{"version":"1.9","identifier":"646c8837-9759-4315-9022-fa8c52759337","language":"en-US","title":"Salvador's new R$8 million airport lounge is open, but Priority Pass isn't on the guest list","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"caption":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":19,"textColor":"#666666"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.loungefrog.com/news/salvador-airport-amani-lounge-opens-dragonpass-day-use","datePublished":"2026-10-18T19:06:59.04975Z","dateModified":"2026-10-18T19:08:45.137886Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"The Amaní Lounge opened October 13 at Salvador Bahia Airport. It is run by VINCI Airports and takes DragonPass or a Day Use pass.","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/646c8837-9759-4315-9022-fa8c52759337/21c76808b617bb5d5499e16bca0f1e90.jpg","keywords":["lounge"],"generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"Salvador's new R$8 million airport lounge is open, but Priority Pass isn't on the guest list","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"The Amaní Lounge opened October 13 at Salvador Bahia Airport. It is run by VINCI Airports and takes DragonPass or a Day Use pass.","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 18, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/646c8837-9759-4315-9022-fa8c52759337/21c76808b617bb5d5499e16bca0f1e90.jpg","caption":"The Amaní Lounge at Salvador Bahia Airport · Salvador Bahia Airport (photo: Will Recarey)","accessibilityCaption":"The Amaní Lounge at Salvador Bahia Airport","layout":"photo"},{"role":"caption","text":"The Amaní Lounge at Salvador Bahia Airport · Salvador Bahia Airport (photo: Will Recarey)","textStyle":"caption","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"[Salvador's airport](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/ssa) in Brazil has a new lounge, and it does not work like most lounges in the city. The Amaní Lounge opened on Tuesday, October 13. It is run directly by the airport operator, VINCI Airports, according to [the airport's announcement](https://www.salvador-airport.com.br/en/noticia/salvador-airport-inaugurates-new-vip-lounge).\n\nThe headline for card holders: the airport lists two ways in, a partnership with [DragonPass](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/dragonpass) and a Day Use pass. Priority Pass is not on that list.\n\n## The lounge in numbers\n\nHere is what Salvador Bahia Airport says about the space:","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"},{"role":"htmltable","html":"
DetailWhat the airport says
OpenedOctober 13, 2026
InvestmentR$8 million
Size430 square meters
CapacityMore than 140 people
Hours8 a.m. to midnight
LocationDepartures area, first floor, toward gates 18 to 26
AccessDragonPass or Day Use
","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"At 430 square meters, the lounge is about 4,600 square feet.\n\n## What it looks like\n\nThe design is by architect Thaís Abreu, who also designed the airport's new food court. The airport says the lounge is inspired by a living room. It uses architecture and decor that reflect the identity of Bahia, the state Salvador is the capital of.\n\nThe photos the airport shared show warm wood panels, curved arches, rattan pendant lights and a bar with high stools. The idea, the airport says, is to invite passengers to slow down before they board.\n\n\"The Amaní Lounge represents a new way of experiencing the airport,\" said Júlia Orrico, the airport's commercial director. She said running the lounge directly lets the airport \"bring our vision of hospitality to life.\"\n\n## Who can get in\n\nThe airport names only two access options. The first is DragonPass, a lounge network offered through some bank cards and memberships. The second is a Day Use pass, sold for people who do not have a lounge benefit.\n\nWhether DragonPass entry is free for you depends on your card and plan. Some cards include a set number of visits. Others charge per visit or for guests. Check the DragonPass app or your card's benefit page before you go.\n\nThe airport did not publish Day Use prices in its announcement. Ask at the front desk or check the airport's site before you plan on a paid visit.\n\n## The other lounges at Salvador\n\nLounge Frog already lists two lounges at Salvador, both called Ambaar Club. Our records show both take [Priority Pass](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/priority-pass) and [LoungeKey](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/loungekey):\n\n* The [Ambaar Club airside](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ssa-ambaar-club-airside) scores 4.0 out of 5 on Lounge Frog, with showers.\n* The [Ambaar Club landside](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ssa-ambaar-club-landside), before security, scores 2.2.\n\nThat makes the choice simple. Priority Pass members should look at Ambaar Club airside. DragonPass members now have a new option in Amaní.\n\n## Why it matters\n\nHere, the airport operator runs the lounge itself. The airport says Amaní is managed directly by VINCI Airports, which operates more than 70 airports in 14 countries.\n\nVINCI Airports has run Salvador since January 2, 2018. The airport says it has spent R$700 million on terminal work in that time. It says the work grew the terminal's capacity by 50%, to up to 15 million passengers a year.\n\n## Our take\n\nA new lounge in a growing airport is good news, and this one looks like a real step up in design. But the access list is narrow. If your card only comes with Priority Pass, Amaní is not for you yet, based on what the airport has announced.","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}