Priority Pass Is Getting Worse

Priority Pass used to be simple: one card, 1,500+ lounges, any airline. In 2026 it comes with a lot of small print. Some lounges only take it a few hours a day, popular ones fill up, card companies now charge for guests, and extras inside cost more. Here it is in one place.

Air France in Boston: Open, Just Not for You

Boston Logan is the clearest example. The Air France lounge there accepts Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass only from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. The sign at the door says it doesn't accept any of them while Air France or KLM flights are operating. We've seen that sign ourselves, and the Priority Pass listing for Boston carries the same hours. Air France's Boston flights leave in the evening. So if you're on one of them, the lounge built for your flight is open, and your card won't get you in.

Boston isn't a one-off. On Priority Pass's own listings, the Air France lounge at Chicago O'Hare turns members away from noon to 5:00 PM, and the Air France-KLM lounge at Washington Dulles does the same from 3:00 to 8:00 PM. The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK only takes Priority Pass until 1:30 PM.

Lufthansa: Just Two Lounges

Lufthansa is one of the biggest names people link with Priority Pass, but only two Lufthansa lounges are in the network, and both are in the US. Frankfurt, Munich, Newark, Boston and every other Lufthansa lounge are out. To get into those you need Star Alliance status, a business or first class ticket, or a paid day pass (about $39, per AwardWallet).

The two that are in come with a schedule. According to Priority Pass's listings:

• New York JFK: Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, 5:30 to 10:30 PM. Lufthansa has suspended access the other five days "until further notice."
• Detroit: 6:00 AM to noon and 5:00 to 8:00 PM, Monday to Saturday.

When the Lounge Is Full, Your Pass Doesn't Matter

Even when a lounge fully accepts Priority Pass, you can still be turned away at the door. The Club CLT at Charlotte is the usual example. Waits of 20 to 45 minutes are common, and the Priority Pass listing warns it can run over capacity from 2:00 to 6:30 PM, when entry is at the lounge's discretion. Priority Pass's own conditions of use say a membership doesn't guarantee entry and that access is subject to capacity.

Someone we know ran into exactly this at The Club CLT. Her pass was valid, but the line was longer than the time she had before boarding, so she never got in. Frequent Miler's Nick Reyes describes the same thing: you walk up, and there's a sign saying Priority Pass access is restricted, or a waitlist.

Bringing a Guest Now Costs Money

While lounges are limiting who gets in, the banks are cutting back on guests. Four of the best-known premium cards changed their guest rules within about a year.

Capital One is the biggest change. The Capital One Travel lounge page now says Venture X cardholders pay $35 per guest, per visit at Priority Pass lounges. Venture X Business still gets 2 free guests, then $35 each. (The main Venture X page still talks about "two guests" for free, so read the lounge page, not the sales page.) Chase's notice to Ritz-Carlton cardholders, published by Upgraded Points, ended unlimited guests on January 15, 2026. It's now 2 free, then $27 each.

Restaurants went first. In July 2024 Chase removed Priority Pass restaurants, cafes and markets from Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve and Ritz-Carlton cards (The Points Guy). Amex Platinum never included them. Chase's Sapphire Reserve page now promises lounge access "with up to two guests," and says nothing about restaurants.

Inside the Lounge, Extras Now Cost Extra

The newest change is about what you pay once you're already inside. Since July 1, 2026, The Club lounges in Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Jose, Pittsburgh and Las Vegas have charged for showers that used to be free (View From The Wing). The Club's own FAQ now says showers are free only "in some locations," and lists $25 for 30 minutes at San Francisco. The odd part is who runs The Club: Airport Dimensions, part of Collinson. Collinson also owns Priority Pass. So this is Priority Pass charging its own members more at its own lounges.

Other lounges are doing the same:

• Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses at JFK, Washington Dulles and San Francisco charge $15 for a shower.
• Virgin Atlantic's LAX Clubhouse charges a $35 top-up per person just to come in on Priority Pass, guests included. It shows on the Priority Pass listing.
• Minute Suites in Houston, Baltimore and Nashville adds a "Clean & Serene" fee of about $5 per visit, Priority Pass members included. When a traveler complained to View From The Wing in April, Priority Pass replied that fees like this are up to the lounge and outside its policy.

Where It Still Works Best: Europe and Asia

Most of the trouble above is in the US. That's where the banks have built their own lounges, and where the busiest Priority Pass lounges are crowded with cardholders from the same few cards. Outside the US, the pass is probably more useful. At many airports in Europe and Asia there's no bank lounge to compete with. The lounge you can use is often an independent one, like Plaza Premium, Aspire, or the airport's own business lounge, and those depend on Priority Pass members for their business. At smaller airports it's often the only lounge in the terminal. If you fly abroad a lot, that's where the membership earns its keep. Rules still vary lounge by lounge, so check the listing before you go.

So Is Priority Pass Still Worth It?

Mostly, yes, especially if you travel outside the US. It's still a big network, and most of its lounges let you in without any fuss. But the banks are putting their money into their own lounges: Centurion, Capital One Lounges and Sapphire Lounges. Their own cardholders come first there, and Priority Pass gets whatever room is left. Chase has gone furthest. Since August 15, 2026, its Sapphire Lounges, run by The Club, no longer take Priority Pass. Chase's lounge page now says you need an eligible Chase card and a Chase-issued Priority Pass, such as the one that comes with the Sapphire Reserve. A Priority Pass from Amex, Capital One or anyone else won't get you in, even though the same company that runs Priority Pass operates the lounge. The question is no longer just whether a lounge is in the app. It's also when it takes you, whether there's space, and what's still included.