Priority Pass airport lounge visits climb sharply as travel returns, reports Collinson

INTERNATIONAL. New insights from Collinson-owned Priority Pass have revealed a strong increase in the number of airport lounge visits, as the worldwide air travel market begins to make a meaningful recovery. Across the Priority Pass airport lounge network, total lounge visits were up by +46% for the first half of 2021 compared to the second half of 2020.

Emphasising the strength of its position as a barometer for airport lounge activity, based on OAG figures, 91% of the top 100 busiest airports and 79% of the 100 busiest terminals globally feature a Priority Pass lounge and airport experience.

Priority Pass lounges are seeing a resurgence in business as the flight market across the world continues on a steady path to recovery

Currently, over 75% of Priority Pass lounges across the globe are open for business, and visit data showed a +28% month-on-month increase between June and July 2021.

Collinson noted that domestic air travel in some parts of the world is recovering quickly. It observed that, in the US and UK, airlines report scheduling up to 60% of flights compared to pre-pandemic levels, and Indian carriers are now permitted to operate 65% of flights, compared to about 50% of pre-pandemic volumes before 5 July.

According to Collinson, with this added boost from increased domestic travel, average visits per lounge are also up +34% for H1 2021, compared to H2 2020. This, it said, is in line with previous data showing that 48% of Priority Pass members are more likely to use airport lounges compared to before the pandemic.

“While we look forward to a broader recovery including international flights once the pandemic is brought under further control, we are meanwhile seeing better utilisation of our domestic lounges in particular” – Collinson Director of Travel Experiences Andy Besant 

Furthermore, Collinson noted that 87% of travellers in a broader survey reported that they wanted access to socially-distanced spaces in order to ‘de-stress’ and ‘relax away from the crowds’.

Building on these studies, Collinson said Priority Pass’s demand-focused network expansion is supported by ongoing research and analysis, based on data points including lounge visits and flight data.

Andy Besant: “We will be there for our members as they return to the skies”

Collinson Director of Travel Experiences Andy Besant said: “While we look forward to a broader recovery including international flights once the pandemic is brought under further control, we are meanwhile seeing better utilisation of our domestic lounges in particular – which means we are serving our [Priority Pass] members well in these challenging times.”

According to data shared by Collinson, the US currently leads the way in travel recovery, with nearly 3.8 million flights taken in the past year – of which 95% are domestic – compared to 8.9 million in 2019.

Meanwhile, Russia and China are already at 70% and 87% of flight volumes compared to 2019. These are places, Collinson noted, where Priority Pass has a comprehensive lounge presence, covering 96% and 86% of all flights respectively.

Domestic travel hotspots in the US are focused in the southern part of the country, with the two most-visited Priority Pass lounges located in Miami, followed by lounges in Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Orlando.

Globally, domestic flights are forecasted to be at 90% passenger capacity by April 2022, Collinson noted.

The US domestic flight market has made a rapid recovery this year, which is reflected in the strong performance of Priority Pass lounges particularly in the south of the country (Photo: Delta Airlines)

Collinson also observed that while recovery is taking off globally, some regions are performing better than others. The US is forecasted to be the first region to see flights recover to pre-pandemic volumes, while APAC is expected to be the slowest region to recover​. Markets in APAC are only forecasted to be at 40% flight volumes as compared to pre-pandemic levels by April 2022.

Collinson projects that the first region to hit over 60% recovery for lounge visits will be CEMEA, followed by Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, with Canada coming in last.

Currently, the Priority Pass international lounge network covers terminals for 83% of international flights from North America, 86% for CEMEA, 84% for all of Europe, 97% for the UK and 87% for APAC. This underlines its position as the leading independent global airport lounge network, said the company.

Besant concluded: “It’s clear that the travel industry is starting to recover strongly, and that the green shoots of regrowth are showing across both international and domestic flights.

“Priority Pass has invested significantly in tracking and supporting this recovery to ensure that we will be there for our members as they return to the skies.

“Tracking our lounge coverage against flight patterns is key to our strategy; and we will continue to ensure the expansion of our offering and services to our members in the most relevant locations.”

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