Priority Pass phases out lounge access in Russia

The popular Priority Pass airport lounge access program no longer unlocks the door to airport clubs located in Russia.

Given the dwindling lack of international links between Russia and the rest of the world, this new development, on the sidelines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is unlikely to impact many travelers. But Priority Pass members who live and work in Russia should know that their black card effectively stopped functioning a few days ago, even for domestic travel.

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Priority Pass and LoungeKey no longer provide airport lounge access in Russia

Collinson, the British company behind the popular Priority Pass airport lounge access scheme, has deactivated access to all lounges at Russian airport. The change also impacts LoungeKey, a program similar to Priority Pass that offers airport lounge access through various credit cards.

This should come as no surprise considering that the sanctions impacting Russia have made it virtually impossible for Collinson to compensate Russian lounges operators for Priority Pass and LoungeKey usage.

The change impacts approximately 110 lounges, as well as a handful of other capsule hotels. Here is the complete list of lounges and airport experiences that have been deactivated:

At this time, Collinson is still selling access to Russian airport lounges through the Lounge Pass program, but we expect that the company will not be able to honor reservations and will refund them. LoungeReview.com partners with Lounge Pass, but we have stopped selling access to all airport lounges in Russia. [3/14 Update: The Lounge Pass program has now deactivated airport lounges in Russia.]

Priority Pass eliminates select lounges in Ukraine

Unsurprisingly, due to instability in the region and travel disruptions, a few airport lounges in Ukraine are also impacted. As the time of writing, the following lounges are off-limits to Priority Pass and LoungeKey members. They may also be closed on a temporary basis:

Bottom line

Collinson’s Priority Pass and LoungeKey programs have phased out lounge access at Russian airports. This development was unavoidable given the sanctions impacting Russia. Several lounges in Ukraine are also impacted.

While travel to Russia is probably not in the cards for most Priority Pass and LoungeKey members at this time, the change still impacts close to 10% of the Priority Pass network. It’s another significant hit for Collinson, who lost access to Plaza Premium Lounges a year ago, and still lacks lounge options at major US airports including Los Angeles and Denver.