It’s time to rethink your airport lounge strategy if you’re a Scandinavian Airlines passenger. SAS recently announced that it will be eliminating access to many third-party lounges and Fast Track for premium passengers and elite members of its frequent flyer program, Euro Bonus. But there’s good news: Almost all of the lounges are available through Priority Pass.
Starting in 2017, eligible passengers (SAS Business, SAS Plus, and EuroBonus Gold and Diamond members) will still be able to access SAS and Star Alliance Lounges, but access to independently operated lounges will be totally gone.
Here’s where passengers will maintain access (except for SAS Plus passengers, as noted by the *):
SAS wrote that it was eliminating access to expand and improve its own lounges:
SAS is investing in digital solutions, new upgraded cabins, new aircraft, high-speed WiFi on all aircraft and have recently launched news in food & beverage onboard. On ground, to be able to continue and invest, expand and improve SAS Lounges and Fast Track offer, SAS will end our collaboration with some of our contracted lounge operated by third-parties. The result will be a continued improvement of SAS own offer where it benefits most of our Plus/Business travelers, members and 29 million yearly passengers.
But, as we mentioned, most of the lounges are in the Priority Pass network. Priority Pass provides access to more than 900 lounges in 120 countries and all but four of the eliminated lounges (Bucharest, Keflavik, Linkoping and Split) are accessible through Priority Pass.
Airport
Priority Pass Lounge
Aalborg
Aalborg Airport Lounge
Aberdeen
Swissport Lounge
Alicante
Sala VIP – Salon Ifach
Barcelona
Sala VIP Pau Casals, Sala VIP Miro, Sala VIP Colomer, Sala VIP Canudas
Beijing
Air China Business Class Lounge, BGS Premier Lounge, Air China First and Business Class Lounge, Air China First Class Lounge, BGS Premier Lounge, Business Travelers Lounge
Billund
King Amlet Lounge
Birmingham
No1 Lounge, Birmingham; Aspire Lounge
Bologna
Marconi Business Lounge
Boston
The Lounge, Air France Lounge
Budapest
SkyCourt Lounge, Menzies Aviation Lounge, Platinum Lounge
Dubrovnik
Business Lounge
Dublin
Dublin Airport Executive Lounge
Edinburgh
No1 Lounge, Edinburgh; Aspire Lounge
Faro
Faro Lounge
Gdansk
Executive Lounge
Hong Kong
Plaza Premium Lounge
Krakow
Business Lounge Non-Schengen, Business Lounge Schengen
Las Palmas
Sala Guacimeta
London
Plaza Premium Lounge, Club Aspire Lounge, No1 Lounge, Heathrow, SkyTeam Lounge, Aspire The Lounge and Spa at LHR T5, Club Millesime at Sofitel London Heathrow
Malaga
Sala VIP T3
Malta
VIP Lounge (Arrivals), La Valette Club
Manchester
The Escape Lounge, Aspire Lounge, The Swissport Lounge,
Milan
Club S.E.A.
Moscow
Persey Lounge, Gallery Lounge, Blues Business Lounge, Classica Business Lounge, Jazz Business Lounge, Matryoshka Lounge, Galaxy Lounge, Space Lounge, Amber Lounge, Classic Lounge, All Star Lounge.
Newcastle
Aspire Lounge
Nice
Salon Riviera, Salon Azur, Salon Du Cap D’antibes, Salon Du Cap Ferrat
Olbia
Olbia Airport Club Lounge
Palermo
Gesap VIP Lounge
Palma de Mallorca
Sala VIP Formentor, Sala VIP Valldemossa
Pisa
Galilei VIP Lounge
Poznan
Business Executive Lounge
Prague
Menzies Aviation Lounge, Mastercard Lounge, Erste Premier Lounge
Pulkovo
Business Lounge, Aeroflot Lounge
Riga
Primeclass Business Lounge
Rome
AviaLounge, LeAnfore Lounge, I Mosaici
Shanghai
First Class Lounge, No. 77 China Eastern Plaza Premium Lounge
Tallin
Tallinn Airport Business Lounge
Tel Aviv
Dan Lounge
Tokyo
T.E.I. Lounge, KAL Business Class Lounge, IASS Executive Lounge
Valencia
Sala Joan Olivert
Venice
Marco Polo Club
Vilnius
IDW Esperanza Resort Business Lounge
Wroclaw
Executive Lounge
Just remember that you have to activate your Priority Pass Select membership separately (usually through a link via your credit card account); a qualifying credit card is not proof of membership. Some credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express, grant card members full access to lounges; while others, like the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card from American Express, include a membership but not lounge visits (those still cost $27 per person). Check out our breakdown of the Priority Pass program for a full list of credit cards and membership tiers; you may already have a card in your wallet that includes membership as a perk.
Fast Track Access Also Eliminated
Also of note here is that SAS is eliminating Fast Track access at the airports listed above. That means that even as a premium passenger, you won’t have any expedited security (like a separate line). If you’re flying from the US you can always take advantage of expedited screening by signing up for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck (available at select airports).
And though there are program fees for Global Entry and PreCheck, the right credit card can help with that, too. The Amex Platinum and the Citi Prestige Card each give you a $100 credit, for example.
So while your boarding pass alone won’t grant you access to a third-party lounge or get you through a faster line at security, you can use your credit card-granted membership and rewards to enjoy some down time before a flight and zip through security even faster.
Featured image courtesy of SAS.
What’s your favorite Priority Pass lounge?
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
APPLY NOW
Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Named Best Credit Card for Flexible Travel Redemption - Kiplinger's Personal Finance, July 2016
2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Earn 5,000 bonus points after you add the first authorized user and make a purchase in the first 3 months from account opening
No foreign transaction fees
1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $625 toward travel
No blackout dates or travel restrictions - as long as there's a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Intro APR
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Foreign Transaction Fee
Credit Rating
N/A
16.24%-23.24% Variable
Introductory Annual Fee of $0 the first year, then $95
0%
Excellent Credit