We know new rules limiting Delta Sky Club access will soon come into effect, but I predict now that we will see much more in the months ahead across airline, credit card, and other airport lounges.
Tightening Airport Lounges Access Rules: More To Come, I Suspect
I thought Dawn Gilbertson of the Wall Street Journal did a great job of summarizing looming changes that will make it much more difficult for flyers to access airport lounges in the months ahead. Changes announced in 2023 to Delta Sky Club access for American Express Platinum and Delta SkyMiles Platinum credit card holders soon take effect, limiting access unless you are willing to place significant spending ($75,000/year) on the card.
The stated goal: reduce lounge crowding.
Like most good things, when too many people have it, no one can enjoy it. If you’re just looking for a cup of coffee or a quick meal, airline and credit card lounges still offer a great refuge from busy and expensive airport concourses. But a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere? Not very often any longer.
Delta has responded to an acute overcrowding problem by dramatically slashing lounge access over the last two years, first for its SkyTeam elites traveling in economy class or credit card holders traveling on basic economy tickets and soon for its top co-branded credit card holders.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian explained:
“I feel much, much better in terms of the overall quality of the experience from our clubs…compared to where we were sitting a couple years ago, as people were clamoring, coming out of the pandemic, to try and get in the club any way they could.”
There is no doubt that lounge amenities have improved and more now have access thanks to a new generation of travelers signing up for fancy credit cards that include lounge access.
Delta’s solution to lounge overcrowding has been called “killing a fly with a sledgehammer” since it is only its key hub lounges that tend to get crowded, but the intention goes well beyond actual physical crowding and is more an attempt to bring back psychological exclusivity to these lounges and make people spend even more…either on the credit card or on tickets.
And I predict others will follow…because they can. Here’s what I am expecting:
- American Airlines will start limiting access to a set number of visits each year on its Citi co-branded credit cards and perhaps cut off its generous authorized user policy (which does not require the primary cardmember to accompany the authorized user)
- United Airlines will also limit its Chase co-branded credit card holders to a set number of visits, like 15-20 per year
- All airlines will raise annual membership fees by 30-40%, citing improved amenities and will throw a bone like more free premium alcohol
- Chase will limit access to its Sapphire Lounges to a set number of visits each year
- Capital One will limit its lounge visits in the same way
- Priority Pass Select members from all credit cards will be limited to 10-15 visits per year
I’m not hoping for these changes and certainly not advocating for them, but I do feel they are coming…and I am preparing myself already. Will that mean I change my spending habits or ditch any of my credit cards? Probably not…and that’s precisely why they will make these changes…
CONCLUSION
The heyday of airport lounge access is already coming to an end and I predict it will only accelerate this year. While I lament we are going down this path, I’m already preparing for it…and you should too. If it doesn’t happen or happens slower than I think, then all the better.
image: Chase
Wouldn’t be surprised if we see extra visits awarded after certain amount of card spend or if you booked your trip on the Chase/C1 travel portal
I have been a top status holder with Delta for 15 years now and I use their lounges very often. However, to be honest, only a few lounges make sense. Other than the ones at their hubs and some other large airports, Delta lounges are horrible. DEN and PHL are just two quick examples of airports with substandard Delta lounges. Just a few weeks ago at ATL, I decided to go to the Amex Centurion lounge instead of the Delta one and it was actually a much better experience. Thus, at the end of the day, it won’t be a huge deal if I do not go to those. Between my Amex Platinum and Delta Reserve cards I will have 25 visits per year (can use same day in different airports counting 1 visit) so I should be ok with that.
Just waiting for Amex to also cap Centurion Lounge visits per year… unless one spends $75,000 a year. Since Amex Plat and Amex DL Reserve cardholders have access to both SkyClubs and Centurion Lounges, the new caps on the DL side will likely drive additional traffic over to the Centurion Lounges at places where they are reasonably accessible to DL gates (i.e. JFK, LAX, ATL).
Amex should ban non card holders from their Centurion lounges. That should be enough to reduce crowds. Even my teenagers have their own Amex Platinum cards (paid as additional to my card). Not a card on your name, no access. The one at ATL a few weeks ago was a zoo. There was a huge line outside and once we got our seats we could not leave otherwise we would lose them. Crazy.
The PHL Centurion lounge can be an absolute zoo. I will give the staff credit, they do a great job and finding seats for guests 9getting people to move bags off chairs, moving a seat to make room for two travellers to sit together, etc.)
We meet the annual spend by March each year and with three card holders (one being a teen) the number of guests we could bring to the lounge would make a crowd.
I’ll second Alec’s comment, in that Chase and Cap One probably will limit free visits per year unless you either spend greater than $X (probably $50-75k) on the card in a year, or book your flight through their travel portal.
I’m not sold that AA will follow suit, though. The Admirals Clubs/Flagship Lounges just don’t suffer the same level of overcrowding as DL.
Why can’t airlines run lounges the same way they run airplanes?
If you are willing to pay or demonstrate you are worth a certain level to the airline, you get First Class Lounge, others get Premium Econ Lounge, and remaining customers get Economy Lounge. And anyone below Economy Lounge sits at the regular airport.
Real estate…
And how would them segment the lounge to deliver that strategy? I have seen Amex lounges that have a separate place for Centurion card members. I have seen airlines with First and Business class lounges separate. But not sure how you can separate normal passengers like you said. Biggest problem with most lounges is that they are crowded, serve cheap alcohol and bad coffee plus lots of processed food. Their bathrooms are sometimes better than the ones at the terminals but not much more than that. Thus, the value is really not there. Who would pay $50 to access a US airline lounge? Same goes to some EU lounges. I had a chance to visit the AF and KLM lounges in Paris and Amsterdam last year. There was nothing special about those places. I would never pay to get access to those.
First, it was the gutting of the frequent flyer program. Then it was the gutting of free and easy advanced seat assignments. Next will be the gutting of the airline lounge.
I am mentally prepared for simply making my own lounge, which is to bring or buy food and eat it at an unused gate. The main thing that is difficult to duplicate are showers but most lounges don’t have them. A few airports have free or low cost showers, such as Gatwick, Singapore, Taoyuan (Taipei)
AMS has free showers, but like the free showers at TPE and some other airports in A-P region, bring your own towel/soap or prepare to pay for a towel and soap. At TPE, the next door Priority Pass lounge sells an amenity basket to use for the shower and that has towels and more.
All of this is a sign of peak capitalism: Instead of demand creating an incentive to provide more of a good thing and cheaper, we get $6 eggs.
Hate to bring up politics, but it’s interesting how there’s a sort of mini-civil war in MAGA between those who are more protectionist and working/middle class centric and the Reagan and Libertarian supply siders. When Bernie Sanders is more on the side of the MAGA electorate than Trump and Musk are, that’s a sign of a cultural tectonic shift.
it would be wonderful if American airports had the following amenities of developed countries, including China:
1) Transit zones for international passengers.
2) Comfortable areas to sit and even sleep for normal passengers.
3) Leisure areas that make the experience memorable: Museums, aquariums, play areas for kids, effectively, public “lounges”
4) MORE lounge and affordable food/beverage facilities.
It’s an interesting sign of the times that someone whose on the cutting edge, such as Matt, is increasingly a “free agent” and the disparities in travel are being exacerbated. On the other hand, Spirit airlines which was the low income model is in bankruptcy along with Dollar General.
I’m not quite sure United will limit the number of visits for its members. I saw the survey UA sent out and it seems they will make changes ( limiting guest access, tiers, exclusive seating area for big spenders) but there wasn’t anything in it about limiting visits. Of course, I could be very wrong.