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Airport lounge guest policies explained: who you can bring in free

Guest rules by network and airline club, with the actual policy from 20 well-known lounge pages, including where the room-level rule differs from the norm.

By Published Updated 4 min read

Details checked as recently as November 2026.

lounges
17
airports
7

The lounge card in your wallet says you can get in.

The card lounges: Centurion, Sapphire, Capital One#

At the Centurion Lounge at JFK, Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders pay $50 per guest, or $30 for children aged 2 to 17. The Heathrow Centurion Lounge is an example of the lounge-level rule diverging.

Chase is the generous one. At the Sapphire Lounge at JFK, Sapphire Reserve cardholders get unlimited visits and up to two guests free. Other Priority Pass members get one free visit per calendar year across US Sapphire Lounges, then pay $75 per visit or guest.

Capital One sits in between. The Capital One Lounge at JFK charges Venture X cardholders $45 per guest, $25 for children, with guests free after $75,000 in annual spend.

Airline clubs: the "immediate family" rule#

US airline clubs tend to let members choose between a guest count and a family. The Delta Sky Club at JFK B31 admits members and eligible cardholders with up to two guests at $50 each, or immediate family. Its page also lists the visit caps: ten a year on a US Amex Platinum, fifteen on a Delta Reserve, unlimited after $75,000 in spend.

The Delta One Lounge next door goes further. It is for Delta One passengers only, on the day of departure, and nobody comes with you unless they also hold a Delta One ticket.

United's Heathrow club admits members with up to two guests, or a spouse or partner and children under 21, with one-time passes at $59. American's Admirals Club at Heathrow gives members immediate family or two guests, and business or first passengers on a qualifying international itinerary one guest. Alaska's flagship N gates lounge in Seattle matches that shape: two guests or immediate family, defined as spouse or partner and children under 21.

Alliance lounges: status brings a guest, a ticket often does not#

This is the rule that surprises people. Across Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam flagship lounges, a business class ticket frequently admits one person and no one else, while elite status brings a companion.

Lufthansa's Business Lounge B in Frankfurt states it plainly: business class passengers, no guests; Star Alliance Gold and Senator, one guest on a same-day Star Alliance flight. Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge at Toronto International is the same, with the guest reserved for Aeroplan 50K and above or Star Alliance Gold. Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Lounge at Heathrow admits Star Alliance business and first passengers, and gives Star Alliance Gold members one guest.

oneworld behaves the same way. British Airways' Galleries Club South at Terminal 5: business class, no guests; BA Gold and Silver and oneworld Emerald and Sapphire, one guest on a same-day oneworld flight. Cathay's The Pier Business in Hong Kong scales by tier, with Diamond members bringing two guests and Gold one.

SkyTeam's showcase is Air France's Hall L lounge at CDG, rated 4.9. Business class passengers bring nobody. Flying Blue Gold and Platinum and SkyTeam Elite Plus bring one guest, and Flying Blue Ultimate can bring up to eight. Guests must travel with you on an Air France, KLM or SkyTeam flight.

Qantas, Emirates and Virgin: ticket-specific rules#

Qantas is unusually precise. At the Sydney Qantas Club, Qantas Club and Gold members bring one guest, and Platinum and Platinum One bring two. oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members get one on a oneworld flight. The International Business Lounge adds a twist: Qantas Business passengers get one guest, but other oneworld business tickets include none.

Emirates ties guests to status. At Heathrow, Skywards Gold brings one guest and Platinum one guest plus up to two children; everyone else is in on an Emirates first or business ticket. Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouses at Heathrow and JFK admit Upper Class passengers and Flying Club Gold members with one guest, and that guest must be on the same Virgin Atlantic flight.

Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass: the allowance lives on your card#

The pay networks defer to your issuer. The Marhaba Lounge B in Dubai, the Blossom Lounge in Singapore and Sky Hub East in Seoul all say the same thing. Our program records for the networks themselves carry no guest figure, so treat that $35 as what those lounges report, not a universal price.

Where it gets interesting is the local exceptions. The House in Sydney admits Priority Pass guests per the allowance but charges for them, and showers and the à la carte menu need an AUD 20 upgrade. The Clubrooms at Heathrow T3 takes all three networks but every person pays a supplement from £15, and under-12s are not admitted at all. Sky Hub in Seoul is adults only. Plaza Premium's Heathrow T5 lounge admits children under two free and caps Priority Pass stays at two hours.

How to read all this#

First, know which door you are using: a Delta One ticket brings no guest at either Delta lounge, while a Sky Club membership brings two at $50 each. Second, remember that "immediate family" usually means a partner and children under 21, not your parents. Third, open the lounge page before you walk over, because the network norm is only a starting point and the room-level rule wins. The methodology page covers how the ratings work.

Cite this article

Patrick Karsh. “Airport lounge guest policies explained: who you can bring in free.” Lounge Frog. Published 2026-10-01. Updated 2026-10-14. https://www.loungefrog.com/news/airport-lounge-guest-policies-explained

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Quick answers

Which lounge networks get you into these lounges?

oneworld Sapphire/Emerald Lounge Access opens 4 of the 17; Star Alliance Gold Lounge Access opens 3 of the 17; Centurion Lounge opens 2 of the 17. Each lounge's page lists every program and card that admits you.

Written and checked to our editorial standards. Scores follow our methodology. Join the discussion below.

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