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I’m sitting in the Capital One Landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) (review here) after having walked in and out of the Centurion® Lounge by American Express. I used to love visiting these lounges, but lately I am asking if they are even worth the time. The American Express offering was overcrowded with a buffet that looked completely unappealing. At the Capital One Landing, which I still argue is one of the best offerings in the United States, I was wedged into a counter and the Wi-Fi does not work.
I have long complained about what American Express is offering these days. Yet, I pay the $895 annual fee and spend more than $75,000 per year on the card (largely on airfare for the 5x Membership Rewards points) to maintain lounge access for guests and access for myself at the Delta Sky Clubs®. I’m finding myself questioning this more and more every year as the lounges are dirty, overcrowded, and just unpleasant. American Express has even had two locations fail health inspections at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (more here) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) (more here).
American Express has attempted to ease the crowding, but it’s largely not working. I still find getting in to be ridiculous at times and I am not going to wander around looking for a seat and a clean table. The lounges have been around since 2013. The first opened in Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) (review here). Since then, they have opened many more lounges. But, the quality is nowhere near what it once was and I often find myself happier sitting by the gate.
Capital One needs to be careful. I think that it’s currently leading the credit card lounge game, but experiences like today with the Wi-Fi and seating make me not want to spend time there either. At least the food in the Capital One Landings (designed by José Andrés) is still amazing. I love the concept of these lounges, but success is starting to take its toll here as well. Capital One has also restricted access, but it’s not enough.
Anthony’s Take: I’m not sure what the solution is for credit card lounges. They’re still way too crowded. I might be in the minority here, but I think the credit card issuers should make lounge access even more exclusive. Raise the cards annual fees to a level where folks don’t pay for them or make a tiered system like we’re seeing with airfare that adds benefits. I’d gladly pay higher annual fees if it meant the spaces would be empty.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
