Credit card-branded airport lounges performed better than most others in J.D. Power's inaugural 2025 U.S. Airport Lounge Benchmark, released Wednesday.
With a score of 782 out of a possible 1,000 points, American Express Centurion Lounge ranked the highest in customer satisfaction among 1,430 U.S. travelers polled from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14 by J.D. Power who had visited a U.S. airport lounge in the past year.
It was followed by Capital One Lounge and Delta Sky Club in a tie for second with a score of 773. The average score was 758. The remaining airline lounges in the study—those from American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines—all fell below the average, with United Club in the last position.
The study measured customer satisfaction with airport lounges in the United States across eight factors, in order of importance: value of experience, staff, food and beverage, cleanliness and upkeep, amenities, ease of accessing the lounge, ambiance and Wi-Fi service.
Nearly half (47 percent) of respondents said they plan their route selections based on access to their preferred airport lounge, while 82 percent said their choice of airline was influenced by lounge access, according to J.D. Power.
In addition, 38 percent also noted that they visited an airport lounge due to the high cost of food and beverage in the airport terminal.
"Airport lounges have become so popular that many airports are now starting to mimic their designs and layouts in their public terminal areas," J.D. Power managing director of travel, hospitality and retail Michael Taylor said in a statement.
The study also found that more than one-third (34 percent) of lounge customers used their credit card perks to gain access, while 21 percent were granted access through elite frequent-flyer status and 18 percent had a standalone lounge membership.