Category Archives for Lounges.
I frequently write about the things that airline lounges need to do for customers. They need to be more spacious and less crowded. They need to offer better food. They need to stay open until an airline’s last flight.
But what about the things that customers need to do for airline lounges? And… for each other?
Since Friday, February 3 Delta Air Lines employees are no longer permitted to use Sky Clubs when traveling as nonrevs – even if they purchased a club membership or have the American Express co-brand Reserve card that comes with access.
Now there’s a petition with over 7,000 signatures asking Delta to restore access. It’s an open letter to airline CEO Ed Bastian, ‘let my co-workers in!’
There were reports this week that Virgin Clubhouses were cutting Plaza Premium lounge access, it was natural to expect this would affect both American Express and Capital One customers. However Capital One confirms their cardmembers will still have access.
While Chase’s use of the space is confirmed the Austin airport offering will not be a permanent space or part of the lounge network.
Chase expects their travel platform will generate $10 billion in sales initially 2023, and $15 billion within a couple of years, becoming the third largest travel agency behind Expedia and Booking.com. Already Chase generates 25% of total leisure travel spend on its cards.
As Chase puts together the details, we learned Last summer that there were plans for a total of 9 Chase Sapphire lounges, but only 6 locations had been detailed.
With the closure of New York JFK terminal 2 last week, Delta has consolidated its operations in terminal 4. Since that terminal was already crowded – it features the longest lines to get into any Sky Club – that didn’t seem like a positive for customers.
Fortunately relief is on the way for those accessing the Delta club at New York JFK, and not just because the airline is banning employees from using their lounges and charging more for memberships, banning non-elite customers from buying them, taking away access from elites flying coach on international trips and from club members who are flying on basic economy tickets.
Starting February 3, Delta Air Lines is banning employees on nonrev travel and who are traveling on company business from accessing their lounges. Delta acknowledges the “lines out the door” of their clubs and that this includes “360 and Diamond Medallion Members – waiting for seats once inside” and says they’re eliminating access for employees who pay for membership in order to “ensur[e] our most loyal and valued customers have adequate access.”
The Greenwich Lounge has taken the old Flagship Lounge space, American’s business class lounge, and rebranded it. In fact very little has been done to that lounge. They’ve merely repurposed it, existing furniture and all. Buffet is the same as in the Soho lounge.
American Airlines has (4) levels of lounge at New York JFK, and it gets confusing for passengers. Part of it is that the lounge names don’t describe who has access, part of it is that the lounges are brand new, with three of them shared with British Airways now that BA has moved into the terminal.
The Chelsea Lounge JFK is the most premium spot at the New York airport for American Airlines and British Airways passengers. It is the true first class lounge, open to those flying in first (and not business) class on international flights as well as flying in first class on Flagship domestic routes such as to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
