The Airport Lounge Business — An Insider’s View of How It All Works

Editor's note: This series, called Airline Insiders, introduces readers to behind-the-scenes decision-makers for airlines. Unlike our ongoing airline CEO series, Future of the Passenger Experience, we will not question the highest-ranking executives here. Instead, we will speak with insiders who guide decisions on airline operations, networks, marketing, and the passenger experience.  Today, in the fifth installment of the series, we speak to an executive for a company that develops and manages airport lounges.  You can read all the stories in the series here. Few things excite casual travelers as much as an airport lounge with free pretzels, cookies and — often — mediocre beer, wine and spirits. Lounges are rarely as luxurious as marketing materials suggest, and even the nicest ones suffer from two basic problems— passengers are rough on the furniture, and greedy at the buffet and the bar. Directly or indirectly, they've paid for access, and many do not treat the s