Over the past several years, the popularity of airport lounge networks has caused these locations to adjust their entry rules. For example, Delta Sky Clubs now limit the number of times Amex Platinum and Delta SkyMiles Reserve cardholders can visit per year, while Amex’s own Centurion lounges have disallowed cardmembers from bringing guests — although, in both cases, those who spend $75,000 or more on their card can regain those perks. Speaking of Centurion, though, they’ve just enacted some more policy updates that could impact travelers.
First, if you are bringing a guest into the lounge, they need to be flying on the same flight as you. That may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s actually kind of a bummer, in my opinion. While this is presumably meant to stop generous cardholders from bringing random travelers into the lounge, I can think of at least one instance where this rule would have ruined my plans. One year, while visiting our mother for Thanksgiving, I brought my brother into the Centurion while we waited for our separate flights to our homes in different states from Philadelphia. It’s a bit sad to think that I won’t be able to do this anymore.
As for the other change, Centurion lounges will now put a cap on how long you can visit during a layover. Previously, while you could only visit the lounge up to three hours before your initial departure, this limit was waived for those who were on a layover. Well, now, cardmembers will only be able to visit up to 5 hours before their connecting flight. Granted, that’s still pretty generous, but it’s sure to ruin someone’s day. Plus, in my experience, a delayed departure may affect your entry time (assuming the flight is delayed before you enter, of course).
The irony is that, while these updates may help with overcrowding a bit, I don’t expect they’ll have a huge impact. Yet, for those travelers who do find themselves on the wrong end of these policy updates, there is sure to be frustration.
To their credit, Amex did give cardholders time to adjust to these new policies rather than just surprising us. Word of these updates was first shared by TPG back in January, meaning that customers had nearly six months of warning. Still, that doesn’t make it much easier to swallow.
Unfortunately, as cards such as the American Express Platinum and others continue to grow in popularity, lounge overcrowding will continue to be an issue with no easy solution. While Amex, Delta, and others are building new locations and making these policy updates to try to keep up, problems persist. So, while these changes to guest entry and layovers are the latest hits, you can expect that they won’t be the last.