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As the largest independent airport lounge program in operation—and a benefit for most premium travel credit cards—the Priority Pass network spans more than 1,500 lounges and experiences spread across 145 countries and 700 airports. With so many lounges under its umbrella, ranging from singular, airport-managed spaces to some owned and operated by major airlines and credit card companies, quality varies greatly by outpost.
Here at AFAR, we’ve previously ranked and detailed our list of the 10 Best Priority Pass Lounges in the World. Now, travelers have had their say too. After a multiyear, pandemic-related pause, the Priority Pass Lounge of the Year Awards have returned in 2024, with two new additions: Pioneer of the Year Awards and All Star of the Year Awards. Collectively, they are now known as the Priority Pass Excellence Awards.
The Lounge of the Year Awards are based on unsolicited ratings and reviews from travelers on the Priority Pass app between January 2023 and January 2024. Travelers rated lounges on metrics including quality of facilities, customer service, food and beverage selection, and overall satisfaction. From these statistics, winners were determined both regionally and globally. (Runner-ups are officially dubbed “highly commended.”) A panel of Priority Pass judges voted on the two new awards—Pioneer of the Year and All Star of the Year—following a nomination window in winter 2024.
Nominated by Priority Pass partners, the Pioneer of the Year Awards recognize lounges with innovative services that enhance the travel experience, like cutting-edge technology and sustainability initiatives. Also nominated by Priority Pass partners, the All Star of the Year Awards celebrate specific lounge employees who go beyond the call of duty to make the lounge experience extra special.
In total, there are 11 Lounge of the Year winners, with a top spot and runner-up in five global regions: North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The highest-ranked lounge across all regions was dubbed the overall Global Winner. Pioneer of the Year Awards and All Star of the Year Awards span all global regions.
The Leopold Museum loans art like Gustav Klimt’s “Death and Life” (1910/15) to the Vienna Lounge at Austria’s Vienna Airport.
Courtesy of Priority Pass
Priority Pass Lounge of the Year Global Winner: Vienna Lounge
Based on 379,966 member ratings and reviews through the Priority Pass app, the top spot of overall Global Winner went to Vienna Lounge in Terminal 1 at Austria’s Vienna Airport. This airport lounge underwent renovations in 2022 and now has a sleek, modern look illuminated by a wealth of natural lighting through floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the airfield. An on-site Viennese coffee shop offers authentic (and complimentary) Austrian pastries, desserts, and coffees, while a buffet offers solid Austrian cuisine and international specialties. A selection of Austrian wines rounds out a locavore approach to food and beverage. At nearly 27,000 square feet, the colossal lounge has no shortage of space, accommodating a total of 450 seats over multiple dining and relaxation nooks, workstations, shower facilities, relaxation rooms, and even a smoking terrace. Walls are adorned with Austrian art by Klimt and Schiele, on loan from Vienna’s famed Leopold Museum.
Other 2024 Priority Pass Excellence Award winners
Below are the other winners, divided by region and category:
North America
- Lounge of the Year, Winner: VIP Lounge Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes Jesús Terán Peredo International Airport, Mexico
- Lounge of the Year, Highly Commended: Escape Lounge, Syracuse NY Hancock International, United States
- Pioneer of the Year, Winners:
- Hacienda Santa Lucia by The Grand Lounge Elite, Mexico City Felipe Angeles International, Mexico
- Gameway, Los Angeles International Airport, United States
- All Star of the Year Award: Silvia Villatoro, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, Washington Dulles International Airport, United States
Europe
- Lounge of the Year, Winner: Vienna Lounge, Vienna Airport, Austria
- Lounge of the Year, Highly Commended: Marco Polo Club, Venice Marco Polo Airport, Italy
- Pioneer of the Year, Winner: Primeclass Lounge, Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, Türkiye
- All Star of the Year Award: Anita Ganska, Preludium Lounge, Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland
Latin America and the Caribbean
- Lounge of the Year, Winner: Advantage VIP Lounge, Curitiba Afonso Pena International, Brazil
- Lounge of the Year, Highly Commended: Macondo Lounge, Barranquilla Ernesto Cortissoz International, Colombia
- Pioneer of the Year, Winner: AMAE Lounge, Rosario – Islas Malvinas International Airport, Argentina
- All Star of the Year Award: Daniela Potes Flechas, W Premium Lounge 5th Avenue, São Paulo Guarulhos International, Brazil
Middle East and Africa
- Lounge of the Year, Winner: Petra Lounge, Amman Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan
- Lounge of the Year, Highly Commended (tie):
- Primeclass Lounge, Muscat International Airport, Oman
- Bidvest Premier Lounge, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport, South Africa (No. 9 on our own 10 Best Priority Pass Lounges list)
- All Star of the Year Award: Ghulam Sarwar, The Lounge, Sharjah International Airport, United Arab Emirates
Asia Pacific
- Lounge of the Year, Winner: Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club, Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong (No. 5 on our own 10 Best Priority Pass Lounges list)
- Lounge of the Year, Highly Commended: Oriental Club Lounge, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan
- Pioneer of the Year, Winner: The Coral Finest Business Class Lounge (Cocoon), Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand
- All Star of the Year Award: Miss Phatsalawan Narapornkitirat, Miracle Lounge, Domestic Concourse D, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand
How to access these winning lounges
As a reminder, Priority Pass membership is a benefit of numerous travel credit cards, including:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee)
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 annual fee—see rates and fees)
- The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee—see rates and fees)
With Priority Pass membership, travelers can enter lounges in the portfolio on their flight date, regardless of airline or class flown, often with two guests.
While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.
