Effective immediately, there are more ways to access most Escape Lounges in the United States…
More Escape Lounges in USA now accessible with Priority Pass
Escapes Lounges are a network of 21 airport lounges, with 15 lounges in the United States and six lounges in the United Kingdom. Travelers can either pay cash to access these lounges, or the lounge network has a partnership with American Express, whereby these lounges belong to the company’s Global Lounge Collection®, for those with the Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card.
When it comes to Priority Pass access, up until now, the UK lounge locations have belonged to Priority Pass, while the US lounge locations haven’t, with the exception of the location at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR).
It has just been announced that the partnership between Escape Lounges and Priority Pass has been extended, and the following 10 Escape Lounges in the United States are now accessible with Priority Pass (in addition to Syracuse):
- Bradley International Airport (BDL)
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
- Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – T3
- Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF) – Terminal A
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF) – Terminal B
In the interest of being thorough, the following four Escape Lounges in the United States aren’t participating in Priority Pass:
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – T4
- Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
In each case, lounges can be accessed through Priority Pass for a period of up to three hours. I also can’t help but laugh at this point on Priority Pass’ website about dress restrictions for Escape Lounges:
Smart casual dress at all times (shorts must be tailored and of a reasonable length. Fancy dress or matching hen/stag attire are not allowed).
This is great news for Priority Pass members!
In my experience, Escape Lounges are above average when it comes to non-airline run lounges in the United States, with better food and drinks than you’ll find in most Priority Pass lounges.
Suffice it to say that these lounges joining Priority Pass is a huge value-add, especially since these are largely airports that don’t otherwise have many Priority Pass lounge options.
Now, to be balanced, I’d say that this is bad news for those who access Escape Lounges through American Express, since you can bet these lounges will suddenly be much more crowded. After all, there are plenty of people who get a Priority Pass™ membership through cards issued by Capital One, Chase, Citi, etc.
Bottom line
Escape Lounges have an expanded partnership with Priority Pass, and now 11 of the 15 Escape Lounges in the United States belong to the Priority Pass network, in addition to the locations in the United Kingdom.
This is fantastic news for Priority Pass members, since these lounges are largely at airports that don’t otherwise have Priority Pass locations. However, this is arguably bad news for those with eligible Amex cards who could previously access Escape Lounges, since I imagine these will now be much busier, and will more frequently have waiting lists.
What do you make of most Escape Lounges in the United States joining Priority Pass?
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