Beware of Naples: if you stay too long in the lounge you have to pay (also) to go out

I have written several times about the rules of access and stay in the lounges in Italy and around the world.

Stay and access arrangements are increasingly a problem that causes crowding and queues at the entrances. Managers and airlines have found different ways to seek a solution to this long-standing problem.

There are those, like Delta, who, in order to empty their Skyclubs, have Removed the lounge benefit from the status: this means that if you fly from New York to Miami you will not access the lounge based on status, but only if you are traveling by biz (or have the right credit card). American Express took away U.S. cardholders' free guest benefit In the Centurion halls, Unless you spend a minimum of $75k per year with paper.

There are lounges that have included the ability to book online andd avoid the queues in front of the entrance, but I had not yet seen anywhere the lounge that charges those who overstay. 

What's new in the Naples airport lounge

For the past few weeks In the Pearl lounge at Naples International Airport, they invented turnstiles that control entry and exit. When you enter you scan your boarding pass and, like at supermarket checkouts, you will also have to scan the QR to exit. If you turn on the green light and open the doors you will exit, If you run a red light you have to pay.

What is new is that if you stay more than three hours you will have to pay 6€ for each hour you stay. In practice, the lounge managers preferred to let all passengers in, regardless of flight time, and charge for those who stay longer than 180minutes. In lounges, precisely to avoid extended stays, a 3-hour limit is imposed, but it is usually calculated on the departure time of the flight, not the time you stay in the lounge.

If the plane is delayed you pay for the lounge

No one enjoys spending time in the lounge instead of breathing the air of Naples, however the reasons why one may be forced into an extended stay can be many: a delayed or canceled flight, a long connection between the first and second flight, or simply the fact that you arrive earlier than expected at the airport and, instead of staying bivouacked on a bench by the gate, you decide to go to the lounge.

The law is the same for everyone. There is no distinction between those who enter through status: a business class ticket or a credit card. Everyone who stays beyond 3 hours must pay their due to the attendant to exit and board.

In conclusion

There are lounges that charge admission, even by the hour. A Malpensa there is one of the most expensive in Europe, but I had never seen a lounge that charges overstay. No wonder this is a Made in Italy invention: much better to let in for free and charge to get out, rather than not letting in until 3 hours after takeoff. Exceptions should be made, though: delayed flight or long connection, so at least it would not be too penalizing for those who instead have every right to use the service for free.

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