When The Airline Lounge Is Disappointing, Try The Priority Pass Option Nearby!

Usually, when having access to an airport lounge, travelers tend to prefer those facilities operated by the actual carrier they’re flying on, but that’s not always the best choice.

Sometimes, the airline’s own lounge or those they contract are rather poor, and in those instances, I’m always happy if a decent Priority Pass Lounge is available to visit instead.

I really love to fly to/from Seoul Gimpo Airport because of the pretty much nonexistent lines for immigration and security. Of course the downside of a small airport like that is that the airlines have built rather poor lounges there

While the Korean Air Lounge is pretty decent, Asiana is really nothing to write home about, and what makes it even worse is that it’s located on the far end of the terminal.

When I flew from Seoul to Gimpo earlier, this was one of the situations where I was happy to have a Priority Pass in reserve to visit an alternate lounge instead.

Asiana Invites passengers with Star Alliance Gold status or those ticketed in Business Class to their Business Lounge at GMP:

Having been there just recently and the Gate 36 being on the opposite side of the terminal, I decided that it’s really not worth it to go there at all.

Luckily, the Skyhub Lounge right opposite immigration is open again and accepts guests with Priority Pass and other memberships:

Even though this is a very small lounge, its convenient location right in the middle of the terminal makes it super convenient to sit down and even have a meal.

The food and beverage selection is much better than that of Asiana, with the exception of alcoholic beverages (there was only a bit of liquor and also beer on tap).

Priority Pass has gotten a bad rep in public forums recently, but I can only repeat myself when I say that this mostly concerns bad lounges in North America. I never really had any problems with PP access in Asia, the Middle East or Europe.

Another great alternative for different lounges is to carry an HSBC Premier or American Express Platinum Card as they also operate their own lounges at many airports. The cards also carry a Priority Pass addition, so a traveler would always be well-equipped no matter where to go.

Conclusion

Sometimes, airlines don’t really have lounge facilities to be proud of, and in these cases, alternatives are more than welcome. You can usually visit lounges of the same alliance even if not explicitly advertised or invited but also avail yourself to the Priority Pass option that is issued together with many premium credit cards.

I just had such a situation at Seoul Gimpo Airport again, and I was grateful that an easy lounge visit was possible without hiking through the entire terminal. I’d probably rather sit down at the gate for 25 minutes than go all the way to the Asiana lounge on the Mezzanine via the tiny elevator.