Lounge access with travelling with kids.
Since we have started travelling with kids we have joined a lounge access program, the Priority Pass.
Priority Pass gives you access to many airport lounges across the world. We have had ours for a few years now (through a benefit from an American Express credit card) and it’s been massively beneficial since travelling with a child.
The pass can be bought separately through the Priority Pass website or app. There are different price options depending on how often you travel.
https://prioritypass.tp.st/zjXzQ4hG
These lounges are roughly the same, in terms of the layout and facilities available. It’s a much quieter space away from the hustle of the main airport. A place you can relax and enjoy the amenities before your flight. Depending on the size of the airport some have one lounge but at the larger airports there can be 5+ lounges you can select from.
Options for lounge access include just turning up (usually you are permitted 2/3 hours in the lounge depending on their policy) this can be potentially risky, as if the lounge is already full you may be denied entry or placed on a virtual waitlist. We have only ever been unable to access the lounges once, in the many times we have used them. So just bear in mind that it could be a possibility that you are denied entry for that reason.
Alternatively, now you can reserve your space (for a small fee) meaning you are guaranteed entry. This is probably useful when travelling during the school holidays but not usually necessary the rest of the time from what we have experienced.
The lounges operating hours usually vary on the flight times of that terminal. It’s unlikely you will have a lounge shutting more than an hour before your flight departing, even if it is a late night flight.
By using the Priority Pass app you are able to search your airport before you travel. You are able to see how many lounges are available, where to access them, and locate which gate they are closest to. You can then choose your lounge, if multiple are available, based on the distance to your gate and then view the opening hours and the facilities available.
The quality of the lounges can vary and the facilities they offer. For example we have found the best, so far, to be at Auckland airport. Auckland isn’t a huge airport, whereas the selection at Heathrow, a bigger airport, for example hasn’t been as impressive.
Even the ones at the lower end of the scale are still well worth the money you will save of food and drink products. Not only that, you are guaranteed spacious seating and much more comfort than you will have in the general seating areas in the airports. The areas can vary but include dining areas, chairs and sofas to relax on and some even come with reclining chairs.
The lounges have a range of foods, mostly buffet style, but some also have a table service option. The foods nearly always include a selection of hot buffet foods, pastries, breads, salads and deserts. Plenty for the different members of your party
They also have a good selection of hot drinks, fruit juices, coke products and alcoholic beverages. These are either self service or you can order them from the bar.
This usually makes the lounge access well worth it for the food and beverages alone as when travelling as a family purchasing food and drinks can really add up.
For work or just charging devices, plugs are widely available and most tables come with individual plugs for your convenience.
The toilets are much nicer than the ones in the main airport. Some of them come with showers. Showers can be free or at an additional charge. We have been in lounges where the showers are in a separate block to the toilets and also toilet cubicles that are large rooms with a full bathroom inside including a shower, complete with shampoo/shower gel.
Some (but not all) also feature kid friendly spaces such as the lounge at Auckland airport, which features a play area with soft play and a tv with child friendly programmes. It was sound proofed so parents need not worry about their child wanting to get rid of some energy.
Flight announcements are not made in the lounge but there are screens with flight info placed around the area.
In terms of travelling with children, occasionally a lounge may not accept kids but we have never found this to be the case and it will be stipulated on the lounges information on the app. We have always felt very welcome with a child in tow so do not worry about being made to feel your child is a problem to other travellers.
I think the Priority Pass for us, as regular travellers, has been well worth the money. It gives us a much more chilled airport experience and with kids the ‘all you can eat buffet’ is worth the money alone. Having lounge access with travelling when kids is likely to improve everyone’s holiday experience.
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