Over 600 lounges now open to Priority Pass members

Priority Pass, the world leader in independent access to airport lounges, is pleased to announce that its members now have access to over 600 airport VIP lounges around the world – an increase of 100 over 2008, reinforcing its market leadership.

This significant increase will be welcomed by members who are able to use any of the lounges in the program whenever they travel, regardless of airline or class of travel.

Priority Pass is one of the beneficiaries of the uncertain economic climate, as more international travelers seek to become members because of its expanding global network of participating lounges. By joining Priority Pass, travelers can ensure that they can gain access to the facilities of VIP lounges, even when traveling economy on international flights. Lounges offer refreshments, business facilities and, above all, peace and quiet.

“Our program has always appealed to those travelers who want to escape crowded, noisy departure areas without having to incur the added costs of traveling in first or business class,” commented Jonathan French, Priority Pass Head of Brand. They also realize that on short-haul flights, you can spend as much time in the airport as on the aircraft, and it’s on the ground that getting access to a VIP area can pay dividends in terms of reducing the stress of travel and remaining productive when traveling for business.”

The growth of Priority Pass to over 600 lounges means that members can rely on finding a lounge at more than 325 airports across 100 countries.

French added, “While some businesses are scaling back, we continue to invest in growth and in meeting our objective of ensuring our members can use a lounge whenever they travel.”

Highlights of the growth during 2008 include:

North America

• A long list of new lounges in the US includes additions to our program at Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Phoenix and Raleigh Durham.

Latin America and Caribbean

• A comprehensive programme has been expanded further with additional lounges in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Europe

• Comprehensive coverage of UK airports expanded to include Plymouth and Inverness.
• Additional lounges in Spain, Italy and Germany, boosting an already very comprehensive programme.
• New lounges in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Poland, Slovak Republic, Hungary and Russia.

Middle East

• New lounges available in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Jordan.

Asia Pacific

• Significant expansion in key cities, with multiple lounges added in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao and Seoul.
• New lounges in India including at Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Cochin.
• New lounges in Japan, including at Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka.
• As well as Seoul, additional new locations and lounges added in South Korea, including Busan and Jeju Island.

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