also called third-party lounge · pay-per-use lounge
A lounge not run by your airline but available via partnership, Priority Pass, or walk-up payment.
A contract lounge is an airport lounge your airline does not run itself but that you can get into through a partnership, a membership like Priority Pass, or by paying at the door. It is a different animal from a flagship lounge the airline owns and operates. Your airline elite card may not open its doors, and the rules on bringing a guest can differ from what you are used to.
You arrive at a lounge expecting your airline status to walk you in, only to find it is a contract lounge that does not recognise your elite card. You either pay at the desk, use a separate membership, or turn around, and the guest you brought may not get in on the same terms as at your airline's own lounge.
Airline elite cards may not work there, and guest policies differ from flagship airline lounges.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
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