Lousy Airport Lounges
As I took my first sip of generic, merely-satisfactory drip coffee at 5 am in a nondescript lounge the other day, my eyes caught a glance of an all-too-familiar sight. A traveler was making full horizontal use of a facing couch, and the bottoms of his dirty white socks were staring at me. I felt simultaneously annoyed and heartened. Despite this mild gross-out, I was at peace knowing we were each enjoying this unremarkable club – one obviously more than the other. It was a periodic reminder that I want to continue visiting lousy airport lounges, and I probably need to.
The Bitter and The Sweet
Travel styles vary. Many can’t be bothered with airport lounges, even if they hold the required access. Of that group, some prefer, or seemingly enjoy, arriving at the airport as late as possible. Shawn loves the juice, to the point I think he’s missed flights. (He claims this hasn’t happened, but I want to believe it has.) Elsewhere, plenty of early and normal arrivers routinely pack all manner of airport clubs. Some focus on an exclusive subset of what many consider the nicest spots. (For the purposes of this article, I’m broadly defining “lousy” as anything below that.)
A large aspect of our points and travel hobby focuses on how to obtain access to these lounges, and perhaps less so on which ones are worth visiting. I find that understandable, as personal lounge preferences vary. But beyond access, many travelers are clearly passionate about the spaces they find acceptable or not.
Give me all of these clubs. I never want top-tier lounges to feel normal. As Jason Lee (remember him?) blurted in Vanilla Sky, “without the bitter baby, the sweet ain’t as sweet.” By experiencing the lousy, I can truly appreciate all things beyond.
Curiosity
Individuals have their niche interests in the points and travel hobby. I’m not particularly into plane spotting but can respect others who definitely are. I’d rather be checking out airport lounges, old and new, slimy to superb. (Incidentally, this carries over to my fascination with hotels, from low- to high-end.)
When it comes to lounges, I’ll try anything once. I’m entertained by this silly curiosity, to the point where I hop around to multiple within minutes, sometimes illogically. I know I’m not alone here, because I’ve had others join me on such adventures.
The process is part of the reward. If none are worth visiting again, the experience wasn’t a failure. But I still find plenty to worth returning to.
Discovery
Along the way, my curiosity uncovers what I consider hidden gems. If I was more discerning, perhaps I wouldn’t have discovered these perfectly-acceptable clubs. Being open-minded on this aspect of travel has been enlightening; I strive to apply that sense of wonder to other areas.
This is where some might expect me to share a few of my favorite overlooked airport lounges. Nope. Selfishly, I’m not doing that here. Like other aspects of our hobby, put in the work and be rewarded.
This Is Who I Am
No matter the quality of the lounge, I’m a creature of habit. I generally do at least the following things in each lounge I visit:
- Have a seat – at the very least, something I assess as slightly more peaceful than sitting in the terminal
- Grab a beverage – even if just a coffee, Diet Coke, or (gasp) water
- Read the newspaper on my phone
I’ve been capable of accomplishing the above in most any lounge. And in the moment with that third item, the lounge differences melt away. But if I can’t achieve those three things in a given club, I’m leaving early or not visiting a second time. Those instances are remarkably few and far between, though.
Of course, given multiple options in the same airport, I’d gravitate to the nicer spots for more amenities. But lounges merely providing the “enough” I need can still win the day.
Lousy Airport Lounges – Conclusion
I can make lousy airport lounges work for my situation most of the time. But I definitely understand many can’t. After all, we’re moderate travelers – at most – in this current life season and aren’t as subject to inconveniences as more frequent travelers. Perhaps when we get busier, we’ll be more discerning. But for right now, bring ’em all my way. Look for me in all of the lousy airport lounges you visit. Stop by and say hello, preferably with your shoes on.
