cbn42

I think the CLs are a major factor, because they are the only lounges unique to Amex. The other lounges that can be accessed with a Plat card can also be accessed with other cards that have lower annual fees. If I ever cancel my Plat, I'm not going to miss Priority Pass very much, but I will miss the CLs.

By similar logic, shutting down the CL altogether would be even more profitable.

I highly doubt walk up day pass purchasers will ever be a significant source of revenue for any lounge. It's just not something that very many people are willing to pay for.

Of course they do, but cutting benefits is not going to help achieve that.

mia

Less, because children in strollers typically don't occupy seats. Complaints about crowding refer to availability of seating, not floorspace. Yes, I know there are exceptions, and I know that an array of strollers can make it difficult to move about, but nonetheless it doesn't have the same impact on seating availability as those who bring older children.

kb9522

Correct. Someone using guest privileges. Again, the point of this thread is to identify solutions to the overcrowding issue. Obviously current features of the card are what led us here in the first place... whether it's the guesting privileges or the value of the benefits against the AF.

I don't know how many times I have to say it... stop getting hung up on the fact that some of the guests were in strollers. This is an issue about bodies in the lounge. Period.

Absolutely not. One person still takes up the same amount of volume, the same amount of space, whether they visit once or five times a week. Similarly a group of 10 people takes up the same amount of space, whether they visit once a month or once a year. The group of 10 is occupying a heck of a lot more space than a solo traveler. How can this even be argued??

In this case I'm talking about space. Particularly because DFW is so cramped to begin with... and the fact the children in strollers don't take up seats makes conditions even more miserable for everyone else.

TravelStar

You must be joking! I do agree with you on this....how can YOU argue your point??

mia

The purpose of a Flyertalk thread is to exchange information and ideas, not to persuade another member to change her opinion. Once you have made your point, please don't repeat it.

dhuey

Is the road warrior who visits 75x per year also part of the problem?

TravelStar

Apparently not. According to kb, the 75x road warrior takes up no additional space!

cmd320

I was at the MIA lounge from about 7:30-10p last night. First time I had been there in a decent amount of time. While busy, it certainly wasn't overcrowded by my definition. Seating at the bar, dining room, and in the lounge areas was available. The wait for a shower was only 30 minutes.

Also on a random side note, the white bean soup was really good.

kb9522

Not in the sense of lounge overcrowding. In terms of the value that AMEX is able to provide to visitors as far as quality of food, etc? Absolutely. That's not what we're talking about here. This issue is about overcrowding... And that is strictly about the amount of available space in the lounge at a given time.

See above.

cbn42

That's simply not how statistics works. Let me give an example.

Group A: 100 plat card holders, each with a family of 5, who brings their entire family to the lounge twice a year.

Group B: 100 plat card holders, each a solo business traveler, who comes to the lounge by himself/herself twice a week.

There are 365 days in a year, so on average, on any given day there will be approximately 0.54 card holders from group A in the lounge, for a total of 2.7 guests per day.

From group B, on the other hand, each person is making 104 visits a year, or .284 visits per day. Therefore, this group will add 284 people to the lounge on any given day.

On any given day, group B is taking up over 100 times as much space in the lounge network as group A.

kb9522

Think of it this way. You're in the lounge and it's packed to the brim. Is removing the one road warrior on his 75th visit going to generate more space than removing the multigenerational family with 5 strollers?

Recent posters seem to think the answer to that question is an unequivocal yes... That makes absolutely no sense.

cmd320

In a world where the lounge is made up of one road warrior and one multi-generational family this logic may make sense. Unfortunately that isn't reality though.

I'm not saying either train of thought is right or wrong. But there isn't enough public data to decide one way or another.

That said, on the basis of the card product itself, I firmly believe it makes more sense to limit access of guests as opposed to limiting access for people who actually pay for the product and hold a card in their name.

The CL crowding continues to be a problem because of the loss of Admirals Clubs and Presidents Clubs (now United Clubs) from the portfolio of lounges. If those were still accessible by Amex members then the CLs wouldn't see the level of crowding they do today. The only real solution is for Amex to expand the current lounges and add more.

dhuey

You are correct that removing multiple people from the lounge on a given day does more to reduce overcrowding than removing a single person. But that's not really the question about which access policies make the most sense to reduce overcrowding.

Take your example. Let's say the family has 10 members total, and they visit as a group 3x per year. Even with that, 75x per year road warrior is having more than twice their impact on overcrowding. Remember that the family is only there 3x per year, so it will be quite a rare day when we have your hypothetical remove-them-or-him situation. Pretty good chance, however, that road warrior is in a lounge on any given day.

wesheltonj

And its group B that keeps complaining that the lounges are crowded.

dhuey

Thing is, guest access is really for the benefit of the cardholder. Not too many cardholders are going to say to a loved one or good friend, "Here's my Centurion Lounge. Great food and drink in there. Can't wait. I'll see you at the gate when it's time to board. I hope you find a place to sit."