Airport Lounge Access Through Cards Gets Tougher; Here's What Has Changed

Access to airport lounges is a popular programme among frequent passengers. But as they say, all good things come to an end. In the coming days, it might not be as simple to obtain complementary entry to airport lounges with your credit card as it is now. With increasing access restrictions and amenities that typically equal the cost of admittance, airport lounges are once again evolving into premium products.

According to a 2022 research by airport lounge operator DreamFolks, more than 57.23 million debit and credit card users in India had access to airport lounges and this figure was expected to increase dramatically. But the enormous success of the airport lounge access programme also brought with it a new duty – ensuring that lounge usage is equitable.

This is because a lounge can only hold a certain number of people. If demand for entrance exceeds availability, overcrowding may occur. The lounge entry requirements are typically tightened to prevent such a scenario.

To avoid receiving an unpleasant surprise at the airport, travellers need to be aware of the latest steps implemented to guarantee equitable use of the lounges.

Airport Lounge: Measures Taken by Operators of Pune, Calicut, Trivandrum and Others

• Identity Verification: Dedicated staff oversee all security measures and provide real-time monitoring. This involves matching IDs with names on boarding passes using credit or debit cards for access control.
• Time constraints for access: Setting time limitations for passengers to stay in the lounge, particularly during busy hours. This is to ensure that they do not overstay and allow others to utilise the facilities.
• Digital entry codes for users of airline lounges: Passengers who are members of the airline’s access programme can only enter the lounge with digital access codes. Full digital check-in is possible by simply presenting the lounge personnel the QR codes for the individual airlines on their mobile phones.

Airport Lounge: Measures Taken by Credit Card Companies That Offer Access

• Carrying physical credit or debit cards is required by airport lounge operators who have not yet adopted a QR code-based access method.
• Credit card providers have put in place several procedures to facilitate lounge entry via QR code.

Airport Lounge: Measures Taken by Airline-Operated

• In general, measures such as capacity restrictions are utilised, which limit the number of people allowed in the lounge at any given moment.
• Furthermore, lounge operators will closely monitor visitor behaviour and may restrict access or apply penalties for the misuse of facilities or violation of lounge policies.