The 10 worst airport lounges in South America: 2026

I built this list from Lounge Frog's own ratings. I counted only lounges with at least eight rated metrics (148 in South America; the regional median is 3.2), only lounges that are open, and I left out nap suites, spas and restaurants. Every lounge on a ranked list here also needs a photo on the site, and that rule shaped this one more than I expected. The result is ten Brazilian lounges. I'll explain why below, because the true bottom of the continent's scores is in Colombia and Bolivia.

Scores this low sit very close together. Three lounges share 1.9 and three share 2.0, and inside each group the underlying metrics add up to exactly the same total, so the order within a tie is close to arbitrary. Where I had to break a tie, the lounge with more 1s went first.

Two hubs that should know better

1. Urban Cowork Airport Lounge, São Paulo Guarulhos, 1.4. The lowest score in the region, and it rates 1 on nine of fourteen metrics, including workspace, wifi and power, which is an odd result for a room sold as a coworking lounge. There is no bar, and the lounge's own policy says complimentary snacks only. It is landside in Terminal 2 by check-in E, open around the clock, so I can see a use for it before check-in opens. Once you're through security, go to the Plaza Premium Lounge (T2) at 4.6 (Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass), which serves the domestic gates 201 to 224, or the GOL Premium Lounge (International) in the same terminal at 4.2 (Priority Pass, LoungeKey). Guarulhos has some of the best lounges on the continent. This isn't one of them.

2. Flybondi Lounge by Global Lounge Network, Rio Galeão, 1.6. A newer room on the third floor of the South Pier for international departures, open 24 hours. It rates 1 for crowding, drinks, power, restrooms, views and workspace. The answer is on the same floor of the same pier: the GOL Premium Lounge (International) rates 4.0, has two showers and takes Priority Pass and LoungeKey from 5am to 11pm. If you hold DragonPass, the Plaza Premium Lounge (International) rates 4.4, though our record doesn't list Priority Pass there. Star Alliance Gold members should use the Star Alliance Lounge at 4.7.

1.8 and 1.9: the international side as an afterthought

Several Brazilian regional airports show the same pattern. The domestic lounge is fine or better, and the small room past passport control is much worse. These airports run only a few international flights, and their lounges look like it.

3. The Lounge Florianópolis (International), 1.8. It holds 40 people and rates 1 for coffee, drinks, power, quiet, restrooms, seating and wifi. The domestic The Lounge Florianópolis is a different lounge entirely, rated 3.8 with showers, but it serves domestic flights only. If you're flying international out of Florianópolis, this lounge is the only rated option, and it is still better than a gate seat.

4. Ambaar Club (International), Porto Alegre, 1.9. Near gates 101 and 102, open 24 hours, with 1s for drinks, power, restrooms, views and workspace. The Ambaar Club (Domestic) rates 3.2, but it is for domestic and transit flights only, so international passengers have no better option here.

5. Advantage VIP Lounge (International), Curitiba, 1.9. 1s for cleanliness, food, wifi and workspace. Curitiba is the exception to the pattern, because the Advantage VIP Lounge (Domestic), rated 2.8, says it admits international passengers with a valid boarding pass. It is before the X-ray machines, so go early and allow time to clear security afterwards. DragonPass holders also have the W Premium Lounge Curitiba at 3.8, though our record doesn't say whether international passengers can reach it.

6. Advantage VIP Lounge (Airside), Rio Santos Dumont, 1.9. This one is domestic, not international, but it shares the 1.9 score. It is on the left after the X-ray area, open 4:30am to 10pm, and rated 1 for drinks, restrooms, views and workspace. Santos Dumont is a cramped domestic airport and nothing there scores well. The Harmony Lounge is the best of a weak set at 2.4 (Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass). That is a small step up, not a rescue.

2.0 and 2.1: Fortaleza, Brasília and a bank lounge

7. Ambaar Club (International), Fortaleza, 2.0. The same international story as Porto Alegre, from the same operator. It is past passport control near gate 3, with hours that follow the flight schedule, and it rates 1 for coffee, quiet, restrooms, service and wifi. The Ambaar Club (Domestic) at 2.8 and the DragonPass-only W Premium Lounge Fortaleza (Domestic) at 4.0 are both on the domestic side, so on an international departure this lounge is all you get.

8. VIP Express Club Pier Norte, Brasília, 2.0. On the mezzanine of the north pier towards gate 10, domestic only, rated 1 for coffee, power, seating, service and wifi. This is the easiest one on the list to skip. The Aeroportos VIP Club (Domestic) is on the second floor of the main departure area, with the same three networks, open 24 hours, four showers and a 4.4 rating. If you have time to walk back from the pier, do it. The Pier Sul version rates 2.5.

9. W Premium Arrival Lounge, Fortaleza, 2.0. An arrivals lounge on DragonPass, rated 1 for coffee, crowding, quiet and views. There is no other rated arrival lounge in Fortaleza to send you to, so judge it against the taxi queue, not against a departure lounge. If you're flying out on DragonPass, use the W Premium Lounge Fortaleza (Domestic) at 4.0.

10. Bradesco Cartões Lounge, Rio Santos Dumont, 2.1. This one is only for Bradesco premium cardholders, and it gets a 5 for exclusivity. Everything else is weak: 1s for cleanliness, crowding, quiet and workspace. If your Bradesco card also comes with Priority Pass or LoungeKey, the Harmony Lounge at 2.4 is marginally better.

Lower, but not on the list

All ten lounges above are in Brazil only because they are the low scorers with photos. The lounges below score lower or the same, but they have no photos on the site yet, so they can't go on a ranked list. Treat them as part of the picture:

• Medellín: Harmony Lounge Nacional 1.6 and Harmony Lounge Internacional 1.7. The Lounge Medellín Nacional and International rate 3.4 on the same Priority Pass card and are in the same terminals.
• Cartagena: Avianca Lounge Cartagena 1.7 and Heroica VIP Lounge (International) 1.8.
• Rio Santos Dumont: Advantage VIP Lounge (Landside) 1.8.
• Barranquilla, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cali, all at 1.9: Cumbia Lounge, The Lounge VIP (Domestic), The Lounge VIP (International) and Consorcio Occidente Lounge. At each of these airports, the other rated lounges score only 2.1 or 2.2, so a small airport is part of the story.

I also left out Caracas. Its two Priority Pass lounges rate 1.6 and 1.9. The twin earthquakes of June 24 closed Maiquetía, and when it reopened in early September, flights ran through a temporary modular terminal while the permanent one is rebuilt. Our records list both lounges as unavailable while the terminal is closed.

For the other end of the scale, see the best airport lounges in South America and the best in Brazil. The Brazil-only version of this list is at /news/worst-airport-lounges-brazil-2026. Our scores follow our methodology.