Airports used to be about long lines, uncomfortable chairs, and overpriced snacks. Today? Airport lounges have become a battleground for luxury experiences and marketers are leading the charge.
Priority Pass just unveiled Priority Pass Private, an invitation-only service that mimics flying private: chauffeured rides to the plane, private lounges, and expedited security. Meanwhile, at JFK Airport, banks and airlines are competing to outdo each other with spa-like lounges, craft cocktails, artisanal cheese tastings, and even Peloton workout rooms.
What’s happening here is more than just fancy perks for certain customers, it’s a masterclass in branding, co-branding, and customer loyalty. Credit card companies like Amex, Chase, and Capital One know that access to these lounges is so desirable that customers will pay nearly $900 a year for a card that grants entry. Airlines benefit too. Delta made $7 billion last year just from its Amex partnership.
This is luxury marketing at its finest: exclusivity, status, and experience. But it’s also smart segmentation. Lounges once targeted older, male business travelers. Today, they’re designed like boutique hotels to attract all generations of affluent travelers. Whether it’s a brasserie with three-course meals, an arcade or a secret cocktail bar, the goal is the same: make customers feel valued, pampered, and loyal.
For marketers, this raises big questions. When does a perk become a brand’s competitive advantage? And how do brands maintain exclusivity when everyone wants in? Airports may still be stressful, but thanks to innovative marketing strategy, the lounge has become the new luxury destination.
Discussion Questions and Activities
- How do airport lounges demonstrate the power of branding and co-branding?
- Why are credit card companies willing to spend millions building lounges when they don’t charge customers inside?
- How does exclusivity create loyalty, and what risks come with making luxury experiences too accessible?
- How has the target market for lounges shifted over time, and what does that say about changing consumer behavior?
- Hold a Lounge Design Challenge. In groups, students choose an airline or credit card, then design their own branded airport lounge focusing on target market, amenities, and branding strategy.
- Loyalty Ladder Mapping. Students create a diagram showing how perks like lounges move customers from casual users to loyal brand advocates.
- Schedule a Debate. Half the class argues that lounges create true customer loyalty, while the other half argues they are simply expensive “status symbols.”
Sources:
Nadworny, Katie, (17 Sep 2025), Priority Pass Just Launched a Private Luxury Airport Experience for Travelers—With VIP Lounges, Private Boarding, and Chauffeured Transfers, Travel and Leisure. Sider, Alison (19 Sep 2025), At the Airport, There’s a Fancy New Lounge Everywhere You Look, Wall Street Journal.
