Recently, I took a flight from Budapest to Helsinki. Before the flight, I had a chance to visit three Priority Pass lounges at the airport. While I have written separate reviews of each lounge previously, in this article, I will compare all the options to see which one is the best Priority Pass lounge at Budapest airport.
Priority Pass Lounges at Budapest Airport
There are four Priority Pass lounges at Budapest airport – two in the central part of the terminal, one in the Schengen gate area, and one in the non-Schengen gate area. Below is a brief overview of each of the four.
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Sky Court Lounge
Sky Court Lounge, located in the central “Sky Court” part of the terminal after which it is named, is open daily from 5AM until 9PM. While the lounge offers some comfortable seating, at the time of my visit on a Friday morning, it was crowded and I had a hard time finding a seat.
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The lounge offered no warm meals. However, the selection of cold snacks was the best of the three Budapest Priority Pass lounges I visited and included cold ham and cheese cuts, cakes, and some pastries among other thing. The selection of drinks was decent as well.
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Menzies Lounge
Menzies Lounge is located right next to the Sky Court Lounge and is open daily from 7AM until 9PM. While the lounge is quite a bit smaller than the first one, at the time of my visit I was one of the three persons in it. As such, it provided a nicer space to relax.
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However, the meal selection in the lounge is almost non-existent. The only “perk” worth mentioning are the bags of Lays potato chips. Drink selection is comparable to the Sky Court Lounge.
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Platinum Lounge Schengen
Platinum Lounge Schengen is located near gate 12 and is open daily from 5AM until 8PM. The lounge offers plenty of comfortable sofas among other seating, and at the time of my visit was about half full.
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The lounge offers some salads and other light meals. There is also a self-service bar. While the selection is better than that of the Menzies Lounge, the Sky Court Lounge offers better eating options.
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Platinum Lounge Non-Schengen
As I was flying within Schengen, I did not have the chance to visit this lounge which is located after the passport control of non-Schengen flights. Based on the Priority Pass website, the lounge is open from 5AM until 8PM. Presumably, the lounge comfort and meal options are similar to those of the Schengen version of the lounge.
What Is the Best Priority Pass Lounge at Budapest Airport?
If you are flying to a non-Schengen country, then you can visit any of the four lounges. If you have plenty of time before the flight, it might be worth getting a bite to eat at the Sky Court Lounge before proceeding through security. On the other hand, if you are tight on time or prefer to clear passport control first, you can relax in the non-Schengen Platinum Lounge.
For Schengen flights, I suggest getting a bite to eat in the Sky Court Lounge, and depending on how crowded it is, either staying there or moving to the Platinum Lounge which is closer to the departure gates and also offers slightly more comfortable seating.
As such, overall,I would say that Sky Court Lounge is the best Priority Pass lounge at Budapest airport. Both in terms of the refreshments offered, and comfort – assuming the lounge is not too crowded at the time of your visit.