Did you know that “lounge hopping” could help make you healthier?
Introducing Dave from Upgrade Your Travel Life – an aviation and travel expert (especially in airport lounge access).
Lounge hopping or “choosing” the airport lounge you go in to, rather than the one suggested by the airline you are flying, means you can decide which lounge(s) you visit. Many airports have multiple lounges that you can choose to visit which means you can be spoilt for choice about where to relax before boarding. This means you can think about the sorts of foods you like to eat, which foods are healthiest, and then choose the lounge(s) that suit you. Nutted Out Nutrition’s airport lounge reviews can help you make this decision by showing you the foods offered in airport lounges in detail.
So how can you access multiple lounges in an airport?
Different perspectives on travel – introducing Dave and Upgrade Your Travel Life
But first of all, let me introduce myself- – my name is Dave from Upgrade Your Travel Life. I have been interested in travel and aviation for over 30 years, working at various times in both the aviation industry and directly for a major airline. I hold a pilot’s licence and am a frequent traveler, having taken over 500 commercial airline flights as a passenger. I currently hold Oneworld Emerald status, previously have held Star Alliance Gold, and am gold equivalent with various hotel chains.
I am excited to partner with Nutted Out Nutrition to provide you some different perspectives on travel and health.
How can I access multiple lounges and go lounge hopping?
As you may be aware there are numerous ways to gain access to lounges including:
- Class of travel (First, Business, and on some airlines, notably JAL and ANA, premium economy)
- Status with an airline/alliance status (eg Star Gold, Oneworld Emerald etc)
- Credit cards such as Diners Club International and American Express which are the two of the best known issuers for lounge access.
- Paid membership such as annual memberships e.g. Priority Pass or Lounge Key, or once off access paid at the door of some lounges .
But what many people don’t know is that it is often possible to visit multiple lounges before your flight, either through having more than one of the avenues above, or even in some cases one of the options above has more than one lounge in an airport.
But why would you want to?
Put simply, not all lounges are equal, and they offer different benefits. In the context of food and nutrition, they will often provide different cuisines, with some foods on offer being healthier than others (see Nutted Out Nutrition’s different nutrition ratings). But there is more to it than just the food that you may like to consider. For example, some lounges have great views, some have more comfortable seating, some even have wellness and nap areas (which also helps with health). Some lounges have fancy bars, better showers – the list of differences goes on.
So you can visit more than one lounge to get healthy food, a relaxing shower and great views – or whatever is on your list for what makes an airline lounge the best for you.
Let’s look at an example of the lounges available in London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 3
A great place to go lounge hopping is in London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 3, although you could do this in other Heathrow terminals too or indeed many other larger airports. Let’s say I’m flying business class on a Oneworld airline (example Finnair) and I hold both Oneworld Emerald status, as well as a Priority Pass membership, and have an American Express Platinum Charge Card. Here are the lounges that I could access just in Terminal 3:
- American Airlines First Class (Flagship) Lounge (First class and Oneworld Emerald)
- American Airlines Admirals Club (Business and Oneworld Sapphire and above)
- British Airways Galleries First (First class and Oneworld Emerald)
- British Airways Galleries Club (Business and Oneworld Sapphire and above)
- Cathay Pacific First class (First class and Oneworld Emerald)
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge (Business and Oneworld Sapphire and above)
- The Qantas London Lounge (Business and Oneworld Sapphire and above)
- No.1 Lounge (Business Class and Oneworld Sapphire and above when traveling Finnair only, OR any class of travel or airline through Priority Pass)
- Club Aspire Lounge (any class of travel or airline through Priority Pass)
- American Express Centurion Lounge (any class of travel or airline when holding select American Express cards only)
Note there are further lounges for arrivals, but I’m talking about departures only in the above scenario.
I could have visited all 10 lounges if I had wanted at no personal cost to me! But that would be a LOT of lounge hopping and I would need a lot of time at the airport (and to be honest some lounges are a standout while others are mediocre, so I don’t actually want to visit all 10). It’s worth noting that most airlines will direct eligible passengers to a particular lounge by printing the name of a lounge on a boarding pass. What many people don’t realize is that under the alliance rules of Oneworld, Star Alliance and Skyteam, you as a passenger actually have a choice of which affiliate lounges you visit – and you can also visit more than one before your flight. Airlines will usually recommend one, as they will often have preferential rates for access, or they know which lounge is open during the times their flights are operating. But once again this does not prevent you from visiting others if they are open.
You have a choice of lounges, so how do you choose?
So what to do when you have a choice and are thinking of lounge hopping? I’d say plan your trip ahead, read the nutrition reviews on Nutted Out Nutrition to help you know which lounges have the healthiest food and types of food you enjoy most. Perhaps even split your meals across a couple of lounges to take advantage of the best food in each. Or maybe it’s about other factors: the view, a quiet rest area, a shower before flight etc. So eat in the healthiest lounge and then move to the lounge that meets your needs.
