Airport Lounges - Everything You Need To Know & How To Get Into Them For Free (2026)? 

If you want to indulge in a little more than normal comfort when traveling by plane, you have several options. They will offer you one of them airport lounges. In this article, we will look together at what the lounges are, how they work, how to get into them for free, and finally I will advise you where the airport lounges are located at the airport in Prague, Vienna or Bratislava...

Lounge at the airport in Prague
The lounges will help you get into the holiday mood before you even take off...

What you will find in the article: 

The journey is the destination, but sometimes you'd rather have it behind you

Anyone who flies more regularly will probably agree with me that the journey by plane is not always comfortable and relaxing. On the contrary: it is often tiring, there is a lot of stress, discomfort and waiting waiting for you. This is doubly true in the case of connecting flights, when you can spend even more than a day just on the journey itself.

Why are airport lounges the salvation of travelers and what services do they offer you?

If you want to make your stay at the airport - whether before departure or during a transfer - a little more pleasant, a visit to the airport lounge is a clear choice: you will not have to wait in the airport area or sit with others at the gate on often uncomfortable benches, but you can use the time a little more meaningfully, eat, take a shower, read the newspaper, do some work or just relax and prepare for the upcoming flight.

The airport lounge is simply a very pleasant waiting room, which also often offers you services that you didn't even think about before.


For me, the Vienna Lounge is the best for departures to Barcelona

Of course, the services provided can vary greatly from lounge to lounge, but I consider this to be the minimum basis:

  • Rest area – the basis of every good lounge are armchairs, sofas and plenty of side tables. You will mainly use this when you have enough time, e.g. while waiting for a transfer. You just lie down in a comfortable chair, put your feet up and you feel as if you are in a luxury hotel and not at an airport :-) Another advantage is that you are more sure that no one will rob you here when you take a nap, for example.
  • Food before departure - for me, the second biggest benefit of airport lounges - when I'm at the airport, I don't want to spend a lot and if you've ever eaten at a restaurant, buffet or bought something at a stand at the airport, you know that food (like everything else) isn't exactly the cheapest . Most lounges have self-service buffets where you can eat for free, eat as much as you want and in the end you don't feel guilty that you paid a lot of money for it. The standard in every good lounge is a hot and cold kitchen, so you can have something warm such as soup or another main meal or take something smaller in your hand such as a sandwich or a baguette. You can complete the whole thing with vegetables, fruit or some dessert. I most often fly from Vienna and I really enjoy going to their lounge, that they always try to have at least partially something local in the menu (Rindsuppe, sausage, goulash, strudel...)
  • Non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages – I'm not a person who needs to get drunk before the flight in order to better tolerate the journey, but if you want to have something to drink before the flight, a drink, beer, wine or something sharper, you can help yourself. It goes without saying that soft drinks such as water, coffee, tea, juices, etc. are usually of several kinds, so you can choose.
  • Work background – personally, I fly most often for work reasons, so I want to be as efficient as possible on the way, and if I have a free hour somewhere, I deal with some work. Airport lounges help with this by at least giving you tables to sit at and often dedicated work rooms (with or without computers). This is, for example, the case of the lounge in Vienna, where right next to the main lounge you have several long desks with office chairs and drawers, so if you don't want to sit around and do nothing, you have the background to work.
  • Internet connection – this is related to the previous point. There is some connection at many airports, but it is often limited in terms of speed or time you can spend on the Internet. If you want greater comfort and don't want to make compromises, internet connection in the lounge can be an interesting option for you. (I personally don't use it because I have unlimited data and also because of privacy concerns - but if you don't mind, at least install a VPN that will encrypt your communication).
  • Bathroom with the possibility to take a shower – personally I don't use it because most of my flights are short and I don't have time to sweat a lot :) But as I said – if you're flying somewhere overnight and maybe you have to sleep at the airport, a quick, refreshing shower like this can come in handy.

If you are interested in specific services in the selected salon, there is nothing easier than to find its website and learn more about them there.


All food is freshly cooked and prepared - part of the lounges is usually a kitchen

Where and how can you find lounges?

You can go to airport lounges today encountered at every major international airport. You can find them easily: they are usually located in the area after the security check and information boards will guide you to them. Just search for anything with the word "lounge" in the name, such as Vip Lounge, First Class Lounge, Business Lounge, etc.

Lounges are often located in less busy parts of the airport precisely so that they can give you the much-needed peace and relaxation.

How do airport lounges work?

Airport lounges work simply – just come to the lounge and show yourself at the reception with a valid ticket and something else that entitles you to enter. This can be either a card or membership in one of the customer programs (see below). Or simply pay for a one-time entry if you don't have anything like that.

The operator will then check the validity of the ticket, search for you by card, or he lets you pay the entrance fee, and you proceed normally to the lounge area. After that, you can enjoy all the benefits that the airport lounge offers... 

No one will ask you for anything else at the entrance - no registration, proof of documents or anything else is required. A plane ticket and one of the things listed below is really enough. 


The Viennese Skylounge offers a so-called "hot-desk office". And even if it doesn't look the most modern, it serves its purpose. 

Who can use the airport lounge?

Anyone – there are no restrictions: you can have any ticket, you can fly anywhere and with any airline, it doesn't matter. 

You just have to keep in mind that basically the entrance is paid, but there are a number of ways you can get into the lounge for free. I will just describe the most common ones.

How long can I stay in the lounge?

Most lounges state in the terms and conditions that you should not be in them for more than 2-3 hours. In practice, however, I have yet to see anyone monitoring it or perhaps even requiring someone to leave for being there too long... That is, if the lounge works non-stop and doesn't close at night. I didn't spend the night in the lounge so I don't know how it goes. 

Most of the time, as soon as you enter the lounge, there is no one else he doesn't care how long you'll be there.

Can the lounge be used on arrival?

Short answer: usually not. If you'd like to take a little snort after a tough flight in the airport lounge before continuing on your journey or heading home, you can't. 

The reason is simple: a ticket is required for entry and you no longer have one. Often, you can't even get to the lounge due to the arrangement of the spaces at the airport: the lounges are usually after the security check. 

There are a few exceptions where the lounge is accessible even after arrival, but there are really few of them. And no, Prague, Vienna or Bratislava are not among these airports. 

How to enter the airport lounge for free?

The basis for entry is a valid ticket. In addition to it, you also need at least one of the following: 

  • payment card: debit or credit card from a partner company (see list below)
  • ticket price in business or first class (other classes are not eligible for entry)
  • membership in the LoungeKey, Dragon Pass or Priority Pass programs (etc.)
  • membership in an airline or alliance loyalty program (One World, Star Alliance, Sky team)

As you can see, free entry for you a payment card or participation in the membership program will ensure.

Entry to the airport lounge by payment card

Since a lot of people don't know what card is needed to enter, I'll list them all for you here. To make it simpler, we will talk about cards that allow unlimited visits to lounges in Prague, Vienna a Bratislava. For free entry, all you need is a credit or debit card:

  • Mastercard Gold*
  • Mastercard World*
  • MasterCard Platinum
  • Mastercard World Elite
  • Mastercard Business
  • Mastercard Corporate
  • Diners Club
  • American Express

*Free entry for these two cards does not apply at all airports - somewhere they "just" give you a discounted price for entry.

How do I get one of the free lounge access cards?

The conditions for obtaining any of the above cards vary. However, these cards are offered by most domestic banks. To begin with, I recommend looking at the offer of your "home" bank - for example, you can get one of the cards for free, or for a small fee. 

ČSOB Premium and MasterCard World Elite card

So that you have at least a basic idea of ​​what conditions need to be met in order to get a free credit card, I will describe the card as an example Mastercard World Elite. This is the one I have for the Premium account from ČSOB. Together with the card, they will set it up for you for free if you meet the requirements at least one of these conditions:

  • Monthly income sent to an account at ČSOB at least CZK 50
  • Savings within the ČSOB group from CZK 1,5 million
  • Mortgage in the ČSOB group min. 3 million CZK

I think that, for example, the minimum income is not difficult to achieve, especially in a couple. I have a card thanks to a mortgage, more my experience in detail below. 

What about an escort if I get in for free? 

Free entry with card or membership is valid only for cardholders. If there are more of you traveling and the other people do not have their own card, tickets must be purchased in addition. Fortunately, you don't have to pay the normal price, but they usually offer you a discount.

And children? Children under the age of 3 have free entry to most lounges, older children must purchase discounted entry. This always depends on the particular lounge and you will find out about it on the website or at the entrance. 

To avoid paying for an escort, you can combine your entry for free with entries from membership programs. I recommend that you check with your bank or card issuer about the specific conditions, because it varies a lot... For example, with the above-mentioned Mastercard World Elite, I have 4 additional entries per year beyond the free entries in Prague, Bratislava or Vienna. 

My experience: How, thanks to ČSOB Premium, I got free access to airport lounges without wanting to

I currently have free access to airport lounges somewhat by accident. Just so you understand - I didn't consciously set it up because I thought it was expensive and wouldn't really do me any good. I take about 8-10 short flights a year, so I didn't worry much about comfort. When covid started and my family and I moved outside of Prague and got a mortgage, one of the conditions was to open an account with ČSOB.

At the time, the banker told me that I could have a free account instead of a current account ČSOB Premium, which (in addition to many other benefits such as travel insurance or flight cancellation insurance or accommodation) also includes a credit card Mastercard World Elite.

Quite by accident, I once discovered that I had a ČSOB Premium account unlimited inputs to airport lounges in Prague, Vienna and Bratislava for free:

In addition to unlimited free entries I have another 4 entries / year within the program within the account LoungeKey: this works at any airport other than the 3 mentioned above.

Of the lounges included in the card, I've tried Prague and Vienna so far, and the second named airport wins for me across the board: the lounges are bigger, there is a greater range of services and much better food and drink.

Vienna airport is also closer to me, so needless to say, I used the lounge there more times than the one in Prague.

Today, when I fly, I always leave at least an hour at the Vienna airport just to visit the lounge: it's great to spoil yourself a little with good food, something to drink before your flight and arrive at the gate on time, without stress or any major waiting. Vienna airport is small, so you can get from the lounge to the departure gate in 10-15 minutes at most.

The more you fly and use airport lounges, the more you will notice the differences between them. In some places, the premises and services are expensive, in others you get the feeling of a luxury hotel. If you have a limited number of entries like I do within LoungeKey, I recommend always looking at websites evaluating individual airport lounges, such as the web LoungeReview. From my experience, there are airports where it is simply not worth visiting the lounge there (and wasting one of the tickets).

He gets used to good things easily and is completely honest nowadays, I can hardly imagine a flight without spending my time waiting for the plane somewhere other than in the lounge. Since I have it for free on my card, I don't have to deal with it in any way and I don't even have to pay for it, I'd be stupid not to use it...

This café is part of the Vienna Lounge

Access to the airport lounge as part of membership in the LoungeKey, DragonPass, etc. programs.

Some cards themselves do not include unlimited free lounge access. But you will get participation in membership programs for example LoungeKey, DragonPass or PriorityPass. The specific conditions again differ from card to card, but it usually works in such a way that you get a limited number of entrances to airport lounges anywhere in the world with the card.

The two most common programs you'll come across at home are LoungeKey and DragonPass.

LoungeKey membership

LoungeKey is a membership program that gives you access to up to 1100 airport lounges worldwide. Some Czech banks automatically establish your membership when you issue a debit or credit card. This is an example of cards for accounts ČSOB Premium, First Premier or Raiffeisen Bank. (And maybe other banks also offer it - unfortunately I have no idea).

If you have a membership in the program and at the same time you are not at an airport where you would have free entry to the lounge directly with the card (i.e. Prague, Vienna, Bratislava), then when entering the reception desk it is a good idea, in addition to showing your card, to say that you want to use the free entry from LoungeKey. In most cases, however, this is not necessary and if the lounge is included in the program, the attendant will charge the entrance automatically to your membership, so you do not pay anything.

DragonPass membership

As part of the DragonPass program, you can visit up to 1300 lounges around the world. To use, you need the mobile application of the same name and a debit or credit card. In the Czech Republic, the DragonPass program includes, for example, Commercial Bank with Mastercard World Elite, Visa Platinum, Visa Corporate or Visa Infinite cards. Some contain only membership, others also include free entrances.

Entering the airport lounge as part of the DragonPass program works in such a way that after downloading the application and registering for the program, you must generate a unique QR code before entering the lounge, which you can then use to prove yourself at the reception. A single price of 26 euros also applies to accompanying a member.

Establishing a program membership if you do not have one

If you do not have free access to lounges or membership in any program with your payment card and at the same time you fly often, I recommend that you examine the offers of these programs in detail. Thanks to the benefits and advantages, the price of membership will be returned to you after just a few entries.

For all those who want to purchase membership directly, programs are mainly considered DragonPass a PriorityPass; you can't buy a LoungeKey membership as an end customer - at least as far as I know - on your own t-shirt. 

I don't have space to describe and compare them all here, I recommend clicking through all the links and choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Access to the airport lounge without a card or membership

In the lines above, I described to you how you can get into the lounge for free. If none of the options make sense to you, or if you would like to try the services of the airport lounge before purchasing, you can pay a one-time entrance fee.

The price for entering a standard lounge in the EU is several tens of euros, for example:

  • In Prague it costs 30 euros to enter the Mastercard Lounge or Erste Premier Lounge
  • In Vienna you pay 39 euros for the Sky Lounge and 49 euros for the Vienna Lounge
  • In Bratislava is the price of 30 euros for Mastercard Caproni Lounge

At some airports, you can find really luxurious airport lounges, where the entrance costs well over 500 euros, for example Dubai airport.

The price for entering the lounge is not the lowest. If you're going to pay for everything out of pocket (ie you don't have any of the cards or program memberships), definitely think twice, especially if you're traveling with family…

On the other hand, many airport lounges are able to offer you various special discounts, especially if you are flying with children – Vienna Airport has regular promotions for 2 adults and 2 children for a single entrance price of 89 euros.

Lounges that you will use most often (and not only) on flights to Barcelona

If you fly from the Czech Republic or Slovakia, they are de facto only three airports where lounges will interest you: Prague (PRG), Vienna (VIEs) and Bratislava (BTS). It is precisely from these three cities that people come to Barcelona they most often fly from us.

I will try to briefly describe the main lounges that you can use here. 

Airport lounges in Prague

At Václav Havel Airport in Prague, you will find two main lounges: one in Terminal 1 (if you are flying outside Schengen), the other in Terminal 2 (within Schengen). The quality is average in my opinion - they neither excite nor offend you. 

Mastercard Lounge - Terminal 1


Mastercard Lounge in Prague

Location: Terminal 1, 2nd floor, behind the shopping area
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: from 5:30 a.m. to 23:00 p.m. Sat - Sun: from 5:30 a.m. to 23:00 p.m.
Learn more

Erste Premier Lounge - Terminal 2


Erste Premier Lounge in Prague

Location: Terminal 2, 2nd floor, past security on the right
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: from 5:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. Sat - Sun: from 5:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m.
Learn more

Airport lounges in Vienna

The range of airport lounges in Vienna is larger than in Prague. You will find more salons here, they are bigger and offer, in my opinion, better services. I will briefly introduce the main two. 

Vienna Lounge

A huge lounge with a capacity of 450 seats for departures within and outside the Schengen area from gates C, D (shuttle service every 10 minutes to gates F, G). What can you find here?

  • breathtaking view of the runway
  • freshly prepared Austrian and international specialties
  • a selection of cold and hot drinks and spirits and a selection of wines from Austrian winemakers
  • "Viennese cafe" with Austrian pastries/desserts
  • workspace with electrical supply and USB connection
  • area for families, playground, changing table
  • relaxation zone with sunbeds

Vienna airport lounge
The newer Vienna Lounge

Location: Terminal 2, behind security, 2nd floor
Opening hours: daily 04:30 a.m. to 22:00 p.m
Learn more

Are you flying out of Vienna? Read, where to park a car near the airport in Vienna.

Sky lounge

Vienna's Sky Lounge with a capacity of 175 seats, which is ideal if you fly from gates F and G. Here you will find a cold and hot buffet, plenty of space to relax, work stations, a shower and many other things. Compared to the newer Vienna Lounge, some of the interior features feel a bit dated, but you can live with that... 


Older Sky Lounge

Location: Terminal 3, behind security, 2nd floor
Opening hours: daily 04:30 a.m. to 23:00 p.m
Learn more

Are you going to Vienna Airport by car? Read my 5 tips on where to park cheaply near the airport.

Airport lounges in Bratislava

There is only one lounge at the airport called the Mastercard Caproni Lounge, where you can have something good and watch the buzz in the departure hall or look at the replica of the Caproni Ca.33 plane, after which the lounge is named and in which MR Štefánik crashed.

Lounge at the airport in BratislavaAirport lounge in Bratislava

Location: 2nd floor of the departure terminal after the security check on the right
Opening hours: daily from 05:00 to 21:30
Learn more

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