![]() ![]() The policy may have taken effect, but there’s still people who plan to cancel due to the new policy but are waiting for their annual fee to hit. Keep in mind, we’re still in the transition period. Did it help enough? That’s the tricky part to argue since we need to define what “good enough” is which is something everyone will have their own opinion on. There’s always room for improvement after all.ĭid the new lounge policy help reduce crowding? Almost certainly. You’re also not seeing the people who simply chose not to come at all because they didn’t want to pay for their guests but also didn’t want to leave them stranded.Īmex needs to somehow better prioritize members over guests. You aren’t seeing the people who chose not to bring guests because they knew it cost $50. I also frequently spotted members paying $50 extra pp when they wanted to bring family members and guests, which is fine, but it doesn’t seem to be a solid deterrent.Īgain, this isn’t enough to draw this conclusion. An efficient system will have lines sometimes. It seems the new guest policy hasn’t really helped out at the Denver Centurion Lounge unfortunately.Ī single anecdote isn’t enough to draw this conclusion. For the sake of fairness, I’m going to have to play devil’s advocate here. Just like the reservation system in the national parks, they would release half for reservation and half for walk in. Reservations would be open for time slots 24 hours in advance from the Amex app. If they really wanted to do something to reduce the lounge crowds, then all they need to do is to implement a lounge reservation system from the app. Saying it will make the lounges less crowded was just a way to sell the fees. The only difference is that last year my family was with me in the lounge 4 times, and this year they will each be in the lounge at 10+ times each. This is the overall goal of amex … to add more people as authorized users, so that more people have access to an amex card at their fingertips. ![]() My family will travel a lot more often without me, so adding them as an authorized user is not only cheaper but also more beneficial to my family members. The way I see it, we will travel together at least 3 times and that would be an extra $300 over the course of a year. For instance if a couple goes to the lounge and one is a guest, it basically makes the cost of the meal, drinks, and lounge access $25 per person… which is the same cost if they were to go to a restaurant while they are waiting for a flight.Īs far as authorized users go. I would imagine that most people who have a platinum card will not be deterred about not bringing guests. Amex is a business and profits come first. It was a push to increase authorized users and tap a revenue stream that was available. The new guest policy had nothing to do with making the lounges less crowded. And unless you're grabbing fast food (which is what I do without a lounge), you're unlikely to find a restaurant that will be less than $25/person for a filling meal with just water. The longer people stay in the lounges, the longer the line gets just to enter.Īdditionally, $50/guest might deter families/groups, but not couples as you could essentially view it as $25/person. Now instead of being there for an hour, they're staying for 2-3 hours (or more with a layover) which reduces the turnover rate. If anything, the guest fee might encourage people to "maximize" their time in the lounge. Those who thought guest fees were going to deter people clearly did not go to Sk圜lubs, which has had guest fees this whole time but still had crowding issues. ![]() ![]() I've definitely had 3+ hour-long layovers in DEN, especially after COVID thanks to the reduced flight schedules. With DEN being a United and Southwest hub, it's likely many travelers are there for long layovers. Also, the 3-hour rule is waived for layovers. ![]()
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