High terminal concession prices are sending many air travelers into corporate-sponsored airport lounges, according to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Airport Lounge Satisfaction Study.
“The airport lounge has become an oasis for travelers, but that oasis can sometimes become a mirage when lounges are overcrowded and people need to wait in line to gain access,” says Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at JD Power in Troy.
“With air travel demand as high as ever, the airport lounge customer experience is being challenged by crowded facilities and food and beverage offerings that do not always live up to expectations.
“As this segment of the airport economy continues to grow, it will be critical for lounge operators and their partners to continue to find ways to (impress) guests with higher quality food and beverage, and (a) happier staff.”
Among the finding of the 2026 study are:
High-priced food and beverage in terminal drives lounge demand: The highest ranked benefit of lounge access is complimentary food and beverages, followed by comfortable seating. A total of 39 percent of lounge visitors say they visited the lounge due to the high cost of airport food and beverage.
Some room for improvement on food and beverage: When asked to evaluate the quality of airport lounge food and beverage offerings, more than half (52 percent) say it was better than expected, while 44 percent say it was in line with what they expected and 4 percent say it is worse than expected, highlighting an opportunity for lounge operators to remain diligent when it comes to both food quality and variety.
Staff plays major role in lounge experience: Staff service is a key component of overall lounge satisfaction, and the majority of lounge guests (77 percent) say they experience welcoming staff. However, just half of guests view lounge staff as happy (52 percent) and/or knowledgeable (51 percent).
Overcrowding negatively affects guest satisfaction: Nearly half (46 percent) of guests say the lounge they use most often is usually moderately or severely crowded. Overall satisfaction scores among guests who say the airport lounge was “not at all crowded” is 833 (on a 1,000-point scale). That score falls to 589, a decrease of 244 points, when guests say the airport lounge is “severely crowded.”
American Express Centurion Lounge and Capital One Lounge rank highest in customer satisfaction with a score of 771, in a tie. Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club (764) ranks third.
To view the complete visual rank charts, visit here.
The U.S. Airport Lounge Satisfaction Study measures customer satisfaction with airport lounges in the United States across eight core dimensions (in order of importance): value of experience; staff; food and beverages; cleanliness/upkeep; amenities; ease of accessing lounge; ambiance and Wi-Fi service.
The 2026 study is based on responses gathered from 2,991 travelers who visited a U.S. airport lounge in the past year. The study was fielded from April through June 2026.
For more information, visit here.
