A few friends recently have asked me about how I got access to that nifty club in the airport — you know, the one that says “Admiral’s Club” or “Red Carpet Club” in front of it and has that guy with the Bluetooth walking in. Seems like many people think that once you reach a certain level of airline worthiness that you can wander into the club and they’ll have flaming shots of sambuca waiting for you.
Unfortunately, its not that easy. The bad news is that everyone has to pay in some way to get into the lounge; most revelers cough up somewhere between $250 – $500 to get access for a year. And rate slides with your level of status with the airline — most will discount $100 or so off the price if you’re elite.
Some programs, like United Airlines‘, let you pay for a lounge membership with frequent flyer miles. Depending on how much you value your miles, this might be a good option for you.
The good news is that anyone can buy access to the lounge. Nobody cares if you’re a business traveler with an Armani suit or a pleasure traveler in flip-flops — anyone can stroll in and get some free drinks and WIFI (in most clubs).
The only exception that I can think of to the above parameters (and again, this may vary slightly by airline) is if you’re either in international business/first class or are a platinum or top tier elite flyer on an international itinerary. In either of those cases, you often can get into the club for free. But it’s best to check with your airline and see what their rules are for their clubs. I can only speak to my local airline’s rules.
Best of luck getting in, at the very least you can steal wireless from outside.