It’s giving traveling royalty

Waiting at the airport and feel a burning desire to make an oat milk latte at a do-it-yourself coffee bar, then drink it in an Osaki massage chair while savoring high-end Korean BBQ and a smattering of different finger foods? Hit up an airport lounge.

But if you’re having trouble choosing which one to enter, that’s understandable. Because the airport lounge arms race is in full swing.

• Chase has opened two airport lounges, with more scheduled to debut this year.
• American Express, the lounge pioneer, has 15 such facilities for travelers and is expected to open two more this year.
• Capital One currently has one lounge open to the public, with at least two more slated to open this year.

📈 Driving the race… Young folks want travel-related perks – free lounge access is listed in the top three – and data shows these perks are a key reason why people get and keep premium credit cards.

• Despite its high fee, the Platinum Card has become American Express’ most popular product among millennials and Gen Z, partially due to its travel perks, the AP reports.
• Chase execs say 70% of demand for cards with fees is driven by millennials and Gen Z.

📸 Big picture: Credit card companies aren’t the only ones catering to travelers who want to hang out in a bathrobe and kick their feet up in between connecting flights. Delta, United, and American Airlines have also built extensive lounge networks and are investing in building more – all while increasingly restricting who can access them to combat complaints of overcrowding.