The Baby Boomer Travel Habit That 75% Of Millennials And Gen-Z Have Picked Up

In the ever-evolving narrative of the generational divide, baby boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — have long had their travel habits turned into fodder for younger generations, given their tendency to overprepare or overpack. One example: the boomer attitude of showing up hours early at the airport for their flights. This early-bird boomer habit didn't happen overnight. As far back as 2016, an AARP Travel study (per PR Newswire) already found boomers arriving at least a couple of hours before boarding. The study found that they would have already queued, checked in, and browsed the duty-free shops long before their younger travel cohorts set foot in the airport.

A decade later, this boomer habit finds itself with an unlikely following — from the millennials and Gen Zers who used to mock it. While a viral 2025 trend on TikTok dubbed "airport theory" gained traction for testing the limits of airport downtime by arriving mere minutes before boarding, American Express' 2026 Global Travel Trends report shows that young travelers have done a complete about-face. The study shows that 75% of surveyed millennials and Gen Zers are arriving hours before their flights — and they're doing so not for pre-flight preparedness, but for one specific reason: to spend time at the airport lounge before boarding their flight. 

So, how exactly did airport lounges change the airport game for millennials and Gen Zers? Lounges used to be the exclusive domain of business travelers and frequent fliers, but credit card perks have made it easier to score free access to airport lounges. While people once had to pay for lounge access, the lure of comfortable seats, warm buffet meals and drinks, and access to free Wi-Fi — all courtesy of credit card points — makes showing up hours early at the airport worth the effort for many millennial and Gen Z travelers.

The pull of the airport lounge for the younger generation tracks. Stereotypically, as parking service company Valet Connections points out, technology dominates the travel experience of millennials and Gen Zers. Printed boarding passes are out, replaced by mobile check-ins and app-based real-time flight updates. And forget the boomer route of going through a travel agent: Younger generations are booking vacations through social media instead. And the reward for freeing up all that extra time? The perk of an airport lounge.

American Express' report shows that 74% of millennials and Gen Zers regard travel as a "non-negotiable" expense. They're willing to forego certain job benefits for greater travel opportunities, making pre-flight lounge downtime a perk that's worth taking advantage of. Together with dining and retail experiences, lounges have become sought-out experiences for young travelers. Sure, younger generations still hate on certain boomer travel habits — but when it comes to airport lounges, generational harmony abounds.