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Some relaxing on a hammock in an airport lounge Some relaxing on a hammock in an airport lounge

Booking a lounge pays for itself | Here's why

When you add up all the costs of waiting around the airport for your flight, you're actually better off paying for a lounge instead.

We're all guilty of it. Just a quick look in duty free, a nice coffee and pastry from Pret, or a cheeky pint or two from 'Spoons. You're on holiday, why not treat yourself? But it does all add up.


We've been doing some sums and it turns out that the amount we're spending at the airport has gone up a fair bit in the past four years. In 2020, before that happened, travellers were spending about £21 per person on airport treats. In 2022 it rose to £26.30. Fast forward to summer 2024 and we're averaging £36 on snacks, meals, wifi, duty free and other ways to pass the time and get comfy at the airport.

That's a 37% increase in just two years – and more than the average price of an airport lounge, where most of those things are part of the package. And it's a bit more peaceful than the terminal.

It's not just food and drink we're forking out on either, although meals are up about 9% in price. The big ticket changes are on duty free, where travellers spent around £23.50 in total two years ago. Now we're spending £36, half of which is impulse buying. Airport wifi charges have been catching us out too – two years ago most of us did without it, but this summer spending's gone up to more than £3.

Elizabeth Hogg, Chief Operating Officer at Holiday Extras said,

"People are spending more than ever at the airport as they wait for their plane, and we're here to show them a better way. People tell us they're spending an average £36 while they wait for their plane, and for that amount in most cases they could have had an airport lounge instead.

Holidaymakers could also consider that getting to the airport early for their flight means they're going to splash out on meals and duty free. That puts down the relative cost of staying overnight at an airport hotel and starting their holiday early with a stroll into the terminal just in time for their plane - meaning more people might have the a better holiday this year when they wake up fresh on day one rather than spending it in the early-morning dash to the airport."

@holidayextras New rule: I will only travel with you if we book an airport lounge. #hx #airportlounge #holidayextras #airportprincess #traveltiktok ? original sound - Crawford Mulholland