United Devalues Clubs - Makes sure they are packed beyond capacity.
Jun 19, 2022, 10:59 am
#46
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ATL, BHM, DUB, County Wexford
Programs: DL DM, AA ExPlt, Diamond HH, HY, BW, & Titanium Elite Marriott
Posts: 4,855
Jun 19, 2022, 11:08 am
#47
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SRQ, PDX
Programs: UA 1 MM, AA, DL
Posts: 929
I wish the UC was 2.5k a year. No passes. No free membership. of course if it was, many here would howl that UA was ignoring their loyal base and that they should be exempted from having to pay such an exorbitant fee. I would have a quiet place to get a drink though, and afterall - isn't that what the clubs are for?
Jun 19, 2022, 11:09 am
#48
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,306
Jun 19, 2022, 12:21 pm
#49
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 23
Fly out of LAX and you can pay for it (https://reserveps.com/). Avoid the riffraff and the only unruly family you'll have to deal with is your own. If you don't have thousands of dollars to throw around then sorry, airlines aren't going to maintain a large space in a busy airport for a select group who aren't paying an arm and a leg.
Jun 19, 2022, 12:24 pm
#50
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA 1k (12 year fallen GS) 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,290
I've never waited 30 -- but I have waited 15 -- what messes everything up is the UC newbies -- they order a Sauvignon Blanc and find out that's not free -- only the headache in the bottle Chardonnay is -- so they ask for a menu, text their spouse to -- and we are off....
Jun 19, 2022, 12:31 pm
#51
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,154
I've never waited 30 -- but I have waited 15 -- what messes everything up is the UC newbies -- they order a Sauvignon Blanc and find out that's not free -- only the headache in the bottle Chardonnay is -- so they ask for a menu, text their spouse to -- and we are off....
At ORD on Saturday I was in line behind 14 people (which turned out to be 3x families of 4 + 1 young couple) to get scanned in and I had to listen to each on get the explanation "temporary club...no passes...members only...standing room only...no...sorry...can't sell you a pass..." and the follow-up objections/are-you-sure/but-we-won't-take-up-much-room. If I could hear it every time the agent explained it I'm really not sure why groups 2, 3, and 4 made her repeat herself but.....ARRRGH. (Also: Contrary to agent's bleak description, there was available seating for members which I appreciated)
Would be nice if the clubs did the self-boarding-gate thing (that I think I've seen at a few of the EU lounges) -- if you don't need assistance, just scan your BP and in. If the gate says no, see an agent.
Jun 19, 2022, 12:39 pm
#52
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA 1k (12 year fallen GS) 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,290
And there's the people who don't know that the sign outside the club "No One Time Passes" means....NO ONE TIME PASSES.
At ORD on Saturday I was in line behind 14 people (which turned out to be 3x families of 4 + 1 young couple) to get scanned in and I had to listen to each on get the explanation "temporary club...no passes...members only...standing room only...no...sorry...can't sell you a pass..." and the follow-up objections/are-you-sure/but-we-won't-take-up-much-room. If I could hear it every time the agent explained it I'm really not sure why groups 2, 3, and 4 made her repeat herself but.....ARRRGH. (Also: Contrary to agent's bleak description, there was available seating for members which I appreciated)
Would be nice if the clubs did the self-boarding-gate thing (that I think I've seen at a few of the EU lounges) -- if you don't need assistance, just scan your BP and in. If the gate says no, see an agent.
At ORD on Saturday I was in line behind 14 people (which turned out to be 3x families of 4 + 1 young couple) to get scanned in and I had to listen to each on get the explanation "temporary club...no passes...members only...standing room only...no...sorry...can't sell you a pass..." and the follow-up objections/are-you-sure/but-we-won't-take-up-much-room. If I could hear it every time the agent explained it I'm really not sure why groups 2, 3, and 4 made her repeat herself but.....ARRRGH. (Also: Contrary to agent's bleak description, there was available seating for members which I appreciated)
Would be nice if the clubs did the self-boarding-gate thing (that I think I've seen at a few of the EU lounges) -- if you don't need assistance, just scan your BP and in. If the gate says no, see an agent.
Jun 19, 2022, 1:42 pm
#53
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,992
All the airlines are slum lords. The clubs when not at peak capacity are an under utilized asset. There is zero incentive to do anything but cram people in. The clubs control the costs of operation by limiting the staff and refreshes of food. Ever try to get a drink? Line is 50 people long and takes 30 minutes. So unless you are 3 hours early you really wont get more than maybe two drinks. If you really want the exclusive experience then its time to fly private. Private jets have the quiet lounges with little overcrowding.
Ultimately this is the airlines fault. They trained us to think they were giving us something for nothing. The status game is an incredible racket where airlines train you to fly suboptimal routes and at horrible times to get a shiny badge that gives you just about nothing. There are so many people who are self entitled that they never stop to think they are the reason for this mess. I wish the UC was 2.5k a year. No passes. No free membership. of course if it was, many here would howl that UA was ignoring their loyal base and that they should be exempted from having to pay such an exorbitant fee. I would have a quiet place to get a drink though, and afterall - isn't that what the clubs are for?
Ultimately this is the airlines fault. They trained us to think they were giving us something for nothing. The status game is an incredible racket where airlines train you to fly suboptimal routes and at horrible times to get a shiny badge that gives you just about nothing. There are so many people who are self entitled that they never stop to think they are the reason for this mess. I wish the UC was 2.5k a year. No passes. No free membership. of course if it was, many here would howl that UA was ignoring their loyal base and that they should be exempted from having to pay such an exorbitant fee. I would have a quiet place to get a drink though, and afterall - isn't that what the clubs are for?
Yeah, the UCs bring out the worst behavior in flyers, with everyone aggressively queuing-up and taking as much "free" stuff as they can because they "earned it", or "paid for it". The crap they serve in the UCs isn't worth having if you ask me. However, a quiet environment with a nice comfortable seat and efficient workstation would inspire me to pay-up. I do like the Polaris lounge set-up for that, and the food is decent too.
Jun 19, 2022, 7:49 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 8,999
While I sympathize and have endured my fair share of jammed UCs, particularly at EWR (my home base), that means that UA is probably gauging demand correctly. If there was constantly a comfortable fit, it probably means that UA built the space only to max potential capacity and therefore is absorbing too large a cost on a variable-cost basis. I do think that cutting back on one-time passes might help, and raising the price could make a difference (although I would be curious to know how many folks have UC membership outright v. owning the Club card and its predecessors).
That said, EWR could use a club of some kind in C2 (although they might have to build vertically, if possible, to do that), even after the C1 renovation is complete. Both the new one in C3 and the one in C1 are pretty far from the C2 gates, which could be an impediment to travelers who do not already walk at the pace of us New York City dwellers.
That said, EWR could use a club of some kind in C2 (although they might have to build vertically, if possible, to do that), even after the C1 renovation is complete. Both the new one in C3 and the one in C1 are pretty far from the C2 gates, which could be an impediment to travelers who do not already walk at the pace of us New York City dwellers.
Jun 19, 2022, 8:38 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: UA, DL, LH, Marriott, Amex
Posts: 554
Until lounge access is removed as a "free" perk from credit cards, they will all be very, very crowded.
Jun 19, 2022, 9:34 pm
#56
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,370
Be careful what you wish for. I suspect UA would make a lot more money dropping paid memberships and making everyone use a day pass than they would by dropping the day passes.
Jun 19, 2022, 9:46 pm
#57
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: LAX
Programs: UA
Posts: 1,531
Not sure where you are traveling, but families are definitely not the problem (large or small). The issue with every airline lounge is credit cards and day passes. It's the same problem at Amex Centurion lounges (which they have had to make departure-only), Delta SkyClubs (because of co-branding), etc. Don't even start on Priority Pass lounges, which are often more crowded than the actual terminal.
Until lounge access is removed as a "free" perk from credit cards, they will all be very, very crowded.
Until lounge access is removed as a "free" perk from credit cards, they will all be very, very crowded.
Jun 19, 2022, 11:01 pm
#58
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
But kind of moot if you don't fly Delta. You have to actually fly Delta to get the benefits - and for many of us that is not an option.
Jun 19, 2022, 11:48 pm
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Not sure where you are traveling, but families are definitely not the problem (large or small). The issue with every airline lounge is credit cards and day passes. It's the same problem at Amex Centurion lounges (which they have had to make departure-only), Delta SkyClubs (because of co-branding), etc. Don't even start on Priority Pass lounges, which are often more crowded than the actual terminal.
Until lounge access is removed as a "free" perk from credit cards, they will all be very, very crowded.
Until lounge access is removed as a "free" perk from credit cards, they will all be very, very crowded.
Also I would suspect that if that card went away, most of the cardholders would just pay for the membership so I don't think that it would result in any less crowding.
Jun 20, 2022, 12:09 am
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,370
I've interpreted "credit card members" to mean the Explorer Card and the (two annual) passes. I agree, I thought the Club Card was mostly seen as a slightly discounted membership.