UK-based Collinson Group has seen recent success with corporate take-ups for its Priority Pass worldwide airport lounge membership programme, most of which are from clients in the oil and gas, education, telecommunications and pharmaceutical sectors.
In an interview with TTGmice, Tony T. Low, general manager and senior vice president, Asia Pacific lifestyle benefits, Collinson Group, said the majority of Priority Pass members receive their membership though issuing banks although “a sizeable number (hundreds of thousands)” are direct customers.
New Turkish Airlines Lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport
“A wide range of companies, from SMEs to MNCs, across a variety of industries have purchased Priority Pass Corporate Membership to support their travelling employees,” said Low.
He added that while “some companies still view airport lounge access as a luxury, many (others) recognise that it is a valuable and practical solution which provides benefits to both employees and employers”.
Low explained that companies could reap both financial and non-financial benefits through the provision of airport lounge access.
“Travel friction – the wear and tear of regular business travel on employees – has an impact on motivation, morale and employee engagement. Benefits such as airport lounge access can make staff feel more valued and engaged with the requirement to travel and spending time away from home,” he said.
“A lounge access programme (also) supports better travel policy governance and there are cost efficiencies at the airport where the cost of lounge access will be less than expenses claimed for food and drink subsistence and Wi-Fi while on the road.”
Low: lounge access for cost efficiencies
Low shared that research conducted by Collinson Group has found that six out of ten (59 per cent) frequent business flyers consider access to a premium airport lounge to be an ‘important’ or ‘very important’ factor when selecting an airport, with 40 per cent admitting to going straight to the lounge when they arrive at the airport.
“Within the workplace, employers have a Duty of Care to provide a safe, secure and positive environment for staff to work. It’s important that this same Duty of Care is extended to staff traveling on business,” Low said.
To educate companies on the benefits of a Priority Pass membership, Low said the company attends and exhibits at leading business travel events worldwide, and distributes benefit-led and thought leadership materials through blogs, industry media and regular updates to its LinkedIn followers.
Meanwhile, Priority Pass has added 12 airport lounges to its global network this month. They include Miracle First Class Lounge at the International Terminal, Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok; Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington at the Midfield Terminal – Concourse B, Washington DC Dulles International in the US; and Wellcome Lounge at the Domestic Terminal, PMIA Madinah in Saudi Arabia.
Low said: “Collinson Group has maintained a strong rate of growth and in the past 12 months has added over 130 airport lounges globally to the Priority Pass programme.”’
Today the programme offers access to over 1,000 lounges.
