txp

I have been very impressed with the AMEX Centurion lounge at LGA, DFW, and MEX. Now I hear Centurion is coming to IAH in 2016. If this happens, I see no reason to carry the UC membership through the Chase card. Given the frequency at which I travel on UA, $50 per visit at non-AMEX airports (when necessary) seems like a better deal. And, as AMEX expands their lounges (i.e. ORD, EWR), they will likely put the Chase card out of business. Unless, of course, UA is willing to upgrade the quality of their lounges to AMEX standard.

Here is an idea -- someone from UA mgmt should take a trip to Australia and travel domestic on QF. They should take a close look at the Business Class lounges that QF makes available to their domestic business class passengers. The difference with UC is night and day.

If UA could create an upper tier lounge similar to the QF domestic business lounge, they would compete favorably with Centurion. Otherwise, it is very likely that I will cancel my Chase card as soon as AMEX moves in to IAH.

Any chance that UA will respond to AMEX' move by upgrading the UC experience?

Sydneyair

Depends on whether you want to make that hike over to IAH-D every time for a lounge. Im personally okay with the one at IAH-E.

And for ORD it again depends on where they place it. If my connection is within T1-C but the Amex lounge is at T2-F, I'll skip.

J.Edward

It's an interesting question.

I carry the Chase Club Card for the ability to earn 1.5 UA miles on my purchases and so far my annual spend has been enough to make the 50% bonus offset the net fee of $335.

Currently when I have to fly in or out of IAH at rush-hour my preference is to arrive early or stay late to avoid the traffic, grab a bite to eat, and maybe knock out some work...or at least a netflix episode or two.

To that end the UA club has served as a base of operations (i.e. I can stash my bag there while I go elsewhere to eat or sit in a quiet corner and do work) but any quiet section of the airport would probably work for my purpose. I don't particularly like the well drinks, am generally not willing to pay for the premium spirits, and do not eat the "improved" food..thus there's very little "real" value add for a UC membership.

And come to think of it I do appreciate the gate pass aspect of the UC membership but I can do that with a one-way ticket and get pre-check to boot, so I am not really sure if that's a real value add either.

I suppose it's only a matter of time before someone sights the "UA agents in the club to help", which is fair. But so far I have found res to be able to resolve my IRROPs, and I do not need to be in a UC to call UA.

Anyways with AX I see the calculation as changing: if I can grab a decent bite there - and based on my experiences at DFW / SFO / LAS I think that's a fair assessment - then I've got a one-stop shop for the 1 - 1˝ hours I'll loiter at IAH to avoid Houston traffic. Food, drinks, and a place to work away from the crowded UCs appeals to me.

Edited to add: and FWIW AX is rumored to be looking at ORD and PHL for Centurion locations. The latter is not so much of interest to UA flyers but the former would just be another boost for the AX Plat card and another nail in the Chase/UA product.

andyh64000

I am *G and I hold a UC membership. I am thinking I can skip UC and just get an AMEX Plat card instead since more than half of my travel is international anyway.

mahasamatman

You are either a very trusting soul or have nothing of value in your bag (or both). You're also lucky you haven't run into some paranoid passenger or employee calling security or the bomb squad.

Lurker1999

IAH UC has keyed lockers.

mahasamatman

Thanks. That's a valuable piece of information.

worldwidedreamer

Amex offers a better product in a few key locations. Pairing that with Priority Pass, Boingo and Star Gold is pretty compelling. As airport food and drink has improved, United Clubs no longer feel premium.

cmculp

I have both. Lifetime UC member and AMEX plat card. I am immeasurably fortunate on both counts; the UC, though expensive at the time, has been a great investment. As an active duty member of the military, AMEX waives the fees for their cards...even the plat.

In comparative summary...

- I have yet to find a use for Priority Pass...ever.
- Centurion is a FAR better product than UC, but the locations are few and far between. Unless all your connections are through SFO, you won't be well covered. Not sold on the Centurion "lite" product in SEA, but still good. This works because they have FAR fewer customers than UC has to deal with
- AMEX Plat gets you the Delta club, a major plus though occasionally impractical with UA travel
- UC has locations everywhere, frequently multiple locations in a hub. This plus overseas access is actually worth the most to me as 150k+ of my 180k miles are on UA.

And yes...irrops service in the UC is worth a lot to me. Last year's snowmagadon mess would have been unsurvivable without the UC in IAD, EWR and IAH to help me.

As a very frequent mixed domestic/int UA flier, I would opt for the UC over the Centurion (which I like a lot more) only for the sheer coverage everywhere I fly. If I was a mixed brand flier or an international premium flier connecting through SFO, I would opt for the AMEX plan.