Airline Club Prices1986 Including Red Carpet Club
Jul 14, 2020, 7:07 pm
#1
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Airline Club Prices1986 Including Red Carpet Club
While searching for information on TWA's Ambassador Clubs, I found this article from WAPO from 1986. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...-d9cb7e467eeb/
Based on the paragraph above, sounds exactly like it is today minus the outdated business tech, just with a much higher annual fee for access now. Can any of the old timers on here provide some insight into what the clubs were like back then? Based on the prices, listed in 1986, it seems the club fees are the only thing that is keeping up and beating inflation.
In 1986, they had 170,000 members, how many does United Club have now? At least a million?
"Red Carpet Club (United Airlines). With 170,000 members, United is out to expand its system of 27 lounges, including facilities at Washington National, BWI and Dulles. It will open a second lounge in Chicago next May and is renovating the Detroit club. Most provide conference rooms, and most are equipped with a financial news wire, weather services and stock tele-quote machines. All offer free coffee, tea and rolls, and a cash bar. One-time initiation fee is $ 100; annual dues are $ 75, or $ 100 with spouse. A lifetime membership is $ 1,125, $ 1,500 with spouse.
In 1986, they had 170,000 members, how many does United Club have now? At least a million?
Jul 14, 2020, 7:34 pm
#2
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As an annual member for most of that time, the RCC/UCs have never been known for the F&B but the past few years pre-COVID F&B was generally better than it had been for most of that time. Including some free bar items. And the initiation fee, greater than the annual fee in 1986, has generally been dropped or much smaller percentage. And crowding is nothing new.
Search "RCC" in United Mileage Plus (Pre-Merger) to find pretty much the same comments about RCCs as you see for UCs.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jul 14, 2020 at 7:50 pm
Jul 14, 2020, 10:05 pm
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... with the welcome exception of the HNL RCC. In the late 70's it was self-service, all free, cocktails. Then it went to all free, but no self-service, and then continued down the path to conformity with all the other RCCs.
Jul 14, 2020, 10:08 pm
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As an annual member for most of that time, the RCC/UCs have never been known for the F&B but the past few years pre-COVID F&B was generally better than it had been for most of that time. Including some free bar items. And the initiation fee, greater than the annual fee in 1986, has generally been dropped or much smaller percentage. And crowding is nothing new.
Search "RCC" in United Mileage Plus (Pre-Merger) to find pretty much the same comments about RCCs as you see for UCs.
Jul 14, 2020, 10:13 pm
#5
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I can't be 100% sure, but I think all the non-HNL RCCs had complimentary house drinks, but they weren't self pour. HNL left out the bottles and you helped yourself, and I remember thinking how odd that was at the time. I moved to Hawaii in 1979, and that's how it was then, but not sure how many years before it changed to non-self-serve.
Jul 14, 2020, 10:27 pm
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As an annual member for most of that time, the RCC/UCs have never been known for the F&B but the past few years pre-COVID F&B was generally better than it had been for most of that time. Including some free bar items. And the initiation fee, greater than the annual fee in 1986, has generally been dropped or much smaller percentage. And crowding is nothing new.
Search "RCC" in United Mileage Plus (Pre-Merger) to find pretty much the same comments about RCCs as you see for UCs.
I can't be 100% sure, but I think all the non-HNL RCCs had complimentary house drinks, but they weren't self pour. HNL left out the bottles and you helped yourself, and I remember thinking how odd that was at the time. I moved to Hawaii in 1979, and that's how it was then, but not sure how many years before it changed to non-self-serve.
Jul 14, 2020, 10:56 pm
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But you did get a number of RCC drink chits - 2 per entry (and separate drink chits for on the plane). Later RCC got rid of the drink chits and the certain items became free.
RCC/PC annoucement - free WiFi and snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (Oct 2010)
RCC/PC annoucement - free WiFi and snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (Oct 2010)
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jul 14, 2020 at 11:02 pm
Jul 15, 2020, 2:52 am
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But you did get a number of RCC drink chits - 2 per entry (and separate drink chits for on the plane). Later RCC got rid of the drink chits and the certain items became free.
RCC/PC annoucement - free WiFi and snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (Oct 2010)
RCC/PC annoucement - free WiFi and snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (Oct 2010)
Last edited by uanj; Jul 15, 2020 at 2:54 am Reason: clarity
Jul 15, 2020, 3:04 am
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I can't be 100% sure, but I think all the non-HNL RCCs had complimentary house drinks, but they weren't self pour. HNL left out the bottles and you helped yourself, and I remember thinking how odd that was at the time. I moved to Hawaii in 1979, and that's how it was then, but not sure how many years before it changed to non-self-serve.
Jul 15, 2020, 7:21 am
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Jul 15, 2020, 10:23 am
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The Delta Crown Rooms were quite nice. If memory serves, I think my annual fee was $100 when I first started using the Crown Rooms back in 1986. The alcoholic beverages were complimentary (and tended to be higher quality such as JW Black scotch) and one did not have to be flying with Delta in order to use the CR. The main CR in ATL tended to be a bit crowded but the one I used the most at LAX (I lived in California at the time) usually wasn't. I also remember the Crown Room at JFK had formerly been a Pan Am Clipper Club and was rather elegant.
Jul 15, 2020, 11:53 am
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So I'm seeing a pattern where if the club was formerly owned by PanAm, it was better than the airlines original clubs, including Delta at JFK in the post above. So were PanAm's clipper clubs just better when compared to other airlines back then?