Steve M

I think that making an assumption that people will leave about X minutes before their flight departure would be highly accurate in the aggregate, where X might be 40 minutes or so. I'm sure they can come up with an exact number to use. Sure, some people will leave earlier to go to somewhere else in the airport, and some will stay later because their flight is delayed or they're someone's guest and have a later flight than their sponsor, but overall, I would guess that scheduled departure time as listed on the boarding pass scanned upon admission is very useful in calculating an accurate average stay.

mia

I suppose it is easier and faster to process an entry for one cardholder with two guests, than for three cardholders. I expect that cardholders would insist on entering on their own credentials, if there were even a trivial fee for guests

whipwhitaker

The Centurion Lounge in LAS had a waitlist last Sunday, January 5. Text message with "Good to go!" arrived about 20 minutes after checking in. Long lines at check-in desk too.

sdix

Just wait until the end of this week when all the CES attendees leave the city.

SP03

They may be cardmembers, but they are still tied to your account and your spending. It doesn't really matter to Amex if you brought in two guests vs you and two other cardmembers who are AU on your account enter at the same time. That is still 3 people who enter through your account.

If I were Amex, I wouldn't look at just how often each individual cardmember (primary and AU) uses the lounge or brings in guests, but rather the total utilization as a function of your pooled spending. Right now there are only two tiers, Platinum and Centurion. Amex has the data to further segment the Platinum cardholders into more tiers of access.

Stocktc1

It says original flight time . So it takes into account delays . But what about cancelled flights?

weather can cause lots of flights to get canceled so it could overcrowd the lounge . But most of these people could already be in the lounge and notice his or her flight cancelled .

cova

I was at the LAS club Jan 26th, 2020. Again a wait list. Took maybe 15 minutes, but once in there, it was half empty. 1/2 the tables were free and many seating areas were empty.
I went to the UA Club but came back for principal within the 10 minutes. Big line outside, but when I entered (counter on the left) - there was no line at the food, and again half the tables were free.

Food not that good - Chicken Thighs and Grits was the food +salad and soup.. So I went back to the UA Club.

WIth the loss of the AA $200 - I I really question the value of the card.

I also question AmEx business model for lounge access. Active military get a free card (with Lounge access). I don't have a problem with that - they deserve it - but from a business standpoint it is questionable.

2 weeks ago Sunday night at the DFW Club - it was packed - and 2/3 of the people in there were young military guys and gals. No place to sit and food always gone with line. These guys deserve it (most of then know about the benefit so many use it).

But if I cancel my card because the lounge is no longer worth it - hard to use it - then AmEx loses the $595/year. But making the club a free USO club - is that really the clientele that AmEx is going after with it luxury lounges. Are these guys and gals going to buy merchandise from Departure's Magazine?
Will they renew the card and pay the $600 fee when they get out of service?

Maybe AmEx needs a military branded CC, and maybe a separate lounge or separate section. Although that would not work.
But when you leave the AmEx Lounge at DFW and head over the AA Flagship or Admiral's club - there is a completely different clientele (and not just counting military.

The Airlines let the active military pre-board and that is nice and deserved - but that doesn't cost anything. But the business model of giving way an item that in the future the group likely will not buy, and then chasing away premium paying customers, does that compute?

Zorak

What time? I was there also yesterday the 26th, starting around 6pm. Interestingly, my flight wasn't until 10pm (I had tried to go standby on an earlier flight) and when I handed my BP to check in the agent looked at it, looked over at the time, and only then I remembered the 3 hr rule and thought they were about to tell me to come back in an hour (legit, or at least accurate according to the rules) but they didn't say a word about it and just welcomed me in. /shrug

Most of the outer seating areas were fairly full, although there were a number of open seats in the main dining area. The crowd thinned out a bit over the next hour though.

cova

I was there around 11:30am on Jan 26th a Prime time.. Had 2pm United flight. to IAD. I only stayed around 20 minutes then went back to UA Club - the view is better and food just as good. Corey Booker was on flight - said hello to him as I boarded with 1K, Nice personable guy. . He boarded with GS and was in F, he wasn't in the UA Club- at least far as I could tell.

Huge line trying to get in and again only 1/2 full. I took pictures of all the empty areas and the 1/2 empty tables. If you look at the pictures - you would think it was 2am. Only a few military guys, so no issue there. Just AmEx agent could not manage the crowed. You got you text to enter about 10 minutes after they took you info.

The long line was due to them entering your cell number - then sending you a test message to make sure you get it.

ChurnieEls

This is very conflicting; so they deserve but you don't want them in there at the same time?

Gasolin

He's saying the active military deserves something, like pre-boarding, as what an airline would do, but that doesn't cost anything. However, the lounge access, which is something airlines don't provide to active military for free, is costing something to AMEX and potentially making other paying customers cancel eventually due to a lack of space in the lounges, or something like that.

I have rarely (actually never?) met active military personnel in the Centurion lounges, but maybe it's just me and my airports.

ChurnieEls

I get the sentiment but he clearly is making the argument that active duty military are crowding the Centurion and implies Amex should restrict this by charging an AF. But at the same time says that these folks deserve their access. Those are mutually exclusive concepts. To borrow cova's own phrase "does that compute"?

Gasolin

I am not the author of the message itself and I definitely won't pretend I know everything, but I think it's one of those concepts where they "deserve" it, but the business model is still "questionable". Is that really mutually exclusive?

It is similar as saying that we would provide free health care and education to everyone, including, and especially the poor people, because they "deserve" it as human being, but you can still also "question" the business model, and those 2 concepts are not mutually exclusive for me.

The outcome should be:

1. The business model is not sustainable and we stop doing that
2. Or despite the business model not being sustainable, we consider the first part of the sentence as being fundamentally important to us and we keep doing it

Either way I am fine, I just think that's how cova thought about it. Again, I do not pretend to fully know the ins and outs of his thoughts process.

Super Mario

The ever continuing story of trying to make everyone happy while turning a profit. It will never end.

ChurnieEls

If they want to make Centurions more comfortable then the simple fix is to adopt the Sky Club rules.

I have not been in a Sky Club that felt as remotely busy/packed as the Centurion's often do - that's during the normal course of business, obviously delays and widespread IRROPS would see a Sky Club jammed. But I feel every time I visit a Centurion, regardless of time, it is jammed. I feel for any road warrior whose only option is Centurions on fly days.