Category Archives for Lounges.
United Airlines is taking a page from Delta with club lounge access restrictions, and together with Chase they’re taking a page from American Express with changes to their co-brand card portfolio. But I think they’re doing it a little bit more thoughtfully.
American is promoting new food and beverage choices in their clubs, new first class domestic breakfasts, and pre-order burger and fries up front.
Travelers are stealing everything from airport lounges that isn’t bolted down. That surprises me, because there’s nowhere with more cameras watching you than inside an airport. There’s nowhere with more law enforcement agencies (DEA, CBP, FBI, TSA, local police to name a few). And every passenger in the lounge has identified themselves when checking in.
Capital One’s Tapas Lounge at Washington National Airport (DCA) offers an upscale, restaurant-quality dining experience—easily valued at up to $600 for a group—with complimentary access for Venture X cardholders, making it one of the most generous and unique airport perks in the U.S.
Credit card premium lounges are a victim of their own success, attracting more customers (which detracts from the experience) and driving up costs (which lead to cutbacks in the experience). I’d love to see premium cards offer an annual skip the line pass. Charging feels gauche. At the same time I’d pay. It’s just that if I pay to skip the line at a The Club I’ll feel pretty cheated. What do you think?
We need to talk about the decline in American Express Centurion lounges. They were once great. They aren’t any longer – they aren’t as good as they used to be, and both Capital One and Chase offerings are better.
The Capital One Lounge Las Vegas opens tomorrow. It’s well-located for passengers on the biggest airlines. It feels spacious with floor-to-ceiling windows and high ceilings that offer views both into the terminal and out over airport operations and the mountains behind. And it offers excellent food and beverage.
The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at the Philadelphia airport opens on Thursday, February 20. The 20,000 square foot lounge in the Terminal D-E connector features a beer garden and game room with retro arcade machines and multi-screen wall with seating, as well as a la carte menu from Chef Matt Cahn of Middle Child Clubhouse including cheesesteak sliders and potato pancakes.
Most of the time, I wonder what the lines to get into Centurion lounges do to brand affinity – someone gets the card and they finally go to use their benefit and it isn’t a premium experience. Failing health inspections seems worse?
Delta will not be honoring lounge access for their own or partner elites traveling on domestic itineraries, so don’t go rushing out looking for an Air France, Vietnam Airlines, or SAS status match thinking it will help circumvent new limits on Sky Club access using a premium Delta credit card.
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 »
