Priority Pass Adds Sydney to Lounge Network

Wok on Air in Sydney Airport’s Terminal 3 is one of seven outlets added to the Priority Pass network.

Priority Pass membership comes with access to airport lounges all over the world, with members entitled to use over 1,000 lounges in 130 countries. Unfortunately, only 3 of these lounges are located in Australia. But Priority Pass has recently made arrangements for its members at a forth Australian airport.

Within Australia, Priority Pass members currently have access to lounges in the international terminals at Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin.

Priority Pass has now added Sydney to its network – although the arrangements are a little different to usual. Priority Pass does not partner with any lounges at Australia’s largest airport; instead, members can receive a $36 meal & drink credit at a selection of Sydney Airport restaurants. One voucher is also available for each guest.

This is interesting – not lounges, but you can get a bar or restaurant credit at Sydney Airport with your Priority Pass card. $36 at selected restaurants has got to be good.

There are three participating restaurants in the international terminal, as well as two in both of Sydney’s domestic terminals. These include Peroni Bar in Terminal 1, MoVida in Terminal 2 and Wok on Air in Terminal 3 (pictured above).

Our members believe that this is a fantastic value-add for Priority Pass.

This is great. The QP food is pretty dire if you’re actually seriously hungry. Having access to this to grab something first will be brilliant.

Priority Pass membership entitles travellers to use any Priority Pass partner lounge. There are three membership levels, ranging from US$99 to US$399 per year. Prestige membership, the highest level, comes with unlimited lounge visits. Standard members can access lounges at a cost of US$27 per visit. Standard Plus members, paying US$249 per year, are entitled to 10 free visits per year (with visits charged at US$27 each thereafter). Complimentary Priority Pass membership is also offered as a benefit with some credit cards.

Priority Pass membership is a handy way to access lounges if you don’t quite fly enough to earn status. Even if you do have status, a membership can get you into the lounge if you happen to be flying a non-partner airline.

As each paid lounge visit costs US$27 (roughly equal to $36), there would be little point in paying for a lounge visit just to receive the meal voucher. But this is a definite benefit for members with unlimited free lounge visits.

Great if you have a full tilt Amex Platinum Charge Card but in my circumstance – Citibank Signature Visa which grants 2 accesses a year then pay after – once i have used up my 2 freebies i would paying 27$ USD (36 AUD) which is of no benefit (plus I would need to ensure I actually used up the amount). Some ‘cards’ have all the fun!

While there are now only 4 Priority Pass locations in Australia, lounges are available at many popular airports including Auckland, Bali, Nadi, Singapore, Dubai and most other major cities.

Join the discussion HERE.

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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