Select U.S. Escape Lounges Join the Priority Pass Lounge Network

If you’ve traveled through a midsize airport recently, you may have seen an Escape Lounge. These lounges, which were sort of like little brothers to Centurion Lounges (they had the same entry requirements until now), are located in smaller airports that often don’t have many other lounge choices.

It stands to reason that these lounges will soon become much more crowded as there are now 11 Escape Lounge locations in the U.S. that have joined the Priority Pass network.

Access Escape Lounges Through Priority Pass

Escape Lounges are airport lounges typically found in midsized airports. Previously, the only way to access these lounges was by buying a day pass or gaining entry through the following credit cards:

• The Platinum Card^® from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express
• Centurion^® Card from American Express
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card (when flying Delta)
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card (when flying Delta)

Now, 11 Escape Lounges have joined the Priority Pass network, which will make them accessible to a much larger group of travelers. This is excellent news for Priority Pass members and terrible news for those who have previously accessed Escape Lounges with an Amex card since these lounges will most likely be much more crowded going forward.

The following Escape Lounges are now accessible through Priority Pass:

• Bradley International Airport (BDL)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
• Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)
• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
• Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
• Oakland International Airport (OAK)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)
• Sacramento International Airport (SMF): Terminal A and Terminal B
• Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)

As more Priority Pass holders start using these Escape Lounges, it will be interesting to see how crowded they become. Many Escape Lounges aren’t very big and may not be able to handle the crowds that come with allowing access to Priority Pass members.

What To Expect at an Escape Lounge

Escape Lounges are fairly basic, especially when compared to some of the high-end lounges that are available today, including Centurion Lounges, Capital One Lounges, and Chase Sapphire Lounges.

They offer a quiet place to sit, drinks (with and without alcohol), and a small buffet of food, but not much more. Many locations don’t even have an in-lounge bathroom.

Final Thoughts

The addition of these 11 Escape Lounges to the Priority Pass network is great news for those who weren’t able to access them previously. This is especially true considering many of these locations are in airports with few if any, other lounges.

However, if, like me, you accessed Escape Lounges with an Amex card, this news isn’t great. Since Priority Pass membership is so easy to get, these Escape Lounges will no doubt get more crowded.