When Everybody Has Airport Lounge Access, Nobody Does

It was only when my partner and I arrived at Orlando Airport in May that I realised my crucial error: I had forgotten to pre-book the one lounge to which I had access.

- David Mack

UNITED STATES -

The Club MCO lounge was full, so we joined the queue to enter our names in the much-longer digital queue.

After 20 minutes of standing around, we gained entrance to what looked like a breakfast buffet at a budget hotel: beige walls, tired carpets and a small selection of food that looked far less appetising than the options at Bahama Breeze, the wonderfully tacky, Caribbean-themed restaurant in the terminal.

Sipping on a weak gin and tonic, and picking at a sad cup of gummy bears, I had to ask myself: Why exactly was I so desperate to be here?

There have never been more airport lounges. Yet there are also seemingly more lounges that are not worth the hassle. Many are forlorn. Many others are overcrowded. Sometimes, the lines for the lounges are the longest in the airport. Yet people all still fight to get in.

Many will choose to fork over too much in credit card fees or commit to flying on one airline to gain entry to these spaces, because they still believe the lounges offer a taste of luxury amid the stress of travel.

In the smartphone age, people have been sold on the idea that travel is no longer just about the act itself, but about being seen to be travelling - and being seen to do so in style. Just do not tell those sitting at Bahama Breeze that they are probably having a better time.