Saturday, September 13 2008
Lounging Around
No, that's not my beer--I never drink before breakfast
Before I started traveling for a living, I knew nothing of airport lounges. Oh sure, I knew that CEO's and sports stars had private places where they kept away from the hoi-polloi, but it wasn't something that intruded on my consciousness. I'm neither CEO nor a star (except in my own mind) but weirdly enough, airport lounges have come to feature prominently in my life.
When you travel enough, say thirty or forty plane trips a year for a decade, eventually airlines think you're worth paying attention to. No matter that I always fly the cheapest ticket, they seem to like me anyway. As such, Air Canada kindly sent me a 'Star Alliance Gold Status Member' card. It's the secret decoder ring that lets me use their Maple Leaf lounge facilities in various airports around the world.
Far from being fancy-pants and indulgent, I actually find that they're almost a necessity for someone who travels so very often: snacks, free internet, AC outlets, showers and above all, oases of calm in the middle of frantic travel, they help keep you from going buggy the tenth or twelfth time your flight is delayed or your luggage is sent for an unplanned excursion in Sri Lanka.
If you have the ability to use one, I can highly recomend it. Unless you can avoid flying thirty or forty times a year, which I recommend even more highly.
| Posted by Tim AT 4:28PM | 0 Comments |  |
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