Priority Pass Adds Tucson Airport Restaurant

Over the past year we’ve seen several airport restaurants and bars in the US join Priority Pass. The concept is that at some airports Priority Pass has a tough time striking a deal with a major lounge due to crowding issues, so when that’s not possible, they instead work with a restaurant.

Priority Pass pays a fixed amount for each guest who enters a lounge, so instead Priority Pass is just paying these restaurants a fixed amount, and then you can spend some dollar amount at that restaurant (typically $28-30). So far in the US, Priority Pass restaurants & bars include the following (it’s amazing how much this list has grown in a short time):

• House Spirits Distillery Portland Airport
• Capers Cafe Le Bar Portland Airport
• Capers Market Portland Airport
• Timberline Steaks & Grille Denver Airport
• Corona Beach House Miami Airport
• Viena Miami Airport
• Air Margaritaville Miami Airport
• The Pasta House St. Louis Airport
• Kentucky Ale Taproom Lexington Airport
• Bobby Van’s Steakhouse New York JFK Airport
• Bar Symon at Cleveland Airport
• Johnny Rockets at Syracuse Airport
• Barney’s Beanery at Los Angeles Airport
• Bracket Room at Washington Reagan Airport
• The Fan Zone Indianapolis Airport
• RJ Rockers Flight Room Greenville-Spartanburg Airport
• Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill Boston Airport
• Stephanie’s Boston Airport
• San Francisco Giant’s Clubhouse San Francisco Airport
• Yankee Pier San Francisco Airport
• American Tap Room at Washington Reagan Airport
• Campanile at Los Angeles Airport
• Landry’s Seafood at Houston Airport
• Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar Houston Airport
• P.F. Chang’s Los Angeles Airport

Priority Pass has just added yet another US restaurant location, this time at a smaller airport – Noble Hops at Tucson Airport.

As a reminder, the following are some of the most popular credit cards that come with Priority Pass memberships (I’ve also listed the respective guesting privileges):

Card	# Of Guests Who Get Free Access	Authorized User Access	Cost To Add Authorized User
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	2	Yes	$75 Per Person
Citi Prestige® Credit Card	2	Yes	$75 Per Person
The Platinum Card® from American Express No access to Priority Pass restaurants as of August, 2019.	2	Yes	$175 For Up To 3 People, $175 For Each Additional Person Beyond That (Rates & Fees)
The Business Platinum® Card from American Express No access to Priority Pass restaurants as of August, 2019.	2	Yes	$300 Per Person (Rates & Fees)
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card No access to Priority Pass restaurants as of August, 2019.	2	No	$0
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card No access to Priority Pass restaurants as of August, 2019.	2	No	$0

Noble Hops at TUS

Noble Hops is open daily from 5AM until 10PM, and it’s located landside (before security) on the second floor, opposite the “Arroya Trading Post.” Tucson Airport is fairly small, so this should be convenient for passengers traveling on all airlines.

Here’s how the restaurant describes itself:

Noble Hops is Tucson’s original gastropub, serving an ever-changing menu of craft beer and fine fare.

You can find the menu for the restaurant here.

Priority Pass members will be entitled to $28 worth of food & drinks per person. In order to be eligible you need to have a same day day confirmed boarding pass, though there’s no explicit requirement that it needs to be an outbound boarding pass (so in theory you could visit on arrival).

The Priority Pass member will be responsible for any overage beyond the $28 credit, and that credit can’t be applied towards gratuity (and personally I think it’s appropriate to tip, as a Priority Pass membership is just a form of payment here).

Bottom line

Obviously Tucson isn’t exactly a global hub, though it’s fantastic to see some smaller airports get Priority Pass restaurants. For an airport restaurant this one also looks pretty good in terms of the food and drink selection.

Does anyone plan on visiting the new Priority Pass restaurant at TUS?

(Tip of the hat to dselby)

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees).