Originally Posted by
dhuey
I've long thought it makes sense to put some reasonable limits on total lounge visits, whether by the cardholder alone or with guests. It's one thing if, say, a Delta road warrior practically lives in Delta lounges. That person is a hugely profitable customer for Delta.
But it's quite another thing when a Plat cardholder practically lives in Centurion lounges. That adds so much to the crowding, and this may or may not be a very profitable cardholder for Amex.
I guess it depends on the Amex definition of ideal customer. Per Bloomberg and others, they want the GenZ yuppies who burn cash on travel. These are often solo travelers so maybe they don't want to limit their access. But that could also be easily accomplished by applying a spend requirement for unlimited solo visits, as they do for guests. By contrast Amex is disincentivizing family travelers by not addressing the overcrowding, as it is far more punitive to the 1x or 2x per year traveler than to the frequent traveler who is more likely to hit the lounges at off-peak periods.
IMO the new limits have nothing to do with overcrowding but are simply a cost cutting measure, similar to eliminating PP restaurants. Amex doesn't like having to pay for perks as opposed to the coupon book setup where the merchant shares the cost.
Wish they could find a way to address the PP lounge lines in Mexico, but that's not just Amex Plat.