Nov 19, 2019, 3:16 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Admirals Club access rules for members changed, membership costs increased 1 November 2019.
This is true regardless of membership type, excluding lifetime members. Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® Authorized Users must fulfill the same requirements. (Lifetime Admirals Club members may access Admirals Clubs even if they’re flying non-AA partners, e.g. Southwest, United.)
Declared Business Purposes or rental of a conference facility without a same day boarding pass will not suffice to allow access.
As far as we know, authorized guests accompanying a member do not have to present a same day boarding pass.
No discount is available for a household membership, which will cost $600 regardless of the sponsoring guest’s AAdvantage status.
One Day Passes are available at $59 per person, available for purchase at all Clubs except those where Club refurbishment or construction is going on (currently, ORD and PHL). One Day Passes are not available online.
Changes to membership link to this page on aa.com
Access changes
Starting November 1, 2019
Boarding passes for same-day travel on American Airlines or partner airlines are required for entry.1
1 Any departing or arriving flight: marketed or operated by American Airlines, marketed and operated by any oneworld® partner carrier, or marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines
Access changes
Starting November 1, 2019
Boarding passes for same-day travel on American Airlines or partner airlines are required for entry.1
1 Any departing or arriving flight: marketed or operated by American Airlines, marketed and operated by any oneworld® partner carrier, or marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines
Declared Business Purposes or rental of a conference facility without a same day boarding pass will not suffice to allow access.
As far as we know, authorized guests accompanying a member do not have to present a same day boarding pass.
No discount is available for a household membership, which will cost $600 regardless of the sponsoring guest’s AAdvantage status.
One Day Passes are available at $59 per person, available for purchase at all Clubs except those where Club refurbishment or construction is going on (currently, ORD and PHL). One Day Passes are not available online.
Admirals Club rates increased, new restrictions: 1 Nov 2019
Oct 18, 2018, 6:46 pm
#76
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
AC's have their greatest value for those with lengthy connections at hubs. For most business travelers, the goal is to spend the least amount of time at airports as possible, so just going to hang out early in an AC doesn't make sense.
Goes without saying that the same isn't true for those on tickets and from locations with access to FFL and FFD. A whole tier of passengers people aren't even thinking about here.
Goes without saying that the same isn't true for those on tickets and from locations with access to FFL and FFD. A whole tier of passengers people aren't even thinking about here.
Oct 18, 2018, 6:47 pm
#77
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
I'd been torn earlier this year about whether to renew my Admirals Club or pick up a Platinum Amex for the Centurion Lounge; almost certainly not renewing next year now (mostly due to the ticket requirement). I do wonder what this will do to Centurion Lounge crowding in DFW/MIA/PHL if people drop the airline clubs for one that doesn't require a specific airline (or costs less for that matter)
As many Flying Business or First on AA will continue to have access, not to mention AA Platinum or above, when qualifying flight requirements are met, I’m not so sure there will be a significant effect. Not to mention Centurion clubs can be zoos already.
Oct 18, 2018, 7:27 pm
#78
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Owner of 2,000 TWA shares
Posts: 812
I only flew another carrier once in 2017/2018. That's not abuse if I do it occasionally. Maybe I got a tummy ache. Maybe I changed my mind and went home.
Oct 18, 2018, 7:30 pm
#79
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Owner of 2,000 TWA shares
Posts: 812
The line forms behind the members who made Gold and had their MCE discount at booking taken away from them midway through the year.
Oct 18, 2018, 7:42 pm
#80
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,753
Separately, this may be to be a good reason for people who fly domestic to post enough miles to QRPC (which I had stopped using) every year to maintain QRPC PLT (OW EMD), which provides AC access, no?
Oct 18, 2018, 7:54 pm
#81
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: AA PPro, Mariott Ambassador, B6 Mosaic, SBUX Gold, Best Buy Elite
Posts: 1,838
United did this already several years ago. How many people in the grand scheme of things are going to be 1. flying a different airline than AA as a top tier flyer and more importantly 2. going to be anywhere remotely near an AC when flying another airline?
I think it's a great idea in crowd thinning.
I think it's a great idea in crowd thinning.
I was just in the DCA lounge today when traveling on Jetblue ticket. So it does happen.
Oct 18, 2018, 8:04 pm
#83
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: PIT
Posts: 759
Oct 18, 2018, 9:26 pm
#84
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,247
No, you're just not in the same league as the professional whiners. The same day flight requirement makes the Clubs more "exclusive" and'll hopefully reduce the number of annoying and obnoxious phone talkers and lounge hogs (who will now need to actually exit in a reasonable amount of time to catch an AA flight). Great policy change IMO.
Oct 18, 2018, 10:09 pm
#86
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ/MGA
Programs: AA 1MM Lifetime Gold, AA Platinum, WS Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 7,607
I think this is a great change. You should be flying that day on AA not a competitor. It's AA's lounge not Southwest's etc.
Better yet is quit selling memberships and limit lounges to J and F passengers on qualifying flights.
Oct 18, 2018, 10:11 pm
#87
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,976
So if you're in the club waiting for an AA flight that goes mechanical, the AAngels will rebook you on UA or DL and then tell you that you have to leave the club immediately.
Oct 18, 2018, 10:35 pm
#88
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
No, you're just not in the same league as the professional whiners. The same day flight requirement makes the Clubs more "exclusive" and'll hopefully reduce the number of annoying and obnoxious phone talkers and lounge hogs (who will now need to actually exit in a reasonable amount of time to catch an AA flight). Great policy change IMO.
Oct 18, 2018, 11:44 pm
#89
Join Date: Mar 2006
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, F9 Elite, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,319
+1 for not renewing the Citi Exec card next year. AA clubs have been a great backup for airports where DL or Amex lack a lounge, but the AA/partner BP requirement is just stupid. I have very rarely encountered crowded ACs myself, but I'm sure they exist (LAX T4 comes to mind, but that was their own making). This whole copy and paste DL business that AA is in is just getting absurd. AA hire these MBAs looking to make a name for themselves at headquarters, probably claiming to have 'deeply researched' the impact, and provide a shiny powerpoint to management to backup their 'mounds' of data.
What they fail to realize is that DL is not remotely similar to AA in the premium credit card area. DL's clubs have been very overcrowded because of the non-exclusivity of the Amex Platinum card that caters to a MUCH broader audience than just DL flyers alone, and DL Diamond's all get SkyClub access free. So their restriction unfortunately makes sense in my mind. Citi caters primarily/solely to AA fliers with the Exec Card. What I don't get is why did they add this 'have up to 10 authorized users free' on the Exec card if there was such a bad overcrowding problem??? Simple solution: reduce or eliminate that 'benefit'.
Or another idea, do a hybrid of UA. Allow a member/cardholder with ANY airline's departing boarding pass to access that airport's AC, but only allow arriving same day passenger holding inbound AA boarding passes access. If they don't do something about this draconian boarding pass requirement, it becomes a real head-scratcher with regards to loyalty (other OW elites getting domestic access with OW boarding passes, but AA elites having to pay for 'membership' in advance that is useless without a OW boarding pass).
What they fail to realize is that DL is not remotely similar to AA in the premium credit card area. DL's clubs have been very overcrowded because of the non-exclusivity of the Amex Platinum card that caters to a MUCH broader audience than just DL flyers alone, and DL Diamond's all get SkyClub access free. So their restriction unfortunately makes sense in my mind. Citi caters primarily/solely to AA fliers with the Exec Card. What I don't get is why did they add this 'have up to 10 authorized users free' on the Exec card if there was such a bad overcrowding problem??? Simple solution: reduce or eliminate that 'benefit'.
Or another idea, do a hybrid of UA. Allow a member/cardholder with ANY airline's departing boarding pass to access that airport's AC, but only allow arriving same day passenger holding inbound AA boarding passes access. If they don't do something about this draconian boarding pass requirement, it becomes a real head-scratcher with regards to loyalty (other OW elites getting domestic access with OW boarding passes, but AA elites having to pay for 'membership' in advance that is useless without a OW boarding pass).
Oct 19, 2018, 12:59 am
#90
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MIA, VIE and DPS
Programs: DL Plat 1MM, AA EXP 3MM, SQ Krisflyer Gold, UA Silver, Marriott LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 1,132
I got my email to remind me of my auto-renew yesterday and cancelled it (the auto-renew) and I don't think I will renew. When I fly international, I am virtually always in J or higher, as a MIA flyer, the AX lounge has MUCH better food (though is usually more crowded than the AC) - still, with free Priority Pass, AX lounges and OW on int flights - I found myself rarely using the ACs these days.
And just keeping membership so you can deal with interruptions easier sounds not worth it - guess I can buy a day pass to change my flight if really needed.
And just keeping membership so you can deal with interruptions easier sounds not worth it - guess I can buy a day pass to change my flight if really needed.