Reimagining the Airport Lounge Booking Experience via a Smartphone App

Airport lounges are in a transition phase now, with changes to loyalty programs affecting access to them and new concepts by operators independent of airlines offering a new kind of competition. Travelers have been left wondering where their loyalty stands, while non-loyalty members want an avenue to one-time, affordable lounge access. LoungeBuddy, a San Francisco-based startup, launched a service last month that lets travelers search for all lounges available at their airport regardless of their loyalty status and book in 60 seconds or less. The company's consumer-facing app enables travelers to search for and book space in lounges, while a back end system focuses on preventing overcrowding. The need for a service taking the headaches out of booking a lounge has perhaps never been greater. The Club Airport Lounges now offer a pay-as-you-go model for travelers without lounge memberships, echoing what LoungeBuddy seeks to do, though many lounges still haven't warmed up to the