What is Airport Lounge Access?

All of our policies provide you with airport lounge access if your flight is delayed by one hour or more. All you need to do is register your flight at least 24 hours before departure. 

You will have access to over 1,000 airport lounges across 120 countries. Airport lounge access enables you to relax in comfort while you wait, access free WIFI and enjoy a range of light refreshments.  

How does Airport Lounge Access work?

Simply register your flight at least 24 hours before travelling, then relax. If the airline announces a delay that meets or exceeds one hour, you will receive a LoungeKey™ voucher that provides access to a lounge at the airport where you are delayed. LoungeKey™ gives you access to a network of over 1000 airport lounges worldwide. 

Click here to see the list of airports where LoungeKey access is available.

To view the terms and conditions of the service click here.

Who is eligible to use Airport Lounge Access? 

Any Columbus Direct customer with an active travel insurance policy who has been provided with access via a registration link on their policy documentation. 

Does Airport Lounge Access cost me anything?

This is a free benefit courtesy of Columbus. We love to give our customers that little bit extra, so please enjoy the complimentary lounge access on us.

Can more than one person receive the complimentary lounge access?

Yes, you can register up to four additional passengers who are travelling with you, in addition to yourself – add their names when registering your flight. It is important to make sure the passenger names exactly match the names on your boarding passes. 

LoungeKey vouchers providing access to a lounge will be issued separately for each registered traveller and will be sent via email to the person who registered the flights online.

How is a delay calculated?

Delays are based on ‘gate’ delay reporting from airlines and airports to Flight Stats (our third party flight data tracker). Flight Stats will report all delays to the system and only trigger once a delay reaches or exceeds the one-hour delay time.

A delay can be made up of one single announcement or a cumulation of individual announcements adding up to the delay threshold. Almost all major commercial airline flights are tracked, but there are limitations against airlines/airports that do not report data regularly. Charter airlines are not supported.

How can I register for Airport Lounge Access?

Once you have purchased your Columbus travel insurance policy you will receive a welcome email from Columbus which will include all your insurance documentation. Within the welcome email you will receive a link to enable you to register your flights for airport lounge access. 

Which flights can I register?

You can register any flight from an airport where a LoungeKey™ lounge is available. If you try to register a flight from an airport where LoungeKey™ does not have a lounge, the system will inform you of this and you will not be able to register.

Each flight of a journey with multiple connections requires its own registration.

When can I register my flight?

You can register at any time once a flight has been scheduled (typically up to 364 days in advance) and no later than 24 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure. 

I'm trying to register but it keeps failing...

Registration will fail if any of these things happen:

• If you try to register a flight less than 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure
• If there are no lounges which are part of the LoungeKey™ network available at your airport
• If flight data is not available for the airline/flight

What personal information will be captured and stored during registration?

During registration the following information will be captured and stored in secure servers:

• Main passenger’s name and travel companions’ names
• Main passenger’s email address
• Main passenger’s mobile number
• Flight number
• Flight departure location, date and time
• Flight arrival location, date and time

You can view Columbus Direct's privacy policy here.

If I register myself and a travel companion, can they use a lounge without me?

Any passenger with a valid lounge voucher can access the lounge. All vouchers are sent to you, and you can forward them to your registered travel companions if they need to access the lounge without you. Please note that passenger names on the lounge vouchers must match the names on the boarding passes exactly. 

Why can't I register a flight?

Registration will fail if any of these things happen:

• If you try to register a flight less than 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure.
• If there are no lounges that are part of the LoungeKey™ network available at your airport.
• If flight data is not available for the airline/flight.

Why can't I find my flight?

Our system is built to track almost all major commercial airline flights, but there are limitations against charter airlines or airlines/airports that do not report their flight delay data regularly.

Is there an alternative way to register besides the website?

No, you can only register online using the link in your travel insurance welcome email. Please note that registration is not possible less than 24 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure.

Can I change my registration details after registration is complete?

No, you will have to cancel your existing registration and re-register with the new details. Please note that registration is not possible less than 24 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure.

Can I cancel a registration?

Yes – you can cancel a registration up to two hours before the flight’s scheduled departure time.

You can also change the details of a flight you have registered by cancelling and re-registering, but you will not be able to register a flight that is less than 24 hours to departure. To cancel or re-register online, please refer to the email confirming your registration details.

What is AirHelp?

AirHelp are a specialist company that work to help air passengers secure compensation for delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flights in line with the EU regulations. SmartDelay is partnering with AirHelp to provide our customers with an optional added value benefit to get help with claiming for compensation when they experience a flight delay.

How does it work?

Under EC 261 you are entitled to make a claim for cash compensation if your flight is delayed. AirHelp will contact you via email if you experience a delay and meet the requirements to be entitled to compensation. They will request the information required to make a claim, and then contact the Airline on your behalf.  

How do I register?

When you have completed your flight registration you will be asked if you wish to opt-in to the benefit and share your contact and flight details with AirHelp. If you consent and select yes then your details will be sent to AirHelp only if you experience a delay. If you select no then your details will not be shared with AirHelp.

How is the compensation calculated?

Your compensation is calculated based on a number of factors including length of delay, distance of flight, and flight destination. 

What information will be shared with AirHelp?

If you opt-in to the AirHelp benefit, the following details will be shared with AirHelp in the event you experience a flight delay:

• Email Address
• Primary Passenger Name
• Phone Number
• Language
• Flight Date
• Airline Code
• Flight Number
• Departure and Arrival Airport Code.

How do I find out more about AirHelp?

For further information about AirHelp, the process, or any technical enquiries, please click here.