Originally Posted by
narvik
To be fair, the banks ARE kind of ridiculous.
Way too many planes departing IAD around 6 pm yesterday....then 20 lined up for take-off.
Agree with crowing at IAD: tried Polaris - too busy. Tried Club - too busy. Eventually made it over to A and tried Etihad - closed for PriorityPass entry between 5pm and 8 pm.
Oh, well...
TK has the best food, if you are going to have to wait to get into a lounge at IAD I would make it TK if you have the time.
I don't know what is going on with lounges. When I left PVG in 2020 after the pandemic started only the MU lounge was open in T2. And while no one quite knew what was going on with covid the lounge was busy and you had to queue for food!
Originally Posted by
FlyfromDenver
I went through Dulles yesterday, coming in from a Polaris flight. The Polaris Club was packed as was the United Club. I am SA Gold. There's the first reason for never paying for a membership. The second reason for me is that I am single and resent the whole 1960s family approach. Parents + kids aren't helping the crowding at all.
If it mattered to United, they would spread out the flights instead of banking them.
The United Club at LHR seems nicer to me than anything Polaris and the A club at DIA is a fave since it's my home airport. (Don't bother doing the whole DEN thing - I've lived here since 1985 and won't be changing how I refer to the airport
The lounge situation everywhere is bad. I don't know what happened, but it looks like more people traveling and camping out in the lounges today. If you want peace and quiet you look for a quiet spot in the terminal, which, granted, is difficult in IAD C&D but easier in other airports.
Originally Posted by
Kacee
Lounge crowding at specific times of day is an issue these days across pretty much all carriers. It certainly diminishes the overall experience, but I would hardly call the benefit - whether offered by UA or other carriers - "worthless."
If you think the grass is greener elsewhere, by all means check it out. I think you'll find DL is actually worse. AA will be similar to UA. LH and NH (to use UA's most significant international partners) have equivalent if not worse issues at their hubs.
DL lounge situation is worse. No contest.