The US market is much more willing to pay for individual services. Club, checked luggage, better seats in Y, early boarding, premium security. Basically everything is for sale. And, people will pay.

On the other hand, status on US airlines means very little. It's easy to earn, can be done with cheap fares and it appears that's the way the public wants it.

Take UA as an example. Gold is the 2nd from the bottom of a 5-tier system. It's basically nothing, except that it gets you *A status internationally, where it's a big deal.

Add to that another simple fact. On a typical domestic flight from a typical domestic airport, there is no reason to arrive more than 60 minutes prior to flight time. In that world, who cares about a lounge? High-end business pax aren't looking for a lounge, they are looking not to waste time. At T-60, you wend your way through landside, the checkpoint, and airside to the gate. At that point, it's close to boarding time and you're off. Needless to say, there are, of course, connections where a lounge can be nice.