Originally Posted by
Efrem
On the other hand:
1. Cutbacks in onboard meal service are a reduction in benefits. Getting food from a lounge is one way to restore some of that benefit.
2. Increases in aircraft capacity and load factors, combined with fixed gate area seating, are a reduction in benefits (adequate seating). Getting a lounge seat is one way to restore that benefit.
3. Increased use of mobile devices, combined with fixed gate area outlets, is a reduction in benefits (ability to charge one's device). Charging it in a lounge with sufficient outlets to meet demand is one way to restore that benefit.
I'm sure people can think of more.
Still feels like a stretch. (Especially 2 and 3...airlines have never promised us power outlets.
) I know I'd personally struggle to use that logic to a friend or colleague, let alone explaining it to an airline agent if I actually got caught.
Originally Posted by
ProleOnParole
Every business should continually adapt to meet the needs of its customers. If there are people doing this then the airlines should recognize the demand and reach out to allow them lounge access without the need for pretend flying. Monetize it with some allowance depending on tier status, followed by a charge for any subsequent visit. Going after the most loyal customers and dispatching "corporate security" squads to investigate every fraudulently consumed donut doesn't seem very much like a businesslike response.
They kind of do that already. If you're a midtier elite on a major alliance going on almost any kind of long-distance trip, you probably have lounge access. If you aren't, you can usually buy a daypass.
I have the Citi Prestige card that costs me a net $200/yr. It includes AA club access when I fly AA and Priority Pass lounges when I don't, both with 2 adult guests permitted. To me, that's
incredibly cheap lounge access. I use the lounges, using this card, around 20-25 times per year, at least half of those with 1-2 guests. It's like $5-10 bucks per visit, even if I don't value that credit card for anything else.
Lounges are *more* accessible now than ever.