kb9522

No they don't. Renewal is $400.

mia

An individual Admirals Club membership costs $550 for the first year, $500 on renewal, unless you hold AAdvantage status. $400 is the lowest renewal rate, and it requires Executive Platinum status:

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...membership.jsp

For most people it would be better value to hold a Citi Executive MasterCard, which bundles an Admirals Club membership for $450, because there is no extra cost for Authorized Users who also have club access.

The nominal cost of an American Express Platinum Card ($550 personal, $450 business) is about the same, but the net cost is lower because $200+ of the fee is refundable.

kb9522

Why would you have an AC membership if you didn't regularly fly AA?

I guess you could use the fee credit to offset the cost of AC membership, but that doesn't make the overall cost of the AC membership only $200 ($400 - $200 credit)... It would be $550 + $400 - $200, or $750... Am I missing something?

mia

You wouldn't, but flying AA regularly doesn't mean you fly enough to earn status, especially Executive Platinum status.

Perhaps. The comparison is the cost of an Admirals Club membership (which varies, but $450 is the best value) -versus- the cost of Centurion Lounge access (which is some portion of the Platinum card's net annual fee.)

cmd320

People seem to forget that Admirals Club access used to be an included benefit of the Platinum Card to begin with until Amex was unable to renew it. A major reason why CL access became complimentary for Plat was because Amex lost both CO Presidents Clubs and later Admirals Clubs without any real replacement. The real solution is that Amex needs to be more aggressive about opening more lounge locations.

Troopers

Well, Amex will expand SEA and DFW, and open PHL and HKG. They just added Escape. So, I think Amex is certainly trying to add lounges to more locations but that won't reduce the crowding at MIA or elsewhere.

cmd320

MIA realistically just needs an additional location. There are a lot of Amex Platinum cardholders who are either based in the MIA area or transit the airport frequently who were very used to accessing Admirals Clubs. Forcing them all into a single, smaller CL is why that particular location is so crowded.

krazykanuck

It's been a few years, and many lounge beers since then, but IIRC Amex Plat cardholders had access to the US Air lounges (flying any airline) and CO lounges (when flying CO). The AA access must have come briefly during/after the merger?

I mean I miss the comprehensive lounge access, but the inability to renew likely came down to the fact that Chase and Citi put their respective feet down and made it impractical to renew access for Amex cardholders, since both banks had cobranded credit cards with UA and AA providing lounge access.

cmd320

Admirals Club access was removed shortly after the merger with USAir. Prior to that Admirals Club access worked pretty much the same way SkyClub access works where you (and two guests) could access the AC when flying AA.

krazykanuck

Ah ok. I literally never flew AA back then (not that I fly AA now either), so thanks for the walk down memory lane! I do recall enjoying cold Shiner Bocks in the CO lounges

Majuki

The lounge access was CO, AA, DL, and later US (any airline) plus Priority Pass Select. With the benefit having been reduced to the Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass Select, and now Escape, one has relatively few options. Before, the crowds would be dispersed among the various airline affiliated lounges.

I'd also be curious to know the split of people who pay versus those who have a Platinum or Centurion card. If one were to get some food, get a few drinks, take a shower, and lounge around, it would be possible to justify the price of admission.

I also think holding a Platinum card isn't the novelty that it used to be. I think people have acclimated to higher fees of premium cards and realize they can offset the fee with the benefits.

All three of these factors are likely contributing to the crowding.

GUWonder

The price increase to use the lounges is already in play. The lounge crowding is not down yet IME.

And the notion that price increases were followed/acquainted with different benefits doesn't change the fact that there was a price increase.

GUWonder

Amex also lost the DL lounge access for more than just the Plat card holder. That was the big kick that woke up Amex.

cplush

I would wholeheartedly support this, its currently in a bad spot for flights out of the higher D gates and siphoning off flyers out of these gates into another lounge would be helpful.

dayone

I'm gonna go way out on a limb and say that any additional locations will have to wait until places like LAX and ORD get a first location.