Originally Posted by j2simpso

From my experience at DEN (and many UA hubs), the level of crowdedness varies depending on which lounge you go to. For instance, the UC closest to the UX wing of DEN tends to be less crowded than the other UC. Similarly when I was in EWR a few weeks ago, the normal UC wasn't too crowded but the popup was packed (and also a joke in terms of food selection and what not). Depending on how much time you have when connecting/departing it may make sense to shop around the various UC clubs to find the one that works best.

That being said I fully agree that those one time coupons and other ways to gain access are certainly putting pressure on the load factor of these clubs. However, I can't blame UA for doing this - if you're making $59 for every pax with a coupon then that'll more than offset the costs of providing the service to the pax. One thing I'm curious about, and would love to hear veteran FTers discuss is how the UC situation was back in the day when we had US and access to their lounges. Was the RCC less packed (and stingy for that matter) than the clubs are today?

Safe Travels,

James