Originally Posted by
Apieinthesky
DFW is the major AA hub. It has essentially no competition there, and no need for a Flagship lounge. But the ACs there are quite nice.
For the reason you just cited. They don't need to, as has been discussed here many times.
You guys may have nailed the correct answer, but if so, then I'm curious about one thing: Why was the first Flagship Lounge (opened in 1998) located at DFW? Was its location a mistake?
At the time, DFW was not the fortress hub it is today, as Delta had yet to draw down its large domestic hub operation, but AFAIK, DL wasn't flying to Europe, Asia or S America from DFW - for those regions, AA was already the only game in town. Of course, the DFW FL has since closed, as has the BOS and MIA FLs.
MIA features more international competition and, of course, has previously featured a Flagship Lounge (opened, then closed, then reopened and then closed again). The other oddity is NRT, with substantial competition and yet never a Flagship Lounge.