Hello from Denver. I ran into an unexpected snafu this afternoon while trying to visit the new Capital Lounge in Denver: a gaggle of people and a waiting list to get in. Hopefully, this is not a sign of things to come.
Waiting List To Enter Denver Capital One Lounge
One reason I was happy to fly Frontier (and United) via Denver on this trip is so that I could check out the recently-opened Capital One Lounge in Denver (DEN). The lounge has been under development for quite some time but finally open in the A Concourse last week.
After stepping off my flight I walked over to the lounge where I noticed a rope blocking the escalator up to the mezzanine-level lounge. A trio of staff members were standing in front of it. I figured that they were checking credentials downstairs, but was informed I needed to add my name to the waiting list because the lounge was at maximum capacity.
An associate with a tablet took my name and mobile phone number and told me the wait would be about 5-10 minutes to enter the lounge.
It took eight minutes…not so bad, I suppose. I even got a work call out of the way during that time.
Anyway, I’m in now. Come say hi for the next hour if you are here. I’m sitting in one of the comfortable chairs outside the relaxation rooms. Full review coming tomorrow…it is great inside!
But this is a small lounge and it does appear that it will get crowded during peak travel periods.
I feel like Denver is secretly the worst big airport in the Continental US, like between the security checkpoint system and now a waiting list for these lounges, jeez
It’s not a secret if you live in Denver
Definitely not a secret.
I fly to Denver once a month and I could not agree more that it is one of the worst airports in the country. There is absolutely nothing to like about it.
I feel like secretly people love to talk s*** about whatever airport any given news article is talking about..DEN is in the middle of a massive renovation project so yeah, the main terminal is a construction site. But definitely leave that part out, right?
Incidentally, the Wall Street Journal rated DEN as the best airport in the US, so that just goes to show you – opinions are like as**oles: everybody has one, but not everyone cares about yours.
Hey mister Washington (assuming that is your real name). DEN is way behind the times and the person (Washington) in charge has no clue what he is doing. The road system to the airport is outdated, full of traffic and accidents and hasn’t been upgraded since the airport opened.
The train system was supposed to be upgraded back in 2020 but still has not added any cars or trains to the line. AND the train breaks down what seems like daily for hours.
The parking lots are full and that is not even during the busy parts of the year. Seems like every weekend the “full” signs are lit.
TSA is a joke. Yes, we understand the terminal is under constrution (been this way for years and over budget), but TSA itself is very rude and they don’t even seem to know their own rules and make crap up all the time.
I actually like DEN as a connecting airport. But the landside terminal is rough and the TSA checkpoint is terrible. What other major airport closes the PreCheck line in the evening?
We had the Venture X since it launched, and held on throughout the promises of the lounge opening in November of last year, and the year of delays the ensued.
We cancelled it a couple days after the lounge opened because we were so underwhelmed with the space. Sure – it’s nice, but it’s incredibly small. Presumably, some international airlines may try to contract with the lounge as some do in DFW, and they will only exacerbate the issue.
Before TPG and all these travel sites.. lounges were very nice!!
This lounge just opened a week ago.
Was that around the time where they only served cheese and crackers and maybe a soda machine?
It’s not just DEN. At DFW week before last, there was a waiting list at the C1 Lounge there at 10 am on a Friday morning. First time I’d encountered that but I sure hope it’s not a sign of the new normal.
This is every day at most small Amex lounges.
Constantly run into the waitlist / tablet / text you in 15-25 mins
Daily at PHL
Time to double the annual fees…
Or just enforce a business dress code and remove the non-travel coupon credits.
I was there in Tuesday over a long (over 4hr) layover starting around 1pm. Compared to most United lounges, there was no time that I found it crowded. I had at least a few empty seats around me the whole time. Probably the best staff I’ve seen for years. Great food offerings. Hope it stays this way
Yes, the staff was great. There was a woman named Esmeralda who was particularly wonderful.
I connected twice in Denver twice in the past two weeks and was able to get in both times without issue. The one disappointment was that they had already ran out of bourbon within 10 days of opening…
I have been to the Capital 1 lounge at DFW 29 times this year (6 of those visits as an AF Biz pax) and the first time I had to wait was this Wednesday at 1600 for 10 min.
I mainly go just to have a glass of Cab and get a ‘to-go’ club sandwich. (Its a FANTASTIC sandwich).
Even with the wait, the lounge is amazing and so are the staff. They let a family on a make a wish trip in as my and my friends guests after we had to leave as a special favor.
They call me “Cab Mike”. I have been called worse.
I’m taking my daughter and her friends to DC Dec 15 and we are going to hit the Udvar Hazy and the Cap 1 at IAD on the way out. Soumds like they made the DEN lounge too small. Its a wait and see I guess.
Even without the Cap 1 lounge the Venture X is worth it just for PP. The best PP lounge I have been in? KTM!
I was at the lounge yesterday around 2:30 pm on my way back to BOS. Was quiet and the comfy seats by the relaxation room was great. That wing was very serene with the relaxing music.
And credit card touts…. errr….travel bloggers….will be sure to advise potential applicants of these on their nonstop pimping on Boarding Area, right?
I was there last week, and it was surprisingly small. I loved the food and drinks. And the staff were amazing. It wasn’t crowded when I was there, but I can absolutely see it getting overwhelmed given how small it is. But it’s nice to have.
The lounge is a joke. It’s horrible. Tiny.
I don’t get the misleading hype. It’s just credit card bloggers trying to get you to sign up for a card.
Is the entire upstairs area for the lounge? Is there something else up there you might want to go to?
I’ve been to the DEN lounge twice now, it’s so great! The first time was as it was about to close during the soft opening so it wasn’t crowded — the second time was 11 AM on Tuesday and it was maybe 10% full.
I’m more worried about IAD filling up. The DEN lounge is the biggest in terms of area of the 3 but I suppose it might have more foot traffic (not familiar with the #s) and because it has more space the seating is more spread out so the capacity might be the same. The extra nook section makes it seem a lot bigger than the others empirically.
I agree though, hope the lines aren’t a trend! Can’t say I’d be surprised though as more people find out how great the Cap 1 lounges are. I love that each menu is different so if you hit up two lounges in one day it’s not the same food.
Airports have turned into restaurants. I just want to get from point A to point B in the fastest time possible without lounging and eating.