I do still have one credit card that grants me lounge access, but I keep it mostly for other reasons like an annual travel credit, and the fact that I identify as bougie and can’t bring myself to downgrade. Credit cards that have lounge access as a perk typically cost a few hundred dollars a year in annual fees.

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Third is through third-party lounge programs. This is a bit of a crossover with credit card lounge access because many cards secure your lounge access by including Priority Pass membership in their perks. Priority Pass gives travelers access to more than a thousand lounges worldwide, and membership can be purchased separately starting at $99 a year. Some other credit cards only grant access to specific airline lounge networks. There are also third-party lounge companies that operate their own facilities at various airports, and access may be available to those through day passes in addition to membership.

Fourth is the option to just buy day passes. Lounges set different rates, but according to Richmond and Nastro, they typically cost $35 to $50 per person per day with a valid same-day ticket. One big caveat here is that as lounges get more crowded, many operators are limiting the sales of same-day passes as a way to cap capacity. Some airlines also give free lounge day passes to active military members, according to Nastro.

Are airport lounges crowded?

Increasingly, yes. Especially Delta Air Lines’ SkyClubs. Delta has a strong partnership with American Express, and some of the issuer’s premium and co-branded cards include lounge access.

Other carriers and lounge networks have not had quite the same crowding, though lounges anywhere under any operator can fill up during peak travel times.

“Status holders are getting really frustrated,” Nastro said. “We’re at this inflection point where, yes, it’s great that all these people have gotten these co-branded credit cards, but (there's) the old saying, ‘If everybody has it, is it exclusive anymore?’ ”

To address customer complaints about crowding, Delta is making access requirements for elite frequent flyers stricter and increasing the cost of purchasing a SkyClub membership.

“It’s incredibly important to us that Delta Sky Clubs continue to deliver an industry-leading experience for our guests,” Delta’s senior vice president of customer engagement and loyalty, Dwight James, said in a statement announcing the changes in November. “While we’re thrilled to see so many customers enjoy the fruits of our teams’ hard work, our goal now is to balance the popularity of the Clubs with the premium service and atmosphere for which they were designed – and that our guests deserve.”

Are airport lounges worth it?

It’s really a personal choice. Both Richmond and Nastro said visiting an airport lounge can be especially worthwhile on a long layover or if you’re planning to eat in the airport anyway because food in the concourse can be so outrageously expensive.

Richmond said she recently purchased refreshments at an airport Starbucks for $24 and regretted not just going to the lounge instead.

“For $10 more, I could’ve gone to a lounge, gotten as much food as I wanted,” she said.

It can also be more economical at some lounges when you’re traveling with family or a group, because members may be able to bring guests in free or at a reduced rate.

Nastro added that lounge access can be especially sensible for remote-working business travelers because it can be easier to work from a lounge if it’s less crowded than the concourse.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to my least favorite thing: math. Do you travel enough and spend enough time and money in airports every year that the cost and little perks of lounge access seem worth it to you? I can’t tell you what to do, but that’s what you need to ask yourself if you’re considering crossing the threshold.

Richmond also had some advice if you’re still unsure.

“If you’re not a frequent traveler and you have maybe two flights this year that you’re going to have two-hour layovers on, maybe for one of those flights, try out the lounge and see if it’s worth the $35 to you.”

Do you think lounges are worth it?

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Airport lounge access: Is it worth it? Here's what to consider