fti

Lounge access has been a benefit of AX platinum for years. My guess is at least 10-15 years, probably longer.

nogophers

And you gotta think DL mgmt is totally aware of the serious overcrowding issue. The fact they're not doing anything about it makes you wonder what the end game is.

donb25

I sure do miss the BE lounge in ATL terminal E! Not just because of the upgraded amenities but the people were classy, well groomed / dressed and professional.

jsmith50

Actually, my premise is not based on the idea that some people are getting in for free. My premise is based on the way that DL used to operate the Crown Rooms. My father was a CR member from the time the first ones opened. He bought me a Crown Room membership when I was in college and I'm sure that when my kids are old enough, I will do the same for my kids (if there is any value left in the SC at at that point). It used to be an exclusive members only atmosphere with people who paid DL for the right to be a part of that club. Supposedly from folks I've talked with at DL over the years, it was a profitable business model in those days when they only admitted paid members. Over time, however, it's been that anybody and their brother can get into a SC. I recognize that AmEx pumps a ton of money into DL and that they pay for each of those card swipes but I will also tell you as an AmEx Reserve cardholder, I would be fine with that benefit ending. As a DM, I would also be fine with that benefit ending. The clubs are simply too crowded and DL's original vision of the Crown Room being an exclusive retreat at the airport is no longer. Now, unless I want a shower or the assistance of a SC attendant with flights, I might pop in for a bagel in the morning or a beer in the afternoon but I don't sit in the SCs for long at all any more. Airport bars, restaurants or even prayer rooms offer a quieter refuge from the crowd madness than the SC. Again, if the ST partners can stratify their paid lounge members over DL's, then stratifying DL's paid lounge members over a partner (AmEx) doesn't seem unreasonable. Remember that DL heavily advertises the partner lounge benefit of being a SC member much in the same way that AmEx advertises the SC benefit for their card and I can tell you from multiple experiences with DL that they could care less when I've complained about being denied entry at a partner lounge. My guess is that AmEx wouldn't care too much if a cardholder was denied entry based on "space considerations."

jamesteroh

I wish the SC's would enforce some type of dress code. That might cut down on overcrowding as well.

nogophers

Yeah, but where do you draw the line? I like to travel home from meetings in jeans. Even the President of my company is often in jeans.

tnpackfan

My pet peeve lately has been just accessing the clubs. I find myself waiting in line for my boarding pass to be scanned while folks with any AMEX are trying to talk/argue their way into the clubs, and then there are those who are eligible but when told that their card level will cost them a day fee or limit the number of guests they can bring in, the DYKWIA and bullying of the agents begin. ORD was backed out the door yesterday afternoon. I buy the 3 year membership because I appreciate the free wi-fi, a glass of wine to unwind with, and the service when encountering cancellations, etc.
I apologize if I offend someone, but the level of courtesy has really lowered considerably.
Someone upthread mentioned solutions?
A) Training of the agents to enforce the rules.
B) Parents, please be responsible parents!

LarkSFO

It's AMEX Plat that I think most people on this thread have been referring to.

$450 / year

They better care. If one pays $450 / year for your Plat card, with a defined set of benefits, and then those benefits are denied, then you have a right to be angry. Which AMEX would care about.

jsmith50

I still keep my paid SC membership (because it's reimbursed by my employer;not quite $450/year) despite the fact that I can get in with my AmEx Reserve or my DM status and I have often been denied entry at ST partner lounges due to "space availability." SC paid membership guarantees me a defined set of benefits which includes partner lounge access, by your logic, I should be angry, which DL should care about...but they don't! So why does that make AmEx any more special?

LarkSFO

You and I really agree here... (although I don't know what an AMEX reserve is...)

Here is my perspective:

1) You should be upset when you are denied rightful access for whatever reason ('SC paid membership guarantees me a defined set of benefits which includes partner lounge access')
2) DL (or whoever) should definitely care when you are angry because you were deinied a benefit that you should have received
3) AMEX is not 'any more special' (It is equally special)

So, in your case, if I were denied a benefit (club access) that I should have received, I would write a note to whoever it is that had provided that benefit, and ask them for compensation (points, miles, day pass, whatever).

StayingHomeIsBetter

Requiring shoes would be a good starting point.

It's pretty sick when you see someone with their bare feet propped up on the coffee table in front of them.

(And I have no trouble with neat, clean jeans)

AUDirt

I'm with you on the shoes part. Isn't that a health code violation?

Regarding dress code in general, I don't think you can do too much. As another poster said, where would you draw the line?

If I'm on my way to a vacation, I may be in shorts. Is that okay? It should be.

StayingHomeIsBetter

If the clubs had the same ambiance that they had 15 years ago, we wouldn't even have to discuss dress codes.

Yes, we have become a more casual culture when it comes to attire.

But, I'd maintain that there was a greater sense of propriety derived from the concept of "membership" in the club.

One tends to take better care of what one belongs to. The more the clubs come to look like bars, the more people will treat them like, and behave as if they were in, a bar.

pbarnette

And herein lies the rub. We have a large number of people that think $350 is a lot of money. It isn't. For a reasonably frequent traveler, it is something like $15 per visit. And for this chump change, people want free food, premium booze, and unfettered space. What is more absurd is that these same folks also think that this $350 should give them access to a large, nationwide network of such clubs.

Honestly, in what world is $350 a lot of money? Why do people expect more than what they are getting? Frankly, $15 per entry is about right for the current DL lounge product, if not a bit low, "overcrowding" and all.

MSPeconomist

My suggestion: No one under 21 is admitted. Period. This includes babies, children with parents, young DMs, etc. The only "exception" for some people's minds is that pregnant people would be admitted, provided they are not in labor.