Tag Archives for admirals club.
With an increase in Admirals Club membership fees and premium credit card annual fee American Airlines is investing more in the food in its lounges. The offerings still significantly lag what you’ll find in a Delta Air Lines Sky Club, but they’re better than they used to be.
The airline’s food (whether in lounge or in air) isn’t a reason not to book American, and I suppose that’s what they’re going for.
American has opened its second Admirals Club that follows the elevated design template pioneered at Reagan National. The Newark airport Admirals Club by gates A7 and A8 is 7,050 square feet – not large, but hopefully capacity for 137 seats is large enough given the carrier’s wholly domestic footprint at the airport.
Earlier I wrote about upcoming changes to the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, the premium co-brand card that comes with American Airlines Admirals Club membership. There’s going to be a big new card bonus offer, and changes to American Airlines clubs as well.
A premium offering in Admirals Clubs or several years has been guacamole and chips, but that’s available not because American is willing to make that (very modest) investment but because the credit card that offers club membership is a Mastercard and Mastercard pays for the avocados.
If you want chicken nuggets inside an Admirals Club, they have those! But they’ll charge you for it. Indeed, they’ll overcharge you for it.
Back in the fall I wrote that Citi would be ending the benefit of no annual fee authorized users with Admirals Club access, and likely raising the annual fee on the card itself as well. The ability for a single $450 annual fee to generate 11 cards (primary plus up to 10 authorized user cards) each with the ability to enter Admirals Clubs and also bring up to two guests was simply too good a deal.
One thing that most people miss when visiting the Admirals Club on the E concourse at Washington National is the VIP Room. It’s tucked right behind the checkin desk on the right as you get off the elevator.
This space is unique among clubs, built because the airport sees a large number of Members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, heads of Executive Branch agencies, as well as visiting dignitaries from abroad. You and I aren’t be invited in (usually).
American Airlines is getting a huge new Admirals Club lounge in Charlotte. In fact, it will be the airline’s largest lounge, but it will take a couple of years to come to fruition.
American Airlines seems prepared to raise the price of access to its Admirals Club airport lounges, but this will make sense only if they improve the lounge product. I alluded to this in my explanation of how each of the major U.S. airlines is at a crossroads. Fortunately the lounge product is improving and this will make a higher fee worth it.
The Honolulu airport Admirals Club is a shared lounge with Japan Airlines. It’s actually controlled by JAL, but is branded both a Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge and an American Airlines Admirals Club.
Airline lounges in Honolulu (and Hawaii generally) are quite weak, so this is hardly one of the inferior lounges at the airport. It’s an air conditioned place to sit, but not worth coming to the airport early for.
The premium American Airlines credit card, the Citi Executive AAdvantage card, is a bit of a throwback. The card has been largely unchanged since it launched in summer 2011. So it doesn’t have many of the benefits of other airline premium cards. However, it is by far the cheapest way to gain club access with American Airlines, since the price of membership has risen while this card’s annual fee has not. The card is overdue for a refresh.
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 »
