Originally Posted by
cmd320
I will quite often use lounges on arrival to shower/refresh/eat before heading onward. With that said, Amex doesn't let people do that anymore anyway so for me it was just a bit odd that people actually get to SFO (or any airport) in advance and choose to go to the UA side just to visit the Centurion Lounge as opposed to just getting there at boarding and getting on the plane. I suppose if traffic is a concern and you're left with extra time then that makes more sense.
Even ignoring traffic, I have a friend who often consults in SFO, and his time is committed until 5pm. So he books a 7pm or later flight, giving him a bit of leeway at the office in case it runs over, and some more time in case of traffic.
Some days he finishes at 3pm, so he's at SFO by 4pm. When there's an earlier flight, he takes it. But depending on where he's going next, there often isn't. If your destination is only once or twice a day, what are you really going to do when you finish up in a random city? Why is it so unreasonable to head to the airport when you finish work?
If crowding is an issue, there are better ways to solve it than to deny entry to primary cardholders traveling alone.