I think one of my favorite credit card perks is airport lounge access. While I do not currently have any meaningful airline elite status, I am typically able to use an airline lounge when I travel thanks to having a Priority Pass Select membership.
(SEE ALSO: Guide To Priority Pass Airport Lounges (Is This The Best Credit Card Benefit?))
Pretty much all of my travels involve visiting at least one airport lounge. And while I wouldn’t say that I go out of my way to visit lounges (most U.S. lounges are not worth the trouble), I do find myself with a bias towards connecting in Dallas to visit the Capital One lounge instead of connecting in, say, Chicago, home of possibly the worst Priority Pass lounge in the country. All that is to say that I have probably been in 100s of different lounges over the years, but recently I saw something in one of the lounges that I had never seen before.
Escape PDX Lounge Dress Code
I had actually forgotten (or not known?) that there was a Priority Pass lounge in Portland International Airport (PDX). At the time I was there, it was a relatively new lounge (having opened in April 2025), and I actually had not even realized it existed until I checked the Priority Pass app on my way to the airport. I thought the only PDX Priority Pass locations were restaurants, and my Priority Pass card no longer is good for non-lounge experiences like restaurants, like it used to be back when I sampled every Priority Pass restaurant at PDX to find which one was best.
But when I looked at the Priority Pass lounge, I was startled / amused / confused by the listing on the Priority Pass website, which specifies a specific dress code
Smart casual dress at all times (shorts must be tailored and of a reasonable length. Fancy dress or matching bachelorette/bachelor attire are not allowed).
Is this really a problem?
On the surface, I guess I don’t have a problem with bachelor or bachelorette party attire (such as in the stock photo picture) being “banned” from the lounge, though I will say that I have never seen such attire in the lounge (perhaps the dress code is working!). Though I have to say in practice, these types of dress codes are easily misunderstood and misapplied, up to the individual opinions of specific employees, and not universally enforced. I am also not sure what “smart casual dress” really means, though I’m almost certain that I have violated a “smart casual” dress code.
(SEE ALSO: Should you dress up when flying first class?)
(SEE ALSO: Should There Be A Dress Code On Airplanes?)
The Bottom Line
The lounge listing on the Priority Pass lounge for the Escape Lounge PDX has a dress code listed that I had never heard about nor ever seen enforced, where “smart casual dress” is required and “bachelor or bachelorette attire” is not permitted. I had never seen anything like this and never seen any type of dress code enforced at any similar Priority Pass-style lounge.
What do you think of this dress code in the lounge listing? Any thoughts on dress codes in airport lounges? Leave your thoughts in the comments below
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at
FYI This is a really common thing in UK airport lounges, where “stag and hen attire/fancy dress” restrictions are called at many of the Aspire/Escape lounges