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

The lounge card in your wallet says you can get in. It says much less about the person standing next to you. Guest rules are where lounge access gets messy. The same card can mean two free companions at one door and a $50 charge at the next, and a business class ticket often admits you alone. We read the guest rules on two dozen well-known lounge pages to see how the networks' norms play out at the door. One warning up front. The rule printed on the individual lounge page is the one the front desk enforces, so check it before you promise anyone a free seat.

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 charge is waived once they have spent $75,000 on the card that year. Centurion members bring two guests free. A same-day ticket is required. The Heathrow Centurion Lounge is an example of the lounge-level rule diverging. UK-issued Platinum cardholders, supplementary cards included, bring two guests free. Cards from other markets follow their home rules.

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. Delta One passengers get no guests at the Sky Club.

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. Day passes are $65 when space allows. Every one of these needs a same-day ticket on the airline or its alliance.

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. Qantas Club Flexible gets no complimentary guest. The International Business Lounge adds a twist: Qantas Business passengers get one guest, but other oneworld business tickets include none. From 1 July 2026 most international Jetstar flights no longer qualify for Gold, Platinum or Qantas Club access.

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. Guests are admitted per the card's allowance, usually $35 each. 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. Marhaba B lets children under two in free and caps Priority Pass visits at three 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. Confirm current guest charges with your issuer before you travel. The methodology page covers how the ratings work.