While on our way home from our adventures in Amsterdam, we wanted to relax before our 10-hour flight back to SLC. Using our Priority Pass lounge membership, we decided to visit the Amsterdam Aspire Lounge #41 at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
In This Post
Amsterdam Aspire Lounge Review
One of the best ways to improve the flying experience is to have access to airport lounges. Lounges offer a better, more comfortable alternative than sitting in the terminal while waiting for your flight.
Lounges usually offer a bunch of freebies as part of your lounge experience. Some of the usual complimentary items include wifi, soda, alcoholic beverages, and snacks. While some of the better lounges offer full meals, showers, and massages.
Related Posts:
- How to have a better airport experience: LoungeBuddy review
- 8 best things to do in Amsterdam
- 6 reasons why I applied for the Hilton Ascend Card
Where is the Amsterdam Aspire #41 Lounge?
To preface the article, I was able to get my Priority Pass Select as one of the benefits of the American Express Hilton Ascend Card (review).
Finding the Amsterdam Aspire lounge was actually quite difficult. If you have ever walked through the Amsterdam Airport, there are big yellow signs EVERYWHERE! The airport is extremely busy, so having an airport lounge to escape to can be a nice escape.
To find the Amsterdam Aspire #41 lounge in Terminal 3, find the panorama deck. The Amsterdam Airport has signs indicating “airport lounges” everywhere! So they have numbered each one. A Priority Pass membership gets you access into the Amsterdam Aspire lounge #26 in Terminal 1, and #41 in Terminal 3.
If you’d like to purchase a membership, get 20% with our Priority Pass referral link! Or, if you just need a one-time day pass, our LoungeBuddy referral link gets you into the Amsterdam Aspire #41 lounge for only $29.
To access the lounge itself, you will see this sign below.
You will ride up the elevator to the second floor. You will see this…
Amsterdam Aspire Lounge Experience
Once you enter the lounge, the friendly agents will check you in. One advantage of this lounge is they accept the digital Priority Pass card!
Entering the lounge, it is fairly narrow but very long!
To the left just ahead, you have a small desk area with a computer and charging stations for any last minute work you may need to do. However, all the plugs are for European chargers! Be sure to bring your converter, such as this one that is only $20 from Amazon!
Amsterdam Aspire Lounge Food & Drinks
Ahead are the food and drinks. The selection of food was minimal and the options weren’t all that great.
However, I did love the way that the drinks were set up. To keep it very much Amsterdam appropriate, there was unlimited Heineken on tap!
There was also 2 large coffee/espresso machines, which gave me a great cup of coffee!
Lastly, the view was great!
The gripes of the Amsterdam Aspire #41 Lounge
One of the largest complaints among lounge visitors is that more and more people now have access, making it hard to find seats. When I visited the Amsterdam Aspire #41 lounge, nearly all seats were taken.
However, I was especially ticked off when I saw this…
I understand that Singapore Airlines has specifically reserved this, but it is quite annoying for everyone else struggling to find somewhere to sit. With the lack of seating, my fiance and I ended up here…
Lounges have become completely flooded through various programs unfortunately and take away the novelty of them.
The Bald Thoughts
The Amsterdam Aspire #41 lounge was a nice way to escape the busyness of the airport, but our experience wasn’t the best due to overcrowding. If you visit the Amsterdam Aspire lounge, I recommend peeking inside first to see if it is extremely busy like my visit was on a Sunday morning. You may want to plan for a less busy time of day, such as a Tuesday afternoon.
I’d love to hear from you guys – What has been your experience with Priority Pass lounges?
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In September 2017, I got turned away due to overcrowding. I was going to access with a Priority Pass. If you had a business class invitation, you were allowed in. Priority Pass holders were told to about face.
That is unfortunate. Did you happen to try the other PP lounge at AMS?
I go through the AMS airport about 20 times a year — I’ve been turned away probably 6-7 times from the Priority Pass Lounges due to overcrowding at both Aspire No. 41 and No. 26 (in terminal 1), even when all I want is a free snack to grab and just head on my way elsewhere, so you were pretty fortunate to even get access into the lounge.
Oh wow! This gives great context to how busy this lounge can get. Looks like hanging out at Starbucks and people watching is probably the best bet.
Thanks for reading 🙂
“Finding the Amsterdam Aspire lounge was actually quite difficult”
Can’t speak for Lounge #41 but I actually gave up on finding Lounge #26 a couple of months back after walking around in circles for about 30 mins.
You didn’t miss much at 41. While the food/beverage selection was fine, finding a seat was another thing. Went there at 7 am local time after an overnight flight, to get a bit of breakfast and refreshment for me and flying companion. Everyone had claimed a table, but it was only 1 person to a 2 person table. Finally found a few armchairs in the back corner (they virtually snake this lounge around many odd spaces) only to find 2 neighboring guys had reserved the chairs for charging their phones. As there were no other 2 person areas available, we made it quite evident that we would be sitting there and that we had ‘found’ these phones. The 2 guys grumbled in a foreign tongue, scowled at us and moved their phones. Yeah, didn’t feel well received there either.
I would have totally done the same thing! That, and in Europe, it is totally acceptable to sit down at a table meant for many if there are seats empty. I’ve been sitting at tables and people will sit down without even saying a word. The American in me feels obliged to gain permission before invading their personal space. They don’t have that same personality flaw. HAHA
Priority Pass is anything but nowadays, I can’t remember the last time I got to that lounge without there being a sign stating the many types of access types that were not currently being accepted. It seems airlines now block book these lounges for their business class passengers whether any of them us it or not. That cordoned area now extends to the front door.
I hear you. Because Priority Pass memberships are offered for free with so many credit cards, it is making it harder and harder to use the benefits. Something to consider when you’re thinking about whether or not to renew your credit card when the annual fee comes due.