- Mr Plane Guy
- May 22
- 6 min read
Priority Pass Reveals the World’s Best Airport Lounges for 2026
But Are They Actually Worth Visiting?
By Mr Plane Guy, Travel Blogger, Flight Expert & Plane GEEK
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Priority Pass has revealed its best airport lounges in the world for 2026, and as someone who spends far too much time judging lounge pastries, prosecco temperature and whether the ambience is giving airport chaos or pre flight luxury , I obviously had to take a look.
The Priority Pass Excellence Awards are based on more than 700,000 member ratings and reviews.
Vienna Lounge at Vienna Airport has been named the best Priority Pass lounge in Europe, while No1 Lounge at Jersey Airport was highly commended. I've managed to tick them both off on my airport lounge visits and loved them both!
As someone building a full airport lounge review hub across Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and beyond, this is exactly the kind of thing that matters if you’re trying to work out whether Priority Pass is actually worth paying for.
Priority Pass Lounge of the Year 2026 Winners
Here are the main regional winners from the 2026 Priority Pass Excellence Awards:
Global Winner
Escape Lounges, Portland, USA
Europe
Winner: Vienna Lounge, Austria
Highly Commended: No1 Lounge, Jersey, United Kingdom
Asia Pacific
Winner: Lounge Fukuoka, Japan
Highly Commended: Kyra Lounge, Hong Kong
Latin America and the Caribbean
Winner: Club Kingston, Jamaica
Highly Commended: Advantage VIP Lounge, Campinas, Brazil
Middle East and Africa
Winner: Bidvest Premier Lounge, Johannesburg, South Africa
North America
Winner: Escape Lounges, Portland, USA
Highly Commended: Escape Lounges, Kansas City
Why This Matters If You Use Priority Pass
Priority Pass can be brilliant.
It can also be… let’s say character building.
Some lounges feel genuinely premium. Others feel like someone put a coffee machine next to a beige sofa and called it an experience.
That’s why member reviews are useful. They tell you which lounges are actually delivering, not just which ones have the nicest marketing photos.
The best airport lounges usually get the basics right:
Good food
Comfortable seating
Natural light
Decent drinks
Friendly staff
Clean bathrooms
A sense that someone actually cares
It sounds simple, but if you’ve ever been in a packed lounge with no seats, warm white wine and one lonely bowl of crisps, you’ll know it is not always guaranteed.
Is Vienna Lounge Really One of the Best Priority Pass Lounges?
Vienna Lounge winning Europe does not surprise me.
It has built a reputation as one of the best independent airport lounges in the world, and the fact Priority Pass members have rated it so highly says a lot.
This is the sort of lounge that shows what Priority Pass can be when it works properly. Stylish design, proper food, space to relax and a genuine sense of calm before flying.
That is exactly what an airport lounge should be. Honestly, lounges like Vienna Lounge are the reason people fall in love with airport lounge access in the first place.
Not just “somewhere to sit because the terminal is chaos.” I still remember walking into Vienna Lounge and immediately thinking: THIS is what airport lounges should feel like. Quiet, calm, proper food and enough space that you don’t feel like you’re fighting for the last plug socket.
No1 Lounge Jersey Being Highly Commended Is Interesting
The UK also gets a mention, with No1 Lounge at Jersey Airport highly commended in Europe. That is interesting because No1 Lounges can be a bit of a mixed bag depending on the airport. Some are genuinely decent. Some feel overcrowded at peak times. And some depend heavily on when you visit, what food is out, and whether everyone else with a lounge pass had the same idea.
Here is my own Jersey lounge review, UK regional lounges are definitely becoming a bigger part of the airport lounge conversation. Also take a look at the Best Airport Lounges in the UK (2026 Edition)
What This Means for UK Priority Pass Users
For UK travellers, the big question is not just “which lounge won an award?”
It’s:
Is Priority Pass actually worth it for the lounges I use?
That depends on where you fly from most often.
If you regularly travel from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Stansted, Luton, Liverpool, Edinburgh or Glasgow, then lounge access can absolutely make sense.
But the value depends on:
How often you travel
Which terminals you use
Whether your airport has good Priority Pass options
Whether you travel at peak times
Whether you value food, drinks and calm before flying
For me, Priority Pass works best when it saves you from the worst parts of the airport experience.
The queues, the noise, the £17 sandwich and coffee situation. The “why is everyone standing directly in the walkway?” stress and chaos in airport departure lounges.
Some of the better offers genuinely don’t stick around long.
Best UK Airport Lounge Guides to Read Next
If you’re trying to work out whether airport lounge access is worth it, start with my UK lounge guides:
Is Priority Pass Worth It in 2026?
Plane Honest answer? It can be. But only if you use it properly.
Priority Pass is best for people who:
Fly several times per year
Use airports with decent lounge options,
Travel during busy periods,
Would otherwise spend money on airport food and drinks
Want a calmer airport experience
It is less useful if:
You only fly once a year
Your main airport has weak lounge options
You always travel at very busy times
You expect every lounge to feel like First Class
The trick is knowing which lounges are worth your time before you get there.
That’s why I’m building more lounge reviews across the UK and Europe, including Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Dublin, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow.
Final Boarding Call
The Priority Pass Excellence Awards are useful because they show where lounge standards are actually impressing real travellers.
Vienna Lounge winning Europe and No1 Lounge Jersey being highly commended are both worth noting, especially if you care about getting proper value from airport lounge access.
But awards are only part of the picture.
The real question is whether the lounges at your airport are worth using.
That’s where honest reviews matter.
So yes, Priority Pass can still be a brilliant way to make travel feel more premium for less, but only if you know where to use it, when to book, and which lounges are worth arriving early for.
Same airport chaos. Better snacks.
Mr Plane Guy
Let’s make travel better.
Hello I’m Paul a travel and flight expert, I spent most of my career working in and around planes with 15 years providing top-notch service with a London-based airline.
I became an expert in travel after soaring across the Atlantic up to 10 times a month!
I’m now, producing travel content, reaching millions of viewers monthly. Reporting on travel news, sharing travel tips, reviews, and deals with a sprinkle of humour and a whole lot of authenticity!
I hope you enjoyed this Priority Pass Reveals the World’s Best Airport Lounges for 2026,
Do let me know in the comments........
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