Airport lounges are popular and often the reason families choose a flight route

By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Content Agency
Taking the Kids

Check out the ramen library! We were at the most zen airport lounge I’ve visited – Korean Air’s new Prestige lounge at Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

Here, among other food and drink offerings, you can choose a flavored ramen package from a wall of noodle varieties, soup bases and toppings. You put them all together into a delicious bowl of ramen using the instant cooking machine. There’s also sushi, freshly prepared stuffed rice bowls, stir-fried dishes, soup and desserts, including a soft-serve ice cream machine.

But most important is the relaxed vibe, so welcome when enduring long-haul flights, as we were from Denver to Hanoi.

The Ramen Library in the Korean Air Lounge at Seoul Airport (Andy Yemma photo)

These days, lounges aren’t just the purview of first- or business- class travelers. Those with certain credit cards, memberships or millions of airline miles are also invited. Lounges are often so crowded that it is difficult to find a seat and sometimes, there is a wait to enter. Airport lounge usage has grown significantly, with 52 percent of regular travelers surveyed using lounges when they travel, an increase of 11 percent year on year, according to the Airport Experience 2026 Study from Airport Dimensions. Younger travelers, often traveling with kids, especially have embraced lounges, and are willing to pay for the experience.

Access to a preferred airport lounge has become a major driver of airport and airline selection, with 47 percent of lounge customers indicating they plan their routes based on lounge access and 82 percent indicating they choose a specific airline based on lounge access, according to a recent study from JD Power.

Families find them a good deal as feeding a couple of kids at an airport can be expensive and some lounges even have quiet spaces where moms can nurse and babies can nap, like at the large Capital One Lounge at Denver International Airport. It is designed for those who have Capital One Venture X, Venture X Business and for a fee those with Venture and Sparks cards.

Capitol One Lounge at Denver International Airport (Andy Yemma photo)

Alyssa Henderson said the fee was well worth it to wait for her connecting flight with her toddler at the United Club Lounge in Denver, at 35,000 square feet and across three levels, making it the largest club in United’s network. Henderson was flying with her 1-year-old daughter and parents to Hawaii. In the lounge, she explained, her daughter could nap or run around safely. “And she loves the food,” said Henderson, who lives in Montana. “This definitely makes travel easier with a baby.”

Priority Pass membership increased more than 10 percent in 2025, now offering access to more than 1,800 airport lounges and travel experiences in 841 airports across 146 countries. Guests pay an annual fee and depending on their plan, a per-visit plan. For example, if you opt for the $99 plan, you pay $35 per guest. If you opt for the $329 plan, you get 10 free visits and pay $35 for your guests. There are some pluses. The enhanced pre-book feature supports multiple languages and currencies, allowing travelers to plan lounge access in advance at peak times and busy locations. Beyond traditional lounges, Priority Pass has introduced sleep pods, gaming lounges, spa experiences and more. Those with certain American Express cards get free access, those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card get complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, which includes admission for two guests. According to The Points Guy, the Chase card is the best for lounge access and travel rewards. There is an intro offer of 150,000 points but an annual $795 annual fee. (The Capital One Venture X Reward card also offers bonus miles but with a significantly lower $395 annual fee.)

We visited Priority Pass signature Club SFO at San Francisco International Airport, complete with a light therapy room, showers and a forest theme kids’ room, as well as complimentary food and drinks. But that visit taught me you need to see if the lounge is anywhere near where your next gate is. In that case, the lounge was located in Terminal 1, but we were flying out of a different terminal – more than a mile-long walk.

If you are considering a credit card that offers lounge access, consider first how often you travel and if the annual card fee is worth it. The American Express Platinum Card, for example, requires an $895 annual fee.

Delicious dish of ramen in the Korean Air Lounge at Seoul Airport (Andy Yemma photo)

Do you get bonus points for signing up? Can you bring kids to a lounge free? The Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard can bring immediate family or up to two guests free, but there is a $595 annual fee.

More than one-third (34 percent) of lounge customers use credit card perks to gain access to an airport lounge, while just 21 percent are granted access due to elite frequent flyer status and 18 percent have a standalone lounge membership, according to the JD Power U.S. Airport Lounge Benchmark.

Meanwhile, it seems the different airlines are trying to outdo one another with themed lounges, specialty cocktails and local or more upscale eats.

For example, the flagship Capital One Landing lounge that opened earlier this year at LaGuardia Airport in New York City features a partnership with Michelin-starred Chef Jose Andres, complete with authentic tapas and Daily Rituals with roaming carts that deliver tableside martini service, caviar cones, as well as desserts. (Basque cheesecake or flan, perhaps?)

According to the JD Power study, 38 percent of lounge customers say they visited the airport lounge due to the high cost of food and beverage in the terminal.

Certainly, they are a better bet to charge your devices and relax, letting kids graze the buffet, rather than corralling them at an overpriced airport food court or restaurant. You can even take a shower if the kids have trashed their clothes, or yours, with spills.

What’s not to like?

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)