7 Reasons an Airport Lounge Membership Is Totally Worth It

Smaller lounges offer finger foods and snacks, larger parlors serve hot apps, and a select few spoil their members with gourmet, chef-curated fare. But no matter the menu, you can't beat a complimentary selection of grub before your boarding group is called.

I'm a firm believer that a glass of wine can soothe any potential pre-flight jitters, but shelling out $17 for a glass of cheap Chardonnay can be hard to stomach. Not all lounges offer top-shelf alcohol on the house (although some do!), but almost all will give you house drink at no cost.

This one really needs no explanation. During a layover, the ability to wash off the dust of a previous flight is pure gold.

Not all lounges offer showers, but all offer regularly cleaned and maintained restrooms that only see about 1/10 of the traffic as regular airport bathrooms.

The second a flight is delayed, the gate is bombarded with hundreds of passengers, all with a similar goal. Thus, the lines will get long, quickly. Inside the lounge, the ambassadors are usually able to help with flight options and changes without the steep wait times.

Most lounges will offer the best views inside the airport, be it be a bay, mountains, or planes taking off over the horizon. Some even boast open-air verandas that make you feel like you’re enjoying an al fresco happy hour rather than killing time before a flight.

If you're just going to fight for an empty seat and wall outlet at your gate, why would anyone strive to show up super early for a flight? But if you can enjoy a summer salad and session IPA only a few steps from your gate, chances are you'll never run the risk of missing a flight again.