One theme from readers around whether or not the $795 annual fee refresh of Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth it to them is that it hinges on how much they use and value Chase’s growing network of lounges.
Bar at Chase Sapphire Lounge, Philadelphia
So far they have 8 Sapphire lounges, and 3 more have been announced publicly.
| Airport | Size (sq ft) | Opened | Key notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York–LaGuardia (LGA) | 21,800 | Jan 2024 | Two-story design; Reserve Suites; Face Haus spa; arcade; broad a-la-carte & buffet program |
| Boston Logan (BOS) | 11,500 | May 2023 | Tap-room with local beer; massage chairs; showers; kids’ playroom |
| New York–JFK (JFK) | 7,600 | Jan 2024 | Shared Etihad space; full cocktail & dining menu; showers |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | 5,200 | Mar 2024 | Shared Etihad space; compact but full service offering |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 20,000 | Feb 2025 | Beer-garden zone, shuffleboard, retro arcade, rest pods, Face Haus facials |
| San Diego (SAN) | 10,000 | Dec 2024 | Wellness area with private pods & meditation; full F&B |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 3,500 | Nov 2024 | Small and overrun, limited amenities |
| Hong Kong (HKG) | 12,000 | Oct 2022 | Extensive buffet + small menu |
Chase Sapphire Lounge, Washington Dulles
Known lounge pipeline:
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): ~ 18,000 sq ft in terminal D
- Las Vegas (LAS): ~ 4,500 sq ft in terminal C
- Los Angeles (LAX): ~9,200 sq ft in the Tom Bradley International Terminal
Pondering this sent me down a rabbit hole, pouring through LA city documents about the upcoming Chase Sapphire Lounge at LAX in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (all of the terminals at LAX are connected inside security).
It’s not enough for Chase and Airport Dimensions to come to LAX and say ‘we’re one of the biggest banks and we’re working with a team that’s one of the most experienced in airport lounges, we’d like to sign a lease and invest hundreds of millions of dollars’. This is a box-checking 281 page labyrinth of perfunctory documentation.
They planned to spend $23 million on the buildout, and expected to refurbish at a cost of $4.6 million in year six.
Ongoing operating costs for the lounge are about $20 million a year. But this one number stood out to me in particular: “We have projected an $8.40 cost per guest for all food and beverage consumption, commensurate with the high quality of our food and beveerage menus provided.”
The document includes the lease agreement, as well as details on partnership structure between Chase and Collinson, which is the parent of Airport Dimensions (lounge management) which runs The Club lounges as well as Priority Pass. It goes into details and qualifications of their vendors, and includes letters of support from other airports they’ve worked with. The document also lays out their artist partnerships for the lounge. And there are layouts of the space and graphical renderings.
Here’s what the space should look like:
There are also scheduling matrixes showing the number of staff in different roles at any given time, and there are proposed menus.
They’ve committed to “delivering airside escort services” as an add-on premium feature for “those passengers looking for a more discrete and seamless journey within TBIT or to other terminals.”
This VIP service, which can be pre-booked or added based on availability, will generate significant buzz for the airport overall and demand forhte LAX Sapphire Lounge by The Club. Guests will be escorted from the lounge to the tarmac below where they will be led to waiting branded, premium electric vehicle.
Inside, they will find amenity kits and refreshments to carry the lounge experience all the way through to their gate. Guests may choose to board first or last. A VIP attendant will escort them through the jet bridge doorway, as appropriate per SIDA regulations, where an in-flight crew member will check their credentials.
If approved, the LAX Sapphire Lounge by The Club will cover all costs associated with creating a passenger egress to the ramp level, acquisition and maintenance of the vehicles, cost of operations (including any EV charger stations) and any additional card readers or other security requirements. This investment represents a value of $24 million to the airport over the term and will offer more travelers a truly memorable experience at LAX.
The proposal had the lounge opening February 27, 2025. Of course nothing ever finishes on schedule, and nothing at LAX ever finishes on schedule. They’re expecting 761 passengers per day in year 1, growing to 900 per day. Maybe the biggest takeaway is putting specificity to their food and beverage investment per person – and if they’re spending less than $9 per head on food, wine, and cocktails imagine how little American Airlines spends even now after their supposed enhancements.
Chase lounges in the United States are available to passengers with a same day boarding pass within 3 hours of scheduled departure as follows:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve, and Ritz-Carlton Visa cardholders (including authorized users) plus two complimentary guests, with additional guests charged $27 each.
- Priority Pass cardholders from other sources, allowed 1 free visit per calendar year to a Chase lounge and with no free guests. Each additional visit or guest is $75. (The Hong Kong lounge is different. Access is available for Priority Pass customers without the once visit per year restriction.)
- $100 at the door without Priority Pass.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this admittedly smaller space – much bigger than Phoenix (and than Las Vegas will be) but only half the size of Philadelphia. And I’m curious to see what the hefty price tag will be on tarmac transfers from the lounge.
Nice research Gary, you’ve been doing a lot recently. Rendering look nice but not a very inspiring food menu to say the least. Wonder what the $/customer for food is at other major lounges.
I don’t think that food and beverage amount is odd. First of all, not everybody is going to drink alcoholic beverages or eat. Second of all, look at the food they’re offering. It isn’t exactly a huge steak. Add in economies of scale and the number doesn’t seem so outlandish.
I’d be interested in you doing a comparison of the Ritz-Carlton card with the new CSR.
Thank you Gary, this is very insightful. Do you think it would be possible to get the same kind of “leak” on the DFW location?
@ Gary — Chase lounges will be overrun with pigs, just like AMEX and CapitalOne lounges. This card should not be renewed after obtaining the SUB and maximizing year 1 benefits because people who can afford these cards have better things to do than track benefits on a spreadsheet. Ben has given this phenomenon a great name — “Credit Card Fatigue”. That is why $95 cards like CSP and VentureX are vastly superior to these over-priced cards. All of the banks are making a big mistake with this stupid arms race.
What is the typical charge for private tarmac transfer ? and will Chase charge less ?
Yeah I’m out on the Chase ecosystem after the absurd reboot of the previously useful CSR. I checked out the Sapphire lounge in PHL last week and while nice, it doesn’t move the needle. Also most AA elites can already access AC/FL in a lot of these airports, PHL, DFW, LAX etc
I think Chase has badly modeled their core CSR customer and is going to be shocked at the upcoming cancellation rate
Is it me or does the lounge not have a whole lot of seating outside of the bar area? Or do they intentionally intend this to be a small intimate space?
Is this going to be in the Midfield concourse? Based on the entrance rendering and the extremely tall windows, I don’t know of any spaces in main TBIT that look like this could fit.
A great way for Chase to have fortified the Chase Sapphire Reserve during the revamp would have been to add some United Lounge access. SkyClub access is a huge selling point for Amex Platinum customers. It would have also helped drive incremental bookings to United. Surprised they didn’t add 10 or so visits.
This is half of the value and an important half.
Chase smartly realized that they needed lounges and have built some incredible ones. Was at the lounge at JFK T4 today – it is excellent. The made to order burger was delicious, and they served it with a glass of real champagne. Makes all of the difference.
Capital One went further and has basically turned their retail banking locations into lounge cafe’s. Not a capital one customer (yet?) and did not check out the opening today. But they are clearly on the right track in terms of attracting a customer base.
Had little interest in the Centurion lounge (it’s always just ok). Checked out the new-ish Delta Sky Club at the A gates. The outdoor terrace is nice (although it is 99% glassed in so kind of felt like a greenhouse on a hot NY day). The food sucks – I don’t get why people think it’s somehow elevated from Admirals Clubs. And it was packed with poorly thought out aisles for people to walk through. Like the Grown Alchemist soap though. The Delta regional flight itself – meh.
The best part of my travel day was interacting with Chase at its lounge. Yes I like getting UR points and redeeming them for business class flights. But that’s just a transaction. The good feeling and positive association about Chase now is a result of their lounges. They risk losing that good feeling by focusing on the transactional coupon book relationship and not the KISS (keep it simple stupid) strategy that made the card and the relationship with Chase so positive in the first place.
@Anthony – they DID add Air Canada lounge access recently, though