Airport business lounges are seeing more competition

In the USA in particular, most airlines have let their business lounges slip in quality, along with the services they provide in the air. No matter that recent years have delivered record profits to the country's airlines, it seems they prefer to complain about subsidies to foreign carriers than boost their own offerings. Well, when there is a hole in the free market, some companies usually step up to fill it, and that's exactly what's happening in the business lounge business. Airspace Lounge is a start-up that is building a network of independent U.S. airport lounges, American Express has been opening up its own Centurion branded lounges, Diners Club is increasing the number of its lounges and several hotel companies, including Four Seasons, W and the Viceroy have their own branded airport lounges. This added competition will mean an intensified airport lounge arms race, which can only be a good thing for those of us who seem to spend most of our lives in the air.