With upgrades to first class virtually a relic of the past for frequent flyers, airport lounges have become not just a place to wait for your flight, but a place of sustenance for those who once dined onboard.
Airport Lounges Soften The Blow Of No First Class Upgrades, No Meal Service
These days, if you want first class you have to buy first class. I’ve found that even when using confirmed instruments, it is increasingly difficult to clear upgrades. It is what is and the upside to that is that paid first class fares are much more reasonable than they traditionally have been. Yes, airlines have become very good at monetizing their premium cabins, and one can hardly blame them, even though the lack of upgrades has shown me that it is foolish to pursue top-tier elite status any longer.
I was flying from Burbank (BUR) to Chicago (ORD) via Denver (DEN). With United’s meal service cuts (now only flights longer than 900 miles, not 800 miles, offer meals in first class), both of those flights did not have a meal service. So even if I had been up front, all I would have been offered was a snack basket from Burbank to Denver and a tiny empanada from Denver to Chicago.
But since upgrades don’t clear, I was in the back of the bus and while I could have snacked on highly-processed junk food, I skipped that and maintained my fast until we reached Denver. Upon landing, I added myself to the waitlist for the Capital One Lounge and headed over to Concourse A.
By the time I reached it, there was no longer a wait and I was welcomed in. Lunch time!
And oh what a treat it was. For lunch, I enjoyed:
- Spicy Tofu Poke Bowl
- tofu, spicy mayo, quinoa, red onion, tomato, seaweed salad, cucumber, sesame-soy vinaigrette
- Spinach & Goat Cheese Salad
- spinach, shallots, beets, goat cheese, marcona almonds, quinoa, maple- mustard vinaigrette
- Toy Box Caprese Salad
- spinach power blend, pearl mozzarella, heirloom grape tomato, basil, balsamic vinaigrette
- Medetierain Salad
- with falafel, chickpeas, kales, tomatoes, and cabbage
- Cavatappi Mac & Cheese
- cavatappi pasta, smoked gouda cheese sauce, parmesan cheese, chives
- Chicken Tinga
- shredded chicken simmered in a smoky, spicy sauce of tomatoes, onions, and chipotle peppers in adobo over a bed of rice
- Tortilla Soup
The dishes were tapas-sized to discourage over-indulgence and every bite of every dish was delicious.
And as I sipped my tea after lunch, I realized that even if I had been upgraded and even if those flights still had meals, this was far better–far fresher, more wholesome, and healthier.
CONCLUSION
I could have flown via San Fransico or Denver and both have great lounges, but this delicious lunch was just a great reminder that these lounges still do provide value not just in a place ot wait before or between flights, but a place to sit and something healthier than the garbage served onboard. Kudos to Capital One.
Depends on the flight (and flight time). Like, if you have a late-night redeye (departure after 10PM), it’s better to eat at 8PM at the lounge, skip dinner on-board, and try to rest more on the plane.
For instance, on JFK-HND, 12:30AM flight, JAL waits 8 hours into the 14 hours flight before serving ‘lunch’… you can, of course, order ‘a la carte’ anytime (in Business, etc.) So, I ate dinner at Soho, T8, before, then slept for the first half.
It’s why Mint is a subpar product, actually. Great service onboard, but I don’t always want to eat onboard. JFK lounge is long overdue.
That flight was delayed for me by an hour, which wasn’t so bad – enjoyed some time in Greenwich until it closed at 1am and made use of the Piper H bar.
*clutching my heart* (But, but… I really like Mint..)
Naw, for real, they need those lounges at JFK and BOS (and LAX and FLL) like, yesterday.
It all looks so good! Also, I appreciate you still mention the 900 mile cutoff United implemented two years ago. While you’re right about the food being fresher and healthier at the club rather than in the air, I still miss those meal flights from LAX, SNA – DEN. They were so convenient and saved time (used to get the vegetarian dish because those tended to be healthier). I hope UA will offer a fresher more catered snack (ie salad with lean protein) instead of the snack basket. In the meantime, clubs it is!
Exhibit A as to why the Citi Strata Elite card is a failure. A premium card without branded lounges is just a coupon book. (No, 4 AA Admirals Club passes and priority pass does not count).
People including myself rightfully pilloried Chase for what they did this year, and it will still cost them, but their greatest retention tool is still the fact that they have lounges. Those lounges might sometimes have long lines, but folks still want to get in.
Mhm. Also, Citi’s travel portal blows, HARD. Amex and Chase have knocked it outta the park with theirs.
Actually, 4 Admirals Club entries can count.
My 4 Admirals Club entries from the Strata Card, in conjunction with the ones I get with the Globe Card are enough to have made me give up the Executive Card. Yes, I might have the bandwidth for more than 8 visits per year, but even with an active schedule based at DCA, there are only 8 or so visits which I think are truly worthwhile.
On balance, I will miss little. And I anticipate that other people will apply 4 or 8 annual visits to the highest and best uses, sacrificing those with marginal value,
Oh, you poor thing… giving up Citi Exec for Globe… I pity you.
Got it, so the Citi Strata Elite’s 4 passes are not sufficient on their own (and I presume that’s all for solo travel). I mean, glad you are making it work, and everyone’s needs differ and vary, but I’ll bet you are a lot less likely to pop into a lounge post-flight for a bite if you are then deciding about redeeming a pass. (And for purposes of that analysis, not even thinking about the difference in quality between a C1 lounge and an Admirals Club – and I say that as someone who has popped into Admirals Club’s for a quick bite after a flight plenty of times).
All of that is absolutely correct. And there is indeed no way I will squander a visit on a post-flight visit when I mostly just want to get home (I only once or twice mad a post flight pit stop even with the Exec Card). And I could even make do with only 4 annual visits – I would just make them count. But my putative ninth, tenth, eleventh, etc., visits would be among the lowest yield and least valuable visits.
Fair enough! I suppose that once activated the pass is good for 24 hours, so if you do go to an admirals club before your flight, you can also use it on arrival / on a connection / potentially the next day depending on your flights and timing. So that might make your 8 passes “feel” more like 9-10 passes.
I think where it falls short is if you use the Admirals Clubs as good “family” clubs. Because once P2 is in the mix (with or without kids), now you need 2 passes. Roundtrip means 4 passes. So with the Elite and the Globe that covers all of two trips. Maybe that’s enough! But… maybe not.
I must be living in an alternate reality. I’ve cleared the following upgrades since November 1:
PTY-MIA
YYZ-DCA
DCA-SAT (2x)
SXM-MIA
MIA-CLT
CLT-TPA (3X)
CLT-YYZ
AUS-LAX (2x)
LAX-HNL
As an EXP on CPUs?
Yes. EXP on Comp upgrades. I have just over 300K LPs since 3/1, which is fairly high, but nothing spectacular. Over the same time period, my partner who is an EXP herself, cleared LAX-MIA, LAX-PHL, CLT-LGA, LGA-YYZ and also others. Like I said, maybe I’m in an alternate reality. I’d love to know the experience of other AA EXPs that fly a lot.
Jerry, if you’re not lying, that’s impressive, actually.
Over the years, as an EP, Diamond, and 1K, I never reached those odds in a month. Ever.
I have no incentive to lie, though now that I think of it… One of the AUS-LAX flights was on 10/31, so I guess I embellished by one day. For what it’s worth, I’m on AUS-SJD tomorrow, and I have not cleared, which surprises me a little bit actually.
I was a 1K from 2011-2014 and I feel like I cleared every single upgrade during those years, but as I’m sure many will attest, it was simply a different time.
By the way, lounge / “good deed” related, but someone finally found a good use for Delta miles (I think)… tipped $1,000 in skymiles (I presume 100k miles) to the bartender at the SkyClub so they could get their name in today’s WSJ article about how skyclubs are like home…
I would take a variety of lounge foods over limited food choices which are poorly executed in a galley any day. And I anticipate it is far easier for the airlines to deliver in a lounge setting than at 30,000 feet.
You think that’s good? Wait until you try the Capital One Lounge at DCA. I purposely book flights around lunch from National to make sure I eat here first. Jose Andres gives a master class in how good “institutional” food can be.
Still, the fact that there’s a waitlist for a lounge is ridiculous
Which is why there are new access restrictions being added next year.
I was surprised to read your comment that First Class fares are much more reasonable than they have been – maybe on domestic flights. But international from USA to elsewhere are staggering. Business class equally staggering. I used to get SFO-MUC for around $2500 in Business. That’s jumped to a low of $4500 and often shows at $6500.
I’m shopping for SFO-ADL (Adelaide) and Premium Economy is showing at around $4800 and Business at just under $10,000. Ouch! What’s worse – apparently plenty of people are paying these fares. Sigh.
Take a look at sfo-bne or lax-bne or yvr-bne for cash fares.
Thanks, I will. But that means one or two extra stops. I was so happy to hear UA started offering the non-stop. But apparently so is everyone else. Prices like that only work if people buy them. Oh well, I may just skip Adelaide.
“I could have flown via San Fransico or Denver”
Er, huh?
“I was flying from Burbank (BUR) to Chicago (ORD) via Denver (DEN)”
With regards to this article, yeah its great, unless you’re at an airport with subpar lounges (or one that doesn’t even have lounges). I guess that explains why you weren’t eating at any of the United lounges?
Yes, I could have connected in SFO or in DEN while flying from BUR to ORD.
What a yummy & healthy feast!
Open from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, Capital One Lounge at DEN is one of the best airport perks… Impressive food and beverage offerings. Great service. Lovely atmosphere… A must-visit place, especially for long layovers.
I’m unaware of your home’s location and unfamiliar with LA’s layout. Was it worth it to book a connecting flight out of Burbank rather than an LAX nonstop or was there another reason?
For a 9am flight, yes. Burbank is 15 minutes away regardless of time of day while LAX takes an hour in traffic (versus 30 minutes without traffic). It’s just an easier and less stressful experience, plus I really like the Capital One Lounge in Denver.
With Dave gone all I have to look forward to in comments section is Gunturk’s summary what I just read. How boring.