Lounges at secondary airports: Midway, Love Field, Burbank, Stansted, Gatwick, Orly and more

Secondary airports are usually the convenient choice. They are closer to town, the security lines are shorter and the walk to the gate is five minutes. The lounge is where the compromise shows. Some big-city second airports have one decent lounge, some have a cluster of mediocre ones, and a few have nothing. Here is how they compare, using our editorial scores.

Chicago Midway

For most of its life Midway had no lounge. The Club MDW opened in 2024 in the Central Market area just before Concourse B. It is 76 seats with a buffet, a bar and tarmac windows, open to Priority Pass and LoungeKey members subject to capacity, and it sells $60 passes bookable up to six hours before departure. We scored it 3.0 overall, dragged down by a 1 for crowding. It is better than the food court, but go in with low expectations and a backup plan.

Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby

Love Field has no lounge, and Hobby has only a USO. Both are Southwest fortresses, and Southwest's first lounges, due in late 2027, are going elsewhere. Love Field's planned terminal rebuild is expected to add lounges, but construction does not start until 2027. For now, both are gate-wait airports.

Burbank and Oakland

Burbank opens a new 14-gate terminal on October 13, 2026, with no lounge announced. Oakland has the Escape Lounge, which admits Priority Pass and Amex Platinum cardholders. We rate it 2.8, and it is a small, often full room, so it is worth checking the app for a wait before you walk over.

Baltimore BWI

Baltimore is the exception among American secondary airports because it has two lounges. The Club BWI, for Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass members, scores 3.8 and is the better pick. The Chesapeake Club, used by British Airways for its London flight and open to oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members, is a 3.0. Southwest's own lounge is due at BWI in late 2027.

London Stansted and Luton

Stansted has an odd pairing. The Emirates Lounge, for Emirates business and first passengers, scores 4.1 and is the best room in the terminal. The Essence by Escape Lounge, the Priority Pass option, scores 2.9. Luton has No1's two brands: the No1 Lounge at 3.4 and My Lounge at 2.9. Both take Priority Pass and sell entry online.

London Gatwick

Gatwick breaks the secondary-airport rule. The No1 Lounge in the South Terminal scores 4.9, one of the highest marks for any independent lounge in our directory, and British Airways' Club Lounge in the South Terminal also scores 4.9. The North Terminal has the No1 Lounge at 4.5, Clubrooms at 3.8, My Lounge at 3.9, a Plaza Premium Lounge at 3.4 and the Emirates Lounge at 3.9. If you have a choice of terminal, South is the one.

Paris Orly

Orly is Air France's domestic and leisure base, and its lounges are better than its reputation. The Air France Lounge in Orly 3, with four showers, scores 4.7. The Orly 2 lounge is a 3.9. Both take SkyTeam Elite Plus members on qualifying flights. The independent options are weaker: the Extime Lounge in Orly 4 scores 3.2 and the Priority Pass lounge in Orly 4 3.1.

Milan Linate and Bergamo

Linate's star is the ITA Airways Runway Lounge, a 4.5 that admits Star Alliance Gold members. The Priority Pass rooms, the Leonardo Exclusive and Piranesi Classic lounges, score 3.3 and 3.2. Bergamo, the Ryanair airport, has the HelloSky Lounge at 3.7, with a shower, and a landside Check-in Lounge at 2.1 that is best skipped.

Tokyo: the secondary airport is the good one

Tokyo flips the pattern. Haneda is closer to town and has the better lounges, including the JAL First Class Lounge in Terminal 3 at 4.8 and the ANA Lounge at gate 110 at 4.8. Priority Pass members get the TIAT Lounge at 4.0. Narita remains the long-haul workhorse, but if your fare allows either, Haneda wins on lounges and on the train ride.

São Paulo Congonhas and Rio Santos Dumont

Brazil's downtown airports are domestic and busy. At Congonhas the Advantage VIP Lounge, a Priority Pass lounge, scores 3.8, ahead of the Bradesco lounge at 3.4 and the VIP Ambaar Club at 3.2. Santos Dumont is weaker across the board: the Harmony Lounge at 2.4 is the best of four, and the two Advantage lounges score under 2.0. The view of Sugarloaf from the gates is better than anything inside.

Related reading

Each airport page, such as Gatwick or Orly, lists every lounge with its hours, and the Top 100 shows where the secondary airports rank against the hubs.