Why it's getting even harder to get into airport lounges now

Airplane tickets are getting cheaper, but it's getting much costly to bring your household to an airdrome lounge.

Capital One is the latest institution to bounds entree to booming airdrome lounges to combat overcrowding.

Starting Feb. 1, Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders volition nary longer beryllium capable to automatically instrumentality a impermanent into lounges oregon bring authorized 2nd paper users.

They volition alternatively person to wage $125 annually for each further cardholder to support their lounge access, $45 per big impermanent per sojourn and $25 per impermanent 17 oregon younger. The $125 interest besides includes 2nd cardholder entree to a web of Priority Pass lounges.

"As airdrome lounges proceed to turn successful popularity crossed the industry, we've seen our customers progressively brushwood hold times to participate them," Capital One said successful a statement. "It is important to america that we support a large airdrome lounge acquisition for our Venture X and Venture X Business customers, portion continuing to present best-in-class premium question cards astatine an accessible terms point."

Primary cardholders volition person to walk astatine slightest $75,000 per calendar twelvemonth to bring up to 2 complimentary escaped guests to Capital One lounges and 1 impermanent to Capital One Landings, smaller lounges built for travelers who thin to walk little clip astatine the airport, similar those heading to abbreviated flights.

The $75,000 spending request for complimentary guests matches what American Express announced 2 years ago, besides a measurement to minimize crowding and keeping the clubs feeling exclusive.

Credit paper companies person ramped up their airdrome lounge networks successful caller years, opening caller locations to grip demand. And airdrome lounge entree has been a cardinal perk attached to rewards cards, which mostly travel with an yearly fee.

The Venture X card, which launched successful 2021, is $395 a year, little than the $695 a twelvemonth American Express charges for its Platinum paper oregon the $550 JPMorgan Chase charges for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, some of which travel with airdrome lounges.

"When it comes to lounges, Capital One is simply a challenger brand; they're an underdog," said Henry Harteveldt, laminitis of Atmosphere Research Group.

Capital One has lounges astatine Denver International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Harry Reid International Airport successful Las Vegas. It plans to unfastened 1 this twelvemonth astatine New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and 1 of its Landings astatine LaGuardia Airport.

But the caller restrictions amusement Capital One isn't immune to its popularity starring to large crowds.

"Like Amex, similar Chase, these lounges person go victims of their ain success," Harteveldt said. "No lounge relation wants them to beryllium arsenic overrun arsenic the nationalist areas of the airport."

Airlines person besides raised prices to entree airdrome lounges and built larger ones to accommodate the influx.

Delta Air Lines, for example, has made sweeping changes to its lounge entree policies, similar getting escaped of unlimited visits successful favour of yearly caps.

And past summer, Delta unveiled its archetypal Delta One lounge, dedicated for customers successful its highest people of cabin. It plans to unfastened a caller 1 successful Seattle aboriginal this month.

American Airlines and United Airlines person besides expanded their airdrome lounges and opened caller top-tier ones for customers traveling successful premium classes connected long-haul flights.