As I wrote about earlier, Priority Pass is the world’s largest independent network of airport lounges, with over 1,000 lounges around the world.
The quality of the lounges can vary significantly. On one end of the spectrum you have bare bones lounges like the Changsha Airport Lounge.
On the other end of the spectrum you have some really solid lounges, like the Almost@Home Lounge Helsinki Airport.
However, one thing is for sure — on balance, Priority Pass lounges in the U.S. are lower quality than abroad. That’s to say that most of the semi-decent lounges in the U.S. don’t belong to Priority Pass, while abroad (especially in Asia and Europe) there are some decent lounges that belong to Priority Pass.
Well, the good news is that it looks like Priority Pass has picked up a very nice lounge in the U.S. The Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles has recently joined Priority Pass.
The lounge is open daily from 6AM until 11PM, and looks solid. It’s located in the B Concourse at Dulles Airport, near gate B43. That means you can access this lounge airside when flying other carriers as well, though it may be a bit of a haul.
While I haven’t visited it yet, Live and Let’s Fly shared some pictures of the lounge several months ago, and it looks solid.
Here are some of the pictures from the Priority Pass website:
While I suspect the lounge isn’t quite as good as Turkish’s flagship lounge in Istanbul, the food & drink selection should be much better than what you’ll otherwise find at Priority Pass lounges in the U.S.
Keep in mind that it’s also possible that Turkish only puts out the best food in the evenings, a few hours before their flight departs. This is pretty common for airlines that operate lounges that they contract out to other carriers. For example, the Air France Lounge New York is accessible by Priority Pass members, but only during daytime hours. That’s because Air France doesn’t operate their own flights then, and they only put out the real food in the evenings (when the lounge isn’t open to Priority Pass members).
As a reminder, here’s a table with some of the major credit cards offering Priority Pass memberships, as well as their respective guesting rules:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Has anyone been to the Turkish Lounge Dulles, or are you excited to check it out, now that it’s part of Priority Pass?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees).
I got to go to the TK lounge at Dulles in May and in the same trip, spend most of a 6 hour layover at the Almost@home lounge in Helsinki. I also went to the Aspire lounge in HEL for some variety.
I was flying TK's 11:00 flight, so was there in the evening. The lounge had a decent hot food selection, staffed bar, fresh fruit and baklava! It wasn't the largest lounge I've been...
I got to go to the TK lounge at Dulles in May and in the same trip, spend most of a 6 hour layover at the Almost@home lounge in Helsinki. I also went to the Aspire lounge in HEL for some variety.
I was flying TK's 11:00 flight, so was there in the evening. The lounge had a decent hot food selection, staffed bar, fresh fruit and baklava! It wasn't the largest lounge I've been in, but Dulles isn't that packed that late either.
Almost@home was basically like being in an IKEA with free food and drinks (beer and wine only). The food selection was ok, I was there starting pretty early in the morning. I had to swipe my PP card more than once because I was there for 5 hours. I loved that they had a desktop PC for guests to use since I was traveling without my laptop.
The Aspire lounge in HEL had better food than Almost@home, but was busier. The modern decor is interesting, though not the most comfortable.
@Rick Yep. I think it was the IASS lounge Terminal 2 Narita that we peeked in for my first experience with Priority Pass. It was too depressing. Fortunately we were traveling business class on JAL and went to their lounge, which was lovely.
I wish PP would do something about DFW. On certain days they put you in the "closet" as the agents call it, that is if there is not a waiting list for it... I have complained to PP and essentially get "too bad".
Does this lounge have a ridiculous name like the one in IST?
Could you please elaborate on the difference between "Guests" and "Immediate Family Members" when using the Citi Prestige concerning the relevance to their admission (extra benefits or amount of people maybe?)
The Art and Lounge at Newark is perhaps one of the best PP lounges I've ever seen in the U.S. Really nice spread of sandwiches, salads, French cheeses and wines. Cool atmosphere too. It's landside in the International Terminal though, so it's almost entirely used by international passengers, primarily ones flying on La Compagnie and El Al. I rarely ever see anther domestic traveler besides me in there.
Can I use the TK PP lounge if flying domestic United?
I wish Priority Pass had something in DCA
I love to try the lounge. I will arrive at 4:25pm in A1 and leave 6pm in C1. Would it be possible to visit the lounge?
I've used the AirFrance lounge in the International Terminal at SFO a number of times... It's a pretty nice PP lounge.
@Gary, there are some pretty awful PP lounges in Asia too. But I'm now curious to see how bad these S American and African lounges are in comparison ;)
Big win for D.C. travelers and another reason to justify IAD as opposed to DCA despite the time difference to get there.
Good news! I'm looking forward to checking out the lounge during a 2.5 hour stop in Dulles in a couple months. It'll be a bit of a walk, but it should be worth it!
"Lucky, you need to spend more time in South America and Africa, then you’ll much appreciate Priority Pass lounges in the U.S.! "
good or bad is a relative term, but we need to only compare to the good ones. no need to look at the bad ones & be happy. no question us is lagging behind the "small" asian countries in terms of hotels and airlines, Taiwan, Singapore, HK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea.
TK used to have a late morning departure, which I assumed helped justify the lounge expense. The bar area is quite nice, and the food selection is decent by US standards, albeit limited in comparison to the IST lounge.
The lounge is small though.
I loved Almost@Home in Helsinki! Was only my second PP visit (the first was the other lounge in Helsinki within the Schengen zone, which was OK). I imagine I've probably been spoiled. (Though, while not particularly luxurious, the PP lounge in Curaçao was a very welcome respite from the rest of the airport, and had tasty tamale-like things to eat.)
I have visited the lounge. The lounge even has a good selection in mid afternoon, including Turkish coffee upon request. Turkish Airlines usually departs late in the evening. I look forward to visiting the lounge again when I fly Turkish in April.
Just visited this lounge this AM, with Priority Pass. They are super friendly too, and food is good.
US lounges generally are pretty bad. The PP lounges I've used this past year (Alaska Boardrooms, Korean Air, Club at ATL) have all been much better than the AA lounges I've used in the past. Now on this lounge specifically, are there any restrictions on who can use it? I believe the lounge at BWI is only for international passengers, and I've seen a few others that are restricted to flights flying out of a certain terminal.
"on balance, Priority Pass lounges in the U.S. are lower quality than abroad"
Lucky, you need to spend more time in South America and Africa, then you'll much appreciate Priority Pass lounges in the U.S.! :)
I'm excited. Flying Etihad from IAD next Wednesday, and will definitely arrive early to check out the TK lounge.
Yes! Dulles has good PP options in the BA and AF lounges, but the limited hours mean I can hardly ever get in. This is a great addition. Now if only PP would give us some kind of option at DCA.
Ben, for the chase sapphire reserve I was able to add authorized users for free. Is the $75 fee specifically for lounge access for those users?
Thanks!