Lounge Review: The Lounge at Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY), Terminal 2

On a recent trip through Latin America, my partner and I found ourselves in the Central American nation of Panama. After spending a few weeks in Bocas del Toro, The Lost and Found Hostel and Panama City, it was time to continue to our next country: Colombia. Of course, if you want to fly out of Panama affordably, you’ll most likely end up flying from Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY), which was the case for our flight to El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota, Colombia.

Before our flight, we decided to visit one of the Terminal 2 airport lounges and get some free food and drinks. So, after a taxi ride from the city center and a short line at security, we found ourselves at The Lounge at Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY), Terminal 2.

All in all, this lounge wasn’t quite as glamorous as luxury lounges like the Chase Sapphire Lounges, Amex Centurion Lounges or Capital One Lounges. However, it was a solid middle-tier lounge with a nice view, decent food and drink selections and other helpful amenities.

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 Location and Hours

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 is located a short walk from the Terminal 2 security checkpoint. Once you pass through security, you need to take a left and walk toward the sign for VIP lounges. Then, you’ll ascend an escalator to the mezzanine level. When you come off the escalator, you’ll find The Lounge on your right.

If you’re having trouble finding the airport lounges in PTY Terminal 2, just remember that they’re on the mezzanine level and that you need to find an escalator to get to them. So, if you’re on the ground floor, you can just look up and search for something that looks like an airport lounge. It may be helpful to search for gate 204 as this is the closest gate to the escalator that leads to the lounges.

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 is open 24 hours per day, every day. So, no matter when you arrive at Panama Tocumen International Airport, you should be able to relax in this lounge.

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 Access and Entry Requirements

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 is part of Priority Pass, Diners Club International and Lounge Key networks, so a membership to any of these three programs will get you access to this lounge.

While memberships to all three of these programs are available with certain credit cards, the best credit cards typically feature Priority Pass memberships. So, chances are that you’ll be using a Priority Pass membership to access this lounge if you’re a savvy travel-hacker.

Of course, you’ll also need a same-day boarding pass from any airline if you want to enter The Lounge using any of these programs.

Personally, I have a Priority Pass membership as a perk of my Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card, which comes with unlimited complimentary access to all Priority Pass lounges worldwide. However, there are many other credit cards that offer Priority Pass lounge access as a perk. Here are a few credit cards that offer unlimited complimentary access to Priority Pass lounges:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee)
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee)
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 annual fee)

All of the cards listed above offer unlimited complimentary access to Priority Pass lounges worldwide for yourself and up to two guests (guest access may vary). However, as you can see, these cards have hefty annual fees.

It’s worth noting that there are other credit cards that offer two complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges annually. However, if you want unlimited complimentary access, the cheapest card that offers this perk is the Capital One Venture X.

I’d also like to mention that, outside of The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2, there was a Star Alliance logo. However, when I searched the Star Alliance lounge network online, this lounge did not appear. So, it’s possible that you could get access to this lounge when flying in certain cabins on Star Alliance airlines or if you have elite status with a Star Alliance airline. However, I’m not entirely sure because this lounge isn’t listed on the Star Alliance website.

Only passengers traveling on international flights will be permitted to enter The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 regardless of which airline you’re flying with or your membership in any of the aforementioned programs.

You may stay at The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 for a maximum of five hours.

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 Layout and Amenities

As previously mentioned, to get to The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2, you’ll have to go up the escalator to the mezzanine level. At the top of the escalator, take a right and you’ll find the reception desk for The Lounge under a large illuminated gate.

Once you enter the lounge, you’ll find that the entire lounge is essentially organized into a straight line. In front of you, there’s a large open area with lots of seating and power outlets where you can charge your devices. On the right side of the lounge, there’s a balcony from which you can see the ground floor of Terminal 2 as well as the tarmac outside, where you can watch planes pulling into their gates and taking off.

On the left side of the lounge, you’ll find all of the food, special rooms and amenities. When you first walk in, you’ll pass a media room with comfortable plush chairs and a television. This room isn’t particularly pleasant as it lacks natural light and wall art. However, it might be a good place to sit if the lounge is crowded.

As you continue walking, you’ll pass a small family area, which is essentially just a carpeted area where parents can play with infants and toddlers. After that, you’ll find the work rooms. These rooms feature individual office-like spaces with plenty of power outlets, adjustable chairs and pleasant light fixtures. These rooms are quieter than the rest of the lounge and a good place to get some work done or make a phone call. Eating is not permitted in the working spaces.

If you keep walking past the work spaces, you’ll find the buffet on your left. You’ll find an automatic coffee machine and a water dispenser on one of the buffet counters and whatever small bites are being offered at that time on the next counter. Below these two counters are refrigerators where you can grab soft drinks and bottles of water.

Across from the buffet counter and closer to the balcony, you’ll find the bar. Here, you can order a beer, wine or spirits and enjoy seating around the U-shaped bar. There’s a television screen above the bar (which was screening an important soccer match during my visit).

Continuing down the hall, you’ll find a screen on the left-hand wall that includes all upcoming flight information. Further down is a hallway that leads to a quiet room with more comfortable seating and dim lighting. This is the best place in the lounge if you need to take a nap during your layover.

Of course, high-speed Wi-Fi is offered all throughout the lounge and concierges are constantly moving about collecting trash and empty plates and helping guests with whatever they may need.

Food and Beverages at The Lounge PTY, Terminal 2

The food and beverage offerings at The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 are fairly basic. But, they’re certainly enough to help you feel full and refreshed before your next flight.

When it comes to getting food at The Lounge, there are small bites available on the buffet as well as QR codes on tables around the seating area through which you can order a la carte food. When we arrived at The Lounge, they were still serving breakfast. The buffet offerings included fresh fruit, four different types of bread (and a toaster), cheese, jam, hot oatmeal and two different types of cereal. The a la carte options included mini pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Since I like to spend as much time as possible in airport lounges, we stuck around in The Lounge until they were serving lunch. I was more impressed with the lunch offerings than I was with breakfast. At the buffet, there were plates of small wraps and finger sandwiches, pasta salad with tuna and a make-your-own salad bar, which included corn, tomatoes, black and green olives, croutons, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, chickpeas and three different types of dressings. There were also two different types of desserts available (which looked like chocolate mousse and tres leches, but I’m not 100% sure).

In terms of beverage options, the buffet features an automatic coffee machine where you can make espresso drinks like cappuccinos and lattes. There are also several flavors of tea available as well as a dispenser for cold water. Beneath the buffet, there are refrigerators full of soft drinks that you can take freely, including ginger ale, Fresca, cola, orange soda and apple- and watermelon-flavored sodas.

At the bar, they serve beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. The options for beer included Miller Lite and Luxus (a Belgian lager). Strangely, there were no Panamanian national beers available at The Lounge. Their wine options were fairly lackluster, as they only offered white or red-boxed wine. In terms of spirits, behind the bar, I saw bottles of Absolut vodka, Abuelo rum (a Panamanian favorite), Seco Herrerano (a Panamanian sugar cane-based liquor), Sierra tequila, Barcelo rum, amaretto and others.

The food and beverage options offered by The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 aren’t the most impressive. However, there are options for every diet and you should leave this lounge feeling refreshed and full for your flight.

Unique Features at The Lounge PTY, Terminal 2

The main unique feature of The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 is its outstanding view. The lounge sits on the mezzanine level overlooking the rest of Terminal 2 and faces the glass outer walls of the airport, where you can see planes taking off and pulling into their gates. From the lounge’s vantage point, you can also see the flow of foot traffic through the terminal, which is quite entertaining.

Whoever designed The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 was clearly aware of this fine view as the entire outward facing side of the lounge features a transparent glass balcony that accentuates the lounge’s natural position above the rest of the terminal.

During our stay at The Lounge, we made a point of sitting as close to this glass balcony as possible so that we could enjoy the view of the passengers and the planes to the fullest extent.

How Much Time Would You Spend at The Lounge PTY, Terminal 2?

There are some lounges out there that are worth arriving at early so you can spend as much time in them as possible. The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 is not one of those lounges. The food and beverage offerings at this lounge are fairly basic and the amenities are nothing to rave about.

Nonetheless, the atmosphere of The Lounge, the view and the friendly staff make this a nice place to pass an hour or two before you board your flight. So, in general, I’d recommend spending about an hour at this lounge. And, if it’s between getting another hour of sleep or getting up an hour early to spend more time at this lounge, I’d take the sleep.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a Copa Club lounge located just a few steps from The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 that’s also accessible with a Priority Pass membership. So, if you arrive at PTY two hours early and you have a Priority Pass, you may want to do some lounge-hopping and spend an hour in each lounge.

Final Thoughts on The Lounge at Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY), Terminal 2

The Lounge at PTY, Terminal 2 definitely isn’t the best lounge in the Priority Pass network. However, with its excellent view, kind staff and decent food and beverage offerings, it’s a good place to pass an hour or so before you fly out of Panama City.

And, ultimately, if it’s a choice between paying the exorbitant prices charged at airport restaurants and bars and getting free food and drinks at The Lounge, I’d choose the latter every time. Plus, this lounge is a great place to get some work done if you brought a laptop, which is what my partner and I did during our stay at this lounge.