Four US British Airways lounges are now part of the Priority Pass program

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In a move that’s more than a little surprising, four British Airways lounges in the United States have joined the Priority Pass program and can now be accessed by holders of a wide variety of US-issued credit cards.

Head for Points has reported (and I have verified) that as of right now, the British Airways lounges at Newark, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington Dulles are now open to anyone holding a valid Priority Pass membership.

Fortunately, someone somewhere has seen sense and restricted the times at which Priority Pass members will be able to access the lounges to (hopefully) ensure that British Airways/oneworld passengers don’t get caught up in any overcrowding.

The Newark lounge (Terminal B) is only open to Priority Pass members between 08:00 and 14:00 daily which means that Priority Pass members will only be allowed into the lounge in the lead-up to a single British Airways departure every day – BA180. All other British Airways flights from Newark currently depart after 18:00.

The San Francisco lounge (Int. Terminal A) is only open to Priority Pass members between 05:00 and 11:30 daily which means that Priority Pass members and British Airways flyers should never meet – the earliest of BA’s current SFO flights (BA284) departs after 16:30.

The Seattle lounge (South Satellite) is only open to Priority Pass members between 05:00 and 10:00 daily which means that Priority Pass members and British Airways flyers should never meet – the earliest of BA’s current Seattle flights (BA52) departs after 13:30.

The Washington Dulles lounge (Concourse B) is only open to Priority Pass members between 06:00 and 14:00 daily which means that Priority Pass members and British Airways flyers should never meet – the earliest of BA’s current Washington Dulles flights (BA216) departs after 18:00.

Quick thoughts

Thanks to the fact that access times for Priority Pass members have been limited, this seems like a good development for travelers and a good development for the lounges.

Anyone who holds a credit card that offers Priority Pass membership as one of its benefits and anyone who has a standalone Priority Pass membership now has an extra lounge to choose from at 4 US airports (at select times), and the lounges that have joined Priority Pass now have new income streams to (hopefully) help keep them in good condition for BA’s premium cabin passengers and elite flyers.

I can’t see a downside to this.

Credit cards that offer Priority Pass memberships

As things stand, these are the key US-issued credit cards that offer a Priority Pass membership as part of their standard benefits (enrollment required).

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
• The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*
• The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card*
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card

Note: The Citi Prestige® Card and the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card also offer Priority Pass memberships but neither is open to new applicants.

Keep in mind that while all the Priority Pass memberships that the cards listed above offer will get you into any Priority Pass lounge worldwide, the Priority Pass membership that comes with the Amex-issued cards will not give you access to any of the Priority Pass restaurants in the system.

*All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has been collected independently by Traveling For Miles. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are not currently available through Traveling For Miles.

Bottom line

As of today, the British Airways lounges at Newark, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington Dulles are all part of the Priority Pass program and now grant access to anyone with a valid Priority pass membership at select times of the day.