What is Contract lounge?

A contract lounge is a waiting area an airline does not run itself but buys in from a handling company or the airport.

Also called: Third-party lounge.

How it works#

Because a third party operates it, the facilities, opening hours and guest rules differ from the airline’s own lounges. Access rights exist only to the extent the contract provides and can end without notice when that contract lapses. At airports where an airline has no lounge of its own, a contract lounge is the normal arrangement rather than the exception.

Not to be confused with#

A contract lounge is not the same as an alliance lounge: an alliance lounge belongs to a partner airline, a contract lounge to an operator outside the programme.

In German#

The German term is Vertragslounge. German version of this term

Related terms#

• Lounge access: Lounge access is the right to use a catered waiting area at an airport, obtained through cabin class, status, a card, a membership or a walk-up payment.
• Lounge membership: A lounge membership is access to a network of independent lounges, usually provided as a card benefit with a capped number of visits or guests.
• Airline alliance: An airline alliance is a grouping of carriers that credit each other’s miles, recognise each other’s status and allow award bookings across the group.

Articles that use this term#

• How do you get into an airport lounge without a business class ticket?
• Why you get turned away from a lounge you have access to
• What is Priority Pass, and what doesn’t it cover?
• Can you bring guests into the lounge?