When the world’s first airport lounge opened, credit cards weren’t invented yet and there was no admission fee. But you could only get in if you were personally invited by the CEO of the airlines who created the lounge to promote commercial aviation. It helped if you were listed in “Who’s Who” or were a person of high ranking, like a general, governor, judge or congressman.
To get inside the lounge, you rang a doorbell, then entered the low ceiling room where you could relax in a red armchair. A young woman, known as a skipper, would bring you refreshments.
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C.R. Smith, the CEO of American Airlines, opened the world’s first airport lounge in 1939 in LaGuardia Airport. He called it the Admirals Club and members were known as Admirals.
The lounges remained free for almost 30 years until 1967 when the annual membership fee was $25 and a lifetime membership was $250.
The original lounge in Concourse D was closed a few years ago and a new 22,000-square-foot lounge opened in Concourse A.
– The Travel 100 staff