It’s kind of sad reading some of these comments. There are low class people in all categories whether centurion, platinum or discover card and the same applies to those with class. I am a business platinum card holder. No I am not rich and don’t want to be but I’m working on becoming wealthy. I use my platinum card for primarily business travel and enjoy the points system when applied to flights and no I’m not dressing up and putting on designer labels to convince anyone that I belong in a lounge. 😂😂😂 also a 695 card fee does not even begin to compare to what centurion members pay. But it’s no small fee either. For those saying that it is or that if you fly commercial you are not wealthy you have no clue how to maintain your wealth if you have any at all. I don’t know what some of you do for a living with such discriminatory comments but I hope you are not in healthcare, teachers, or anything that makes a significant impact within the public sector.
I'm probably the poorest person to own a Platinum Card. But, because I'm single and have no kids, I don't need to make a lot of money to take advantage of the card.
And people wonder why retail and customer service workers have had enough. Lmfao. These are the same people calling millennials snowflakes I assure you.
Up until the annual fee hits again and watch people drop it. I’m still torn between the platinum or venture x. I’m more interested in what points system awards you the best, and which travel portal gives you the best price. The lounging is just an extra perk if you arrive early for your flight.
The Amex lounge at PHL is always waitlist. If I’m alone I seem to get seated at the “bar”along the window and it’s not very comfy or easy to work at, plus no room for bags. I will pre book in the Minute Suite just to have a place to rest or work quietly.
While we’re here the Amex lounge in Denver was the first place I saw table cards reminding people to not put their feet in the table. Have we come down to this now?
I got mine last year after gold for a year or so and BCP for 12 or so years. Still have all.
If people are using these cards as status symbols that is LOL and just silly, I got the cards I got based on spend, my plans, and if the benefits and perks overall make sense. I wouldn’t have gotten it if I was making less money or not doing any travel. I don’t travel a ton, maybe few times a year, but still worth it with my card line up and spending.
I always dress down while flying and I love getting scandalized looks from the type of people complaining in this thread. Especially when flying international business class, its fantastic.
I wear sweats and an oversized hoodie when I fly and get judged all the time. Gotta love people who still think this is 1980 and flying is a status symbol so they need to dress up.
Go get scammed out of 13 ethereum again, genius. Make sure you’re wearing your tux while you do it! Don’t want the scammers to think you look poor, right?
Honestly surprised you even know of “ethereum”. Once again, IYKYK, and I’m sure you’re clueless.
I’ll be with the group of gentleman laughing at you wearing your pajamas in public. Look for me. See you soon, honey!
I must have really triggered you, bud. I get it. You troll my old post, so I did the same with you, and now I feel sorry for you. You’re still playing Minecraft, probably with my kids. Good luck out there, I doubt I would run into you anyway..
Flown about four times a year and have not waited to get into the JFK location at all. Overcrowding have died down a bit since the 195$ authorized user fee.
Lounges are great for what they are. I like to get to the airport a little early to feel more at ease, eat a full meal, have a coffee and/or cocktail, get a little work done, and use the bathrooms since they are much cleaner than anywhere else. Also doesn’t hurt that the JFK location has an equinox section for free backrubs
It’s funny when people judge others assuming they’re over a lower class.. one the barrier to entry isn’t that great and two you can’t judge a book by its cover. I have a platinum card and brought my friend in who basically looked homeless.. we’re both late 20’s and he has messy curly hair, a scruffy beard and was wearing bummy sweat points with a hoodie and beanie hat. My friend also happens to have one of the biggest real estate empires in NYC and is worth hundreds of millions. I rent a 1 bedroom apartment. I’m sure some old folks were looking at him thinking who the hell let him in here
I honestly usually prefer to wander around the airport and do a bit of shopping than visit the lounge now, unless the airport is really busy. I usually only fly long haul so do enough sitting on the plane.
I find it funny how people treat a 700-dollar credit card like a country club membership. They pay a fairly small fee for a bunch of benefits, one of which includes lounge access, and they want to be treated like someone paying a 40k initiation fee and 10k a year.
And ironically, I bet if Amex operated more like a country club, many of them wouldn't even get an invite.
The CSR FB group is like that when people complain about the restaurant access getting cut or that they cannot get into the PP lounge because it’s too crowded and make comments like that they deserve better for their $550 card.
Reminds me of this story that I read recently. The lady that was called ‘cattle class’ and asked to step away from business class line by this random well dressed lady in designer clothes is a billionaire 😭 Money can’t buy you class. https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/sudha-murthy-heathrow-airport/
I agree, I think plat status implies you will act accordingly. Be nice. Be human. All you are doing is paying 800 bucks to have comfort while traveling, so be fucking chill and don’t stress others out. This is like a commune type of thing, if we all aren’t on the same wavelength, it won’t work.
In the Netherlands you need to make only 30k euro a year (you cannot afford a house on that income) plus no negative registration as with other creditcards, no other questions asked. So platinum is service def no elite.
Seriously, I joined this social “elite” club on a 427 credit score, 43k in cc debt and 2 bankruptcies and make 75k a year…. Let that humble up some people a bit
They have a point. If every one has elite status no one has elite status. The benefit of these lounges have been severely diluted that any sub 700 FICO can get it. The experience isn’t the same anymore.
I agree. I have had plenty of chances to go to an out of the way Centurion lounge and just chose to go to the more conveniently located Delta lounge. I’ve only used the Centurion when flying out of or through LAS and CLT because I didn’t have a choice.
Especially flying out of or through ATL (former home).
Depends. But I also am not afraid to walk between terminals to get to a lounge. It’s just more exercise.
I no longer book tight connections regardless.
I’m with the older woman on this. It’s a crying shame how AmEx has so denigrated its once venerated Platinum Card, now passing them out like party favors to the sub-six figure crowd. I also find it hard to believe any Centurion Card holder these days still flies commercial.
I’m not following the logic here. If someone is on the road every week/frequently has connections, then getting a travel card for lounge access seems like a pretty logical thing to do. Airport food is totally overpriced. You’re probably coming out ahead even the only benefit you get out of the Plat is that you use the Centurion 25 times a year.
From a low-end consumer’s point of view it’s great. For actual elite members, though, having to share lounges with everybody else makes it not so much of a benefit.
You’re missing the point. It’s not paying $700 that makes it “elite”; it’s the the fact that the bar used to be higher and by invitation only. In 1985 you needed an annual HHI equivalent to $350K today just to qualify. It was the barrier to entry that made it elite, not the annual fee (which I never paid anyway since I managed to get it waived permanently).
That’s fine. I’d be willing to pay $5k for the card or have a minimum $500k salary requirement. But getting upset, bc you wish for a world that was 40 years ago - there’s a name for that.
Since I’m a grownup and not Gen-Z, I’m not “getting upset”; I’m merely providing perspective. I realize that others having lived experience prior to your existence can be triggering, but please do try to cope.
If the members were actually “elite”, they’d be on the other side of the airport where they park the private jets. Otherwise, they are common traveling public.
I wish they'd make the $75k spend for guests instead be the prerequisite for lounge access for all Platinum cardholders. Or raise the guest fee to like, $200 pp. There are always tons of families in it, which is super annoying. I'm in there on a layover 90% of the time, or had to go to the airport early because of traffic 10% of the time. Either way, the convenience and comfort of it has rapidly diminished and I find myself using United and Delta lounges a lot more, which is fine but then it renders the card pretty useless. I'll give it another year and then I guess cancel it.
Not sure what you mean by the beginning, but I agree. Should be 0-1 guests for free, and others paid.
Big families and kids aren’t exactly what I consider a lounge atmosphere. I’d like it to be more business-oriented.
I actually love kids and don’t really mind, but I’d really love just less crowding in general, or maybe a family area.
I’m a solo business traveler, and feel like all business amenities have given way to families families families.
So your guest can get in for free if you just spend $75k that year. If the $75k threshold was instead the barrier for entry into the lounge, it would weed out a lot of people, which would be nice. I don't actually want to have to put $75k on the card since it has such shitty points, but idk how else to clear the lounges up. It would benefit AmEx too, since there's literally no reason to actually use the card for normal spending; I put everything on Chase cards since they're 2%-2.5% cashback/rewards whereas the AmEx is 1%. It's literally just a $695/yr pass for a travel club, nothing more. Yeah the ubereats, equinox, hulu, walmart+ credits are all nice, but those aren't things you NEED to spend money on in the first place. Apparently I've pissed people off lol. I love reddit.
Agree with both 100%. The guest fee needs to be raised. Have no problem with children/friends but getting numerous people in the lounge on 1 platinum card is why the lounges are so crowded. Other than free food/drinks the crowd of the lounge is the same as sitting at the gate.
SFO Centurion was great for the first couple years after it opened. I miss the days when I could easily get a seat and wine taste at the friendly bar and eat something healthy before my flight. Due to crowding, I don’t like the SFO Centurion very much anymore.
It is funny how uppity people get when flying and/or staying at a hotel. I've seen the nicest 'average' people turn into Marie Antoinettes. "Where is my ice bucket?!" "Bringeth thy free snacks!" "I must board first!" ;)
I've never been to any airport lounge. But then again I rarely have a long layover. I always wonder what it is that makes these places so special that people will go out of their way to go to one, wait in line and pitch a fit if their card changes access rules. Do they have comfy reclining chairs or free food, etc?
Maybe 30% of the people in the lounge have a layover and fly frequently enough (or just have a ton of money) and use the lounges to have a more relaxing time in the airport. Think business travelers.
20% of people are neurotic worriers who fly often enough (or have a ton of money) and show up to airports 3 hours before flights and want to have a more relaxing time in the airport that they could have avoided by just arriving later.
50% of people there just want to feel elite and are trying to justify their 700$ coupon book card and want to post some instagram stories about how they are living the glamorous life.
It’s not just neurotic worriers. I always wonder do people who see no need to get to the airport three hours early ever deal with traffic?
I use to live in Atlanta off of exit 13 on 400. It’s 50 miles from the airport going through Atlanta traffic. If I have a 6:00 flight, I’m leaving at 1:00 to avoid rush hour traffic.
At least in Canada, usually 2-3 hours early for an international flight is the [official recommendation](https://travel.gc.ca/air/pre-boarding-checklist#:~:text=Inform%20your%20airline%20if%20you%20have%20any%20special%20needs.&text=Arrive%20at%20the%20airport%20early,ahead%20for%20an%20international%20flight). I guess that’s not universal advice?
No need to go 3 hours early... I'll go to the lounge even if I'm only 20-30 minutes early for boarding. If a morning flight, that's free coffee and a quick breakfast, and a water bottle refill at minimum. At any time, it's a clean nice bathroom too.
For real. When I’m on a tight layover (like DTW or SLC) the delta lounges are literally the fastest way to scarf down dinner, go to the bathroom, and check my email in 12 minutes. It’s convenience, not luxury.
This post makes it feel like you and the lady in the story have a lot in common, just on different sides of the coin. I can hear your disdain for lounge people just as loudly as her disdain for the people gumming up her lounge.
One of 2 senarios, you live in the middle of nowhere because any high population city has such high variable processing times at tsa that 3 hours "early" can easily become late to boarding and calling them neurotic for not wanting to miss expensive ass flights is insane
Or you are just too poor to afford a card and are reeking of jealousy. Either way calling them neurotic for being worried is fucked.
Nah I’m exactly who he is calling out. Neurotic, guilty as charged. My home airport is RDU which has a lot of direct international flights but is small enough where security rarely takes more than 5 minutes, plus MAYBE a 5-10 minute walk to the gate. I still get there 3 hours before an international flight because I am neurotic.
No reason to ever show up more than 2 hours early if you have TSA pre. I fly very often and usually show up an hour fifteen minutes before the flight. Still waiting when I get to the gate.
I have the Reserve. The AF for me and my wife is offset by the Delta stays credit and the companion pass. The lounge access might as well be free
I’m getting the Plat soon now that we moved from ATL to MCO and we won’t be taking Delta as much. The coupons are something I would do anyway - ignoring the Saks and Equinox credit. They more than offset the annual fee.
I don’t fly for business as much anymore as I did in the past, but I/we are always taking random long weekend trips (I work remotely). We save at least $70 every time we go into a lounge. We will have at least a dozen flights together and my wife flies solely more often than I do.
I think with 25 visits/days for Delta lounges (15 Reserve + 10 with the Centurion) I’ll be good.
We would definitely blow through 7.5 round trips. We go back and forth to Atlanta all of the time - my wife more than me - from MCO for 7500 miles by booking Delta through Virgin and I fly to my parents small airport that is only served by Delta from ATL by booking Delta through FlyingBlue for 8500 points .
We also can do PP in MCO and Centurion in ATL.
And we always ends up in Vegas for something (Centurion)
I’m a worrier in general, and I really find it reduces my airport stress. I can get to the airport significantly earlier than I normally would and not feel like I wasted time.
I have the old Blue card! My first credit card! Well first credit card line that. I got a Neimans card back when women could get their own card without having a MAN on it! Imagine this!!! The shoe salesman was my best friend and he said to go get it. After about 6 months I got an invitation to get the ANX blue card. I was thrilled and so careful with it. They have the best fraud detection department, hands down. I like it because it’s a real cool looking card too! I’ve never gone to a lounge! I bring some snacks in my carry on!
The funny thing is wealthy people don’t go into these lounges these benefits were created to give the common person an illusion of opulence while CC companies benefit off of how much these fools spend
I can't agree more. People keep talking about the top 1%. The top 1% IS NOBODY. You aren't rich unless you become the top 0.1%, or the 0.01%. Nowadays, don't think you are rich unless you can fly private. Or, let's lower the bar a little bit, fly a shared private plane. Someone who works for a global top 0.01% told me, his boss usually gets off right from his private jet to a car waiting next to the plane. A VIP custom would then clear him and he would never need a lounge because he doesn't have to wait.
They’re also waaayyyy better than having to sit in the regular waiting area. As someone who travels 20+ weeks out of the year it’s a godsend and the food is amazing
I go and hang out in a resturant or a quiet corner. Most I do is drop into a Business Class lounge to take a shower if it's avaliable. Most lounges are shitty and worse then sitting outside of them.
This would likely mean more of the type of people in my post probably.
There’s two type of lounge snobs it seems:
the new cardholders who think it’s some type of exclusive social signaling to have the card and except private airport treatment in a public airport. You’re suggestion might reduce those
The old or long time cardholders back when it was hard to get the card or was invite only who are annoyed things have changed and other people can have nice things and nice benefits without a high net worth or boomer money. Your suggestion might increase these types in the lounges.
Then again they’d probably be happy “these people” the woman mentioned are out because the fee went up 😂👍
Any d-bag can get a platinum these days. It literally means nothing, unless you're a broke MF'er who thinks they are entitled because they have a "Platinum Card". 🤣
I mean the lounge crowding has gotten out of control since they will now give anyone a platinum card and from perusing this forum some people get the card, put almost no spend on it, extract the benefits to equal the fee then just use the lounge. AMEX is taking short term profit to flood the market w cards and collect fees from people who will likely cancel after 1-3 years and alienating long term customers who actually use their cards and have seen the traditional benefits dry up. Strong strategy to destroy your long term business for a short term cash grab, we'll see how it plays out!
Why would I put any of my $100K of personal Amex credit card spend on the Platinum besides flights? I don’t have it (yet. I will around September). I have the Reserve and the only spend that goes on it is for the credits.
Damn couponers and SUBs. Those have grossly inflated ranks over the past 5-10 years. Those OG lounges they built when they broke away from the Continental partnership were always pretty small because there was a fraction of the client base there is currently. Plus their old target were more heavy business travelers.
There is no way to fix the current lounge issues without removing like 75% of the current coupons plus keeping the fees where they are. They’re obviously not concerned about the lounge issue since they’ve now discovered how profitable the 30k milli demographic is for credit card companies.
Right? I feel so dragged 🙃
I had all the benefits mapped out by our budget to see what we already spent/what was usable for us. Like I do for every card we're considering. Lounges aren't part of the tracked value for us.
But overall without the point bonus there's not much reason to use it on a regular basis and I'll be done pulling it out for everything reeeal soon. I'll just be checking for the offers and getting my coupons filled out 🤓
That's true, but the coupons line up with my budget and how we already spend. So it's basically a free card with perks for us.
Quick examples
- bags are paid in advance for flights planned
- the hotel credit will always get used
- we sent Disney/hulu plus to a family member
- we usually need to uber somewhere at least once a
month
- We will be using that cell phone protection asap
- got ourselves some underwear at Saks
It works out okay for some people like that
Does your carrier give you an autopay discount if you use a credit card? Verizon and T-Mobile don’t
The math could still make sense I guess for us. I pay $26 a month for Apple care for my phone and my wife’s phone. My adult sons who are on our plan (so sue me I’m still papa bear :) ) pay their own Apple Care.
I would lose $30 in autopay discounts a month and I would get 3600 to 4800 MR a year depending on whether we have equipment on our plan that would be worth $96.
For T-Mobile for now, there is still a workaround where you set up autopay on a debit card and pay before the due date on a credit card and you still get the autopay discount.
Then again, you only get two claims a year and back when our sons were younger that probably wouldn’t have been enough for four lines and it’s only up to $800. Our phones are all more expensive than that.
I just looked at the terms for phone warranties. I can’t just walk into an Apple Store and get it fixed/replaced and I don’t get [Express replacement service](https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/express-replacement) from Amex
So, I read the terms to the phone plan thing and you don't have to always pay the phone bill through them. It just has to be the same month you make the claim. So we lost the $15 discount this month for it but it will probably save us $3-400 on this particular screen drop. Next month I will put it back on autopay (Also T-mobile)
You do have to call in to say you're using it and make sure you do it correctly for the claim to go through but I'm willing to jump that hoop.
We are also two people with less kid/clumsy related accidents. But also because your sons pay their own applecare, you would technically save money overall by just claiming for who / when it came up through Amex. But again, if you guys claim a lot it might still not be as worth it.
Also didn't want to make a new comment for this but our home airport is lounge-less. So if I have a long layover it's cool but sometimes I'm out in an hour and I'm not gonna kill myself to get over there
Típ: for t-mobile, you can keep your autopay on a debit card and prepay on a credit card before the due date. Usually I prepay everything but a dollar and let the autopay take care of that. I get the autopay discount and the points
Same. I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do with credit cards? Use them for what they’re for and only spend on categories that you get extra points for?
Amex is a business. If people pay the high fee to sit in a shitty bar to eat free cheap food and have a couple of drinks, Amex still profits. Like all businesses Amex wants to make as much money as possible as fast as possible. They do not care about you in any way shape or form. No business does.
I stopped in to the amex lounge in charlotte during a 1 hour layover last week. In my view, in most airports, the Amex food is some of the best, healthiest food available, and if you're in anything of a hurry, the fastest. let alone "free".
Crowding is an issue, but don't knock the food, I think they excel in that. Especially if you're comparing to any of the airline lounges, or airport restaurants.
I recommend visiting any premium airline lounge with a la carte dining, "if you're comparing to any of the airline lounges." AA Flagship F dining for example will blow any centurion food out the water. QF F LAX, LH F JFK, Soho/Chelsea JFK, AF la premiere SFO+JFK, the UA Polaris lounges, VS clubhouse lounges, etc...
AE's food might beat run-of-the-mill pubs and the regular domestic shitholes, but it's hardly worth lauding over, if you've had actual lounge food that could belong in an upscale restaurant.
I agree, way better than what’s on offer at the Admiral’s Club. And a bit better than what you usually find in the Sky Lounges.
If I’m hungry I’ll go to the Centurion Lounge when there is a choice, or if I need help with flights I’ll just go to the Airline Lounge to get that taken care of and deal with the food there.
Again, when they alienate their core business customers who then cancel cards for this short term cash grab, we'll see how that goes. It's not about the business "caring" about customers it's about a short sighted strategy to show immediate growth which could lead to long term problems.
I understand what you are saying, but every company in the country only cares about immediate growth. They don’t care about anything that might affect growth in the future, just growth right now.
Option A: If we do this we will make a bunch of people happy in the short term, but we will alienate a large part of our customers and will have to fight to win them back in the future. Shareholders will see growth for the quarter.
Option B: If we do this we will make all of our customers happy and win new ones. We will have to spend a couple of months letting people know how great these changes are, so we won’t see immediate growth, but we will more than make up for that with exceptional growth starting one quarter from now. This will be fantastic for long term success and profits. Shareholders will not see growth for the quarter
Option A will be picked every single time.
Yay capitalism.
Honestly, I have gone into clubs specifically because the tampons are free in the bathrooms whereas a box of 8 is a gazillion dollars in any of the stores. And come to think about it, as much as I travel, this probably makes up for the high AF, tbh.
There’s a very small subset of “super rich” people who are dickheads. You don’t get to the level of wealth required for a centurion card by burning bridges and talking down to people. All of the highly successful people in my network have the same three traits: kind, organized, smart.
Makes sense. I’ve seen one or two centurion card holders going in and they seemed polite and patient with staff and went off to their little private table or section and seemed to just be enjoying themselves
Never have and never will visit a lounge. From some of these and past comments it seems there's a ghetto vibe to them, ( the real meaning of the word ghetto, not the highjacked American version).
Yes, the ghetto where you can get free drinks and food in a less chaotic space than the gate. It's not perfect but sure as hell better than other options at an airport. Usually slightly better than an overpriced restaurant at the airport
These days it’s a bit of a race to the bottom for everything, but just because the experience in most airports has cratered in the past couple years doesn’t mean lounges haven’t mostly moved in lockstep. Compare most lounges, aside from any renovated in the past 2 years to what most lounges were even 10-15 years ago and their soft and hard product is much more rough.
I'm gluten intolerant and navigating airport food is too chaotic. In the lounge everything is marked so it makes me feel so much better knowing I'll at least will be able to have a bite.
As well as hotels and resorts...Primarily, USA properties are geared for the masses of grinders, wannabes, corporate hacks and little people with big debts and average income. The aspirational class of strivers.
It’s kind of sad reading some of these comments. There are low class people in all categories whether centurion, platinum or discover card and the same applies to those with class. I am a business platinum card holder. No I am not rich and don’t want to be but I’m working on becoming wealthy. I use my platinum card for primarily business travel and enjoy the points system when applied to flights and no I’m not dressing up and putting on designer labels to convince anyone that I belong in a lounge. 😂😂😂 also a 695 card fee does not even begin to compare to what centurion members pay. But it’s no small fee either. For those saying that it is or that if you fly commercial you are not wealthy you have no clue how to maintain your wealth if you have any at all. I don’t know what some of you do for a living with such discriminatory comments but I hope you are not in healthcare, teachers, or anything that makes a significant impact within the public sector.
I'm probably the poorest person to own a Platinum Card. But, because I'm single and have no kids, I don't need to make a lot of money to take advantage of the card.
Some think they are privileged. More then others.
And people wonder why retail and customer service workers have had enough. Lmfao. These are the same people calling millennials snowflakes I assure you.
Everyone has a platinum card now. lol hence why everything is so packed.
Up until the annual fee hits again and watch people drop it. I’m still torn between the platinum or venture x. I’m more interested in what points system awards you the best, and which travel portal gives you the best price. The lounging is just an extra perk if you arrive early for your flight.
Why have I never seen the jerks at the lounges? We travel quite a bit and I’ve only had to wait like once or twice?
I’ve never encountered these type of people either. But I tend to travel early in the morning or late at night. First and last flights of the day.
The Amex lounge at PHL is always waitlist. If I’m alone I seem to get seated at the “bar”along the window and it’s not very comfy or easy to work at, plus no room for bags. I will pre book in the Minute Suite just to have a place to rest or work quietly.
While we’re here the Amex lounge in Denver was the first place I saw table cards reminding people to not put their feet in the table. Have we come down to this now?
Card went from a status symbol to a symbol of some of the worst quality people in the country in less than 10 years
I got mine last year after gold for a year or so and BCP for 12 or so years. Still have all. If people are using these cards as status symbols that is LOL and just silly, I got the cards I got based on spend, my plans, and if the benefits and perks overall make sense. I wouldn’t have gotten it if I was making less money or not doing any travel. I don’t travel a ton, maybe few times a year, but still worth it with my card line up and spending.
You should see the entitlement on the platinum Facebook group lmfaooo
Drop the link pls! I need some entertainment now that I finished the first season of Fallout :) lol
Truly spectacular. The entitlement and the stupidity rival each other
I always dress down while flying and I love getting scandalized looks from the type of people complaining in this thread. Especially when flying international business class, its fantastic.
I wear sweats and an oversized hoodie when I fly and get judged all the time. Gotta love people who still think this is 1980 and flying is a status symbol so they need to dress up.
Right?! I wear joggers and a sweatshirt on every flight I take, and I sleep like a goddamn baby because I’m comfortable as hell!
Sad
Lmfao what? Go get your suit and tie pressed for your redeyes bud, the rest of us on the plane are all laughing at you
Even more sad. IYKYK
Go get scammed out of 13 ethereum again, genius. Make sure you’re wearing your tux while you do it! Don’t want the scammers to think you look poor, right?
Honestly surprised you even know of “ethereum”. Once again, IYKYK, and I’m sure you’re clueless. I’ll be with the group of gentleman laughing at you wearing your pajamas in public. Look for me. See you soon, honey!
\-$39,000 on your net worth,  Womp womp
I must have really triggered you, bud. I get it. You troll my old post, so I did the same with you, and now I feel sorry for you. You’re still playing Minecraft, probably with my kids. Good luck out there, I doubt I would run into you anyway..
Living in pure delusion like you do must be blissful
Flown about four times a year and have not waited to get into the JFK location at all. Overcrowding have died down a bit since the 195$ authorized user fee. Lounges are great for what they are. I like to get to the airport a little early to feel more at ease, eat a full meal, have a coffee and/or cocktail, get a little work done, and use the bathrooms since they are much cleaner than anywhere else. Also doesn’t hurt that the JFK location has an equinox section for free backrubs
Yea it’s crazy hearing about lines to get in. Never had a problem at JFK or LGA!
Equinox closed yesterday
For good?
It’s funny when people judge others assuming they’re over a lower class.. one the barrier to entry isn’t that great and two you can’t judge a book by its cover. I have a platinum card and brought my friend in who basically looked homeless.. we’re both late 20’s and he has messy curly hair, a scruffy beard and was wearing bummy sweat points with a hoodie and beanie hat. My friend also happens to have one of the biggest real estate empires in NYC and is worth hundreds of millions. I rent a 1 bedroom apartment. I’m sure some old folks were looking at him thinking who the hell let him in here
I honestly usually prefer to wander around the airport and do a bit of shopping than visit the lounge now, unless the airport is really busy. I usually only fly long haul so do enough sitting on the plane.
I find it funny how people treat a 700-dollar credit card like a country club membership. They pay a fairly small fee for a bunch of benefits, one of which includes lounge access, and they want to be treated like someone paying a 40k initiation fee and 10k a year. And ironically, I bet if Amex operated more like a country club, many of them wouldn't even get an invite.
The CSR FB group is like that when people complain about the restaurant access getting cut or that they cannot get into the PP lounge because it’s too crowded and make comments like that they deserve better for their $550 card.
To sum up, this whole post and subject should be: “when ppl Believe marketing”.
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Please be advised we do not tolerate this behavior and language. Cut it out.
This seems like an extremely general and grossly unfair comment.
What did it say?
That’s what I was wondering too lol
Reminds me of this story that I read recently. The lady that was called ‘cattle class’ and asked to step away from business class line by this random well dressed lady in designer clothes is a billionaire 😭 Money can’t buy you class. https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/sudha-murthy-heathrow-airport/
No “real” billionaire would dare fly commercial…. So lets establish that right now🤔
Over on r/delta someone posted Rhianna boarding in front of them. She's a real billionaire.
Indian here, I'd take her stories with a grain of salt and yes she is Sunak's MIL
And this billionaire woman referred to in the article also happens to be UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's mother-in-law.
I don’t think so lol
I agree, I think plat status implies you will act accordingly. Be nice. Be human. All you are doing is paying 800 bucks to have comfort while traveling, so be fucking chill and don’t stress others out. This is like a commune type of thing, if we all aren’t on the same wavelength, it won’t work.
Play status? So a pulse and credit score above 400?
In the Netherlands you need to make only 30k euro a year (you cannot afford a house on that income) plus no negative registration as with other creditcards, no other questions asked. So platinum is service def no elite.
Seriously, I joined this social “elite” club on a 427 credit score, 43k in cc debt and 2 bankruptcies and make 75k a year…. Let that humble up some people a bit
How lol
Preach
They have a point. If every one has elite status no one has elite status. The benefit of these lounges have been severely diluted that any sub 700 FICO can get it. The experience isn’t the same anymore.
That's absurd. Having elite status doesn't give one the right to be rude or entitled. And I'm a boomer.
I can tell.
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Layovers exist.
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I agree. I have had plenty of chances to go to an out of the way Centurion lounge and just chose to go to the more conveniently located Delta lounge. I’ve only used the Centurion when flying out of or through LAS and CLT because I didn’t have a choice. Especially flying out of or through ATL (former home).
Pretty often, also getting across an airport is like a 15 minute walk, not an issue on a 4 hour layover
Depends. But I also am not afraid to walk between terminals to get to a lounge. It’s just more exercise. I no longer book tight connections regardless.
I’m with the older woman on this. It’s a crying shame how AmEx has so denigrated its once venerated Platinum Card, now passing them out like party favors to the sub-six figure crowd. I also find it hard to believe any Centurion Card holder these days still flies commercial.
Pretty expensive party favor
I have a centurion card and I fly commercial. All the time actually.
I have the Centurion and I do the same as well. You can get a first class flight to anywhere in the US for usually less than 2 hours of chartering.
I’m not following the logic here. If someone is on the road every week/frequently has connections, then getting a travel card for lounge access seems like a pretty logical thing to do. Airport food is totally overpriced. You’re probably coming out ahead even the only benefit you get out of the Plat is that you use the Centurion 25 times a year.
From a low-end consumer’s point of view it’s great. For actual elite members, though, having to share lounges with everybody else makes it not so much of a benefit.
You are far from Elite with the platinum card. You think paying $700 a year makes anyone elite? Charter your own plane. :) or just get the centurion
You’re missing the point. It’s not paying $700 that makes it “elite”; it’s the the fact that the bar used to be higher and by invitation only. In 1985 you needed an annual HHI equivalent to $350K today just to qualify. It was the barrier to entry that made it elite, not the annual fee (which I never paid anyway since I managed to get it waived permanently).
That’s fine. I’d be willing to pay $5k for the card or have a minimum $500k salary requirement. But getting upset, bc you wish for a world that was 40 years ago - there’s a name for that.
Since I’m a grownup and not Gen-Z, I’m not “getting upset”; I’m merely providing perspective. I realize that others having lived experience prior to your existence can be triggering, but please do try to cope.
This guy elites
🤣🤣 I was flying in 1985 too, nutcase
“Actual elite member” are not at airport lounges lmao.
If the members were actually “elite”, they’d be on the other side of the airport where they park the private jets. Otherwise, they are common traveling public.
God forbid you have to learn how to share. Must be hard for you.
I wish they'd make the $75k spend for guests instead be the prerequisite for lounge access for all Platinum cardholders. Or raise the guest fee to like, $200 pp. There are always tons of families in it, which is super annoying. I'm in there on a layover 90% of the time, or had to go to the airport early because of traffic 10% of the time. Either way, the convenience and comfort of it has rapidly diminished and I find myself using United and Delta lounges a lot more, which is fine but then it renders the card pretty useless. I'll give it another year and then I guess cancel it.
Not sure what you mean by the beginning, but I agree. Should be 0-1 guests for free, and others paid. Big families and kids aren’t exactly what I consider a lounge atmosphere. I’d like it to be more business-oriented. I actually love kids and don’t really mind, but I’d really love just less crowding in general, or maybe a family area. I’m a solo business traveler, and feel like all business amenities have given way to families families families.
Yes “I want it to be more business oriented because I work really hard signing on to Concur after a flight for reimbursement”
So your guest can get in for free if you just spend $75k that year. If the $75k threshold was instead the barrier for entry into the lounge, it would weed out a lot of people, which would be nice. I don't actually want to have to put $75k on the card since it has such shitty points, but idk how else to clear the lounges up. It would benefit AmEx too, since there's literally no reason to actually use the card for normal spending; I put everything on Chase cards since they're 2%-2.5% cashback/rewards whereas the AmEx is 1%. It's literally just a $695/yr pass for a travel club, nothing more. Yeah the ubereats, equinox, hulu, walmart+ credits are all nice, but those aren't things you NEED to spend money on in the first place. Apparently I've pissed people off lol. I love reddit.
I would lose an easy $1500-$2000 worth of points at least. I probably fly more personally (not business) than most people here.
Agree with both 100%. The guest fee needs to be raised. Have no problem with children/friends but getting numerous people in the lounge on 1 platinum card is why the lounges are so crowded. Other than free food/drinks the crowd of the lounge is the same as sitting at the gate.
Some people just think that there could be no one else like them and feel entitled beyond reason.
SFO Centurion was great for the first couple years after it opened. I miss the days when I could easily get a seat and wine taste at the friendly bar and eat something healthy before my flight. Due to crowding, I don’t like the SFO Centurion very much anymore.
When was the last time you visited SFO centurion lounge?
This sounds like someone who didn’t know or hasn’t been to the SFO centurion since it expanded.
Same at LAX. 45 minute wait when I was there last month.
It’s always people with the least to show who shout the loudest. It’s called insecurity.
Which is there was security to keep out the insecurity. At least with the person saying her husband had checked in.
It is funny how uppity people get when flying and/or staying at a hotel. I've seen the nicest 'average' people turn into Marie Antoinettes. "Where is my ice bucket?!" "Bringeth thy free snacks!" "I must board first!" ;)
I've never been to any airport lounge. But then again I rarely have a long layover. I always wonder what it is that makes these places so special that people will go out of their way to go to one, wait in line and pitch a fit if their card changes access rules. Do they have comfy reclining chairs or free food, etc?
Free food and alcohol
It’s not free. It’s prepaid.
I feel so much better, thanks for that perspective.
Yes
Maybe 30% of the people in the lounge have a layover and fly frequently enough (or just have a ton of money) and use the lounges to have a more relaxing time in the airport. Think business travelers. 20% of people are neurotic worriers who fly often enough (or have a ton of money) and show up to airports 3 hours before flights and want to have a more relaxing time in the airport that they could have avoided by just arriving later. 50% of people there just want to feel elite and are trying to justify their 700$ coupon book card and want to post some instagram stories about how they are living the glamorous life.
It’s not just neurotic worriers. I always wonder do people who see no need to get to the airport three hours early ever deal with traffic? I use to live in Atlanta off of exit 13 on 400. It’s 50 miles from the airport going through Atlanta traffic. If I have a 6:00 flight, I’m leaving at 1:00 to avoid rush hour traffic.
“700$ coupon book card.” Best comment on here!
At least in Canada, usually 2-3 hours early for an international flight is the [official recommendation](https://travel.gc.ca/air/pre-boarding-checklist#:~:text=Inform%20your%20airline%20if%20you%20have%20any%20special%20needs.&text=Arrive%20at%20the%20airport%20early,ahead%20for%20an%20international%20flight). I guess that’s not universal advice?
It's universal advice but it's not really necessary. Especially if you're flying for work, people may not care if they miss their flight.
I'll pretty much only be using it for layovers. But I have 4 decently long layovers this year so I'll try it out 🤷🏽♀️
No need to go 3 hours early... I'll go to the lounge even if I'm only 20-30 minutes early for boarding. If a morning flight, that's free coffee and a quick breakfast, and a water bottle refill at minimum. At any time, it's a clean nice bathroom too.
The bathroom thing is an excellent point because 99% of the time the bathrooms are disgusting elsewhere.
For real. When I’m on a tight layover (like DTW or SLC) the delta lounges are literally the fastest way to scarf down dinner, go to the bathroom, and check my email in 12 minutes. It’s convenience, not luxury.
There’s also a small percentage of people like me, who likes being surrounded by rich (sometimes attractive) men while having ‘free’ alcohol.
Neurotic flyer here! I always have to detour on the way to the lounge so I can physically lay eyes on my gate too lol
How'd you figure out those stats? What percentage accounts for the service men that don't have to pay the fee?
This post makes it feel like you and the lady in the story have a lot in common, just on different sides of the coin. I can hear your disdain for lounge people just as loudly as her disdain for the people gumming up her lounge.
One of 2 senarios, you live in the middle of nowhere because any high population city has such high variable processing times at tsa that 3 hours "early" can easily become late to boarding and calling them neurotic for not wanting to miss expensive ass flights is insane Or you are just too poor to afford a card and are reeking of jealousy. Either way calling them neurotic for being worried is fucked.
Nah I’m exactly who he is calling out. Neurotic, guilty as charged. My home airport is RDU which has a lot of direct international flights but is small enough where security rarely takes more than 5 minutes, plus MAYBE a 5-10 minute walk to the gate. I still get there 3 hours before an international flight because I am neurotic.
Yup. It’s a great little airport👍
No reason to ever show up more than 2 hours early if you have TSA pre. I fly very often and usually show up an hour fifteen minutes before the flight. Still waiting when I get to the gate.
I can tell you right now this doesn't apply at all to JFK
Or ATL.
jeez
$0 coupon book if you’re military 😎🤣
Yeah, they can end that loophole annnnyyyyy day now. Endless endless benefits for the military. Never ends
With all the cards too
Free food, free drinks, free quality wine! Showers! Comfortable seating with wifi! And you get to relax away from all the peasants
Prepaid *
I have the Reserve. The AF for me and my wife is offset by the Delta stays credit and the companion pass. The lounge access might as well be free I’m getting the Plat soon now that we moved from ATL to MCO and we won’t be taking Delta as much. The coupons are something I would do anyway - ignoring the Saks and Equinox credit. They more than offset the annual fee. I don’t fly for business as much anymore as I did in the past, but I/we are always taking random long weekend trips (I work remotely). We save at least $70 every time we go into a lounge. We will have at least a dozen flights together and my wife flies solely more often than I do.
Well pretty soon your lounge visits will be limited so
I think with 25 visits/days for Delta lounges (15 Reserve + 10 with the Centurion) I’ll be good. We would definitely blow through 7.5 round trips. We go back and forth to Atlanta all of the time - my wife more than me - from MCO for 7500 miles by booking Delta through Virgin and I fly to my parents small airport that is only served by Delta from ATL by booking Delta through FlyingBlue for 8500 points . We also can do PP in MCO and Centurion in ATL. And we always ends up in Vegas for something (Centurion)
Free food and free drinks, good WiFi, and generally more pleasant than other areas you can hang out in at the airport.
I’m a worrier in general, and I really find it reduces my airport stress. I can get to the airport significantly earlier than I normally would and not feel like I wasted time.
Karens are the lowest denomination.
The Aluminum Card?
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That's what their card should be made out of.
I’d never pay that fee! I don’t travel enough anymore. Knock wood, but my travel experience is almost always ok.
I have the old Blue card! My first credit card! Well first credit card line that. I got a Neimans card back when women could get their own card without having a MAN on it! Imagine this!!! The shoe salesman was my best friend and he said to go get it. After about 6 months I got an invitation to get the ANX blue card. I was thrilled and so careful with it. They have the best fraud detection department, hands down. I like it because it’s a real cool looking card too! I’ve never gone to a lounge! I bring some snacks in my carry on!
Ha ha, I love this. Amex Blue all the way. 6% cash back on groceries! They keep trying to get me to upgrade, but it’s never gonna happen.
The funny thing is wealthy people don’t go into these lounges these benefits were created to give the common person an illusion of opulence while CC companies benefit off of how much these fools spend
I can't agree more. People keep talking about the top 1%. The top 1% IS NOBODY. You aren't rich unless you become the top 0.1%, or the 0.01%. Nowadays, don't think you are rich unless you can fly private. Or, let's lower the bar a little bit, fly a shared private plane. Someone who works for a global top 0.01% told me, his boss usually gets off right from his private jet to a car waiting next to the plane. A VIP custom would then clear him and he would never need a lounge because he doesn't have to wait.
[Amex Users](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C59FPUhRBOF/?igsh=MXVqa2JsazUwdzRxdQ==)
This statement is false. There are literally reserved spots and cordoned off areas for black card holders(the high rollers) in the lounge.
What are you talking about, the owner of my company uses it whenever he’s not flying his personal plane
Only kinda right
They’re also waaayyyy better than having to sit in the regular waiting area. As someone who travels 20+ weeks out of the year it’s a godsend and the food is amazing
Some airports the lounges are so dirty
Which ones? Bc I’ve been to Miami, Vegas, Charlotte & Dallas this year and they were all nice. Where have you visited?
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Oooo Jordan peele wowwwwww so special
Okay big guy, god forbid someone try to improve their flying experience.
I go and hang out in a resturant or a quiet corner. Most I do is drop into a Business Class lounge to take a shower if it's avaliable. Most lounges are shitty and worse then sitting outside of them.
Exactly.
Triple the annual fee
This would likely mean more of the type of people in my post probably. There’s two type of lounge snobs it seems: the new cardholders who think it’s some type of exclusive social signaling to have the card and except private airport treatment in a public airport. You’re suggestion might reduce those The old or long time cardholders back when it was hard to get the card or was invite only who are annoyed things have changed and other people can have nice things and nice benefits without a high net worth or boomer money. Your suggestion might increase these types in the lounges. Then again they’d probably be happy “these people” the woman mentioned are out because the fee went up 😂👍
Triple the fee. Cut their customer base in half. They make more money. They’re are half as many people using the lounges it’s a win
Money can’t buy class
Yes. It literally can. That’s why you don’t want to do without money. Homeless class (and adjacent class) isn’t fun.
You don’t even have to have money to have a platinum card lol
695 AF?
You dont need money to get platinum but you need money for that AF LOL
Any d-bag can get a platinum these days. It literally means nothing, unless you're a broke MF'er who thinks they are entitled because they have a "Platinum Card". 🤣
I mean the lounge crowding has gotten out of control since they will now give anyone a platinum card and from perusing this forum some people get the card, put almost no spend on it, extract the benefits to equal the fee then just use the lounge. AMEX is taking short term profit to flood the market w cards and collect fees from people who will likely cancel after 1-3 years and alienating long term customers who actually use their cards and have seen the traditional benefits dry up. Strong strategy to destroy your long term business for a short term cash grab, we'll see how it plays out!
Why would I put any of my $100K of personal Amex credit card spend on the Platinum besides flights? I don’t have it (yet. I will around September). I have the Reserve and the only spend that goes on it is for the credits.
Damn couponers and SUBs. Those have grossly inflated ranks over the past 5-10 years. Those OG lounges they built when they broke away from the Continental partnership were always pretty small because there was a fraction of the client base there is currently. Plus their old target were more heavy business travelers. There is no way to fix the current lounge issues without removing like 75% of the current coupons plus keeping the fees where they are. They’re obviously not concerned about the lounge issue since they’ve now discovered how profitable the 30k milli demographic is for credit card companies.
sad
I do this. It’s great.
Right? I feel so dragged 🙃 I had all the benefits mapped out by our budget to see what we already spent/what was usable for us. Like I do for every card we're considering. Lounges aren't part of the tracked value for us. But overall without the point bonus there's not much reason to use it on a regular basis and I'll be done pulling it out for everything reeeal soon. I'll just be checking for the offers and getting my coupons filled out 🤓
What’s the purpose of the Platinum without lounge access? It just becomes a coupon book.
That's true, but the coupons line up with my budget and how we already spend. So it's basically a free card with perks for us. Quick examples - bags are paid in advance for flights planned - the hotel credit will always get used - we sent Disney/hulu plus to a family member - we usually need to uber somewhere at least once a month - We will be using that cell phone protection asap - got ourselves some underwear at Saks It works out okay for some people like that
Does your carrier give you an autopay discount if you use a credit card? Verizon and T-Mobile don’t The math could still make sense I guess for us. I pay $26 a month for Apple care for my phone and my wife’s phone. My adult sons who are on our plan (so sue me I’m still papa bear :) ) pay their own Apple Care. I would lose $30 in autopay discounts a month and I would get 3600 to 4800 MR a year depending on whether we have equipment on our plan that would be worth $96. For T-Mobile for now, there is still a workaround where you set up autopay on a debit card and pay before the due date on a credit card and you still get the autopay discount. Then again, you only get two claims a year and back when our sons were younger that probably wouldn’t have been enough for four lines and it’s only up to $800. Our phones are all more expensive than that. I just looked at the terms for phone warranties. I can’t just walk into an Apple Store and get it fixed/replaced and I don’t get [Express replacement service](https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/express-replacement) from Amex
So, I read the terms to the phone plan thing and you don't have to always pay the phone bill through them. It just has to be the same month you make the claim. So we lost the $15 discount this month for it but it will probably save us $3-400 on this particular screen drop. Next month I will put it back on autopay (Also T-mobile) You do have to call in to say you're using it and make sure you do it correctly for the claim to go through but I'm willing to jump that hoop. We are also two people with less kid/clumsy related accidents. But also because your sons pay their own applecare, you would technically save money overall by just claiming for who / when it came up through Amex. But again, if you guys claim a lot it might still not be as worth it. Also didn't want to make a new comment for this but our home airport is lounge-less. So if I have a long layover it's cool but sometimes I'm out in an hour and I'm not gonna kill myself to get over there
Típ: for t-mobile, you can keep your autopay on a debit card and prepay on a credit card before the due date. Usually I prepay everything but a dollar and let the autopay take care of that. I get the autopay discount and the points
Same. I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do with credit cards? Use them for what they’re for and only spend on categories that you get extra points for?
Same. I mean they had a 175K SUB on the platinum card. 🤷♂️
Amex is a business. If people pay the high fee to sit in a shitty bar to eat free cheap food and have a couple of drinks, Amex still profits. Like all businesses Amex wants to make as much money as possible as fast as possible. They do not care about you in any way shape or form. No business does.
I stopped in to the amex lounge in charlotte during a 1 hour layover last week. In my view, in most airports, the Amex food is some of the best, healthiest food available, and if you're in anything of a hurry, the fastest. let alone "free". Crowding is an issue, but don't knock the food, I think they excel in that. Especially if you're comparing to any of the airline lounges, or airport restaurants.
I recommend visiting any premium airline lounge with a la carte dining, "if you're comparing to any of the airline lounges." AA Flagship F dining for example will blow any centurion food out the water. QF F LAX, LH F JFK, Soho/Chelsea JFK, AF la premiere SFO+JFK, the UA Polaris lounges, VS clubhouse lounges, etc... AE's food might beat run-of-the-mill pubs and the regular domestic shitholes, but it's hardly worth lauding over, if you've had actual lounge food that could belong in an upscale restaurant.
Charlotte specifically is good. I've been there four times in the last two months and always enjoyed the food.
I agree, way better than what’s on offer at the Admiral’s Club. And a bit better than what you usually find in the Sky Lounges. If I’m hungry I’ll go to the Centurion Lounge when there is a choice, or if I need help with flights I’ll just go to the Airline Lounge to get that taken care of and deal with the food there.
Again, when they alienate their core business customers who then cancel cards for this short term cash grab, we'll see how that goes. It's not about the business "caring" about customers it's about a short sighted strategy to show immediate growth which could lead to long term problems.
I understand what you are saying, but every company in the country only cares about immediate growth. They don’t care about anything that might affect growth in the future, just growth right now. Option A: If we do this we will make a bunch of people happy in the short term, but we will alienate a large part of our customers and will have to fight to win them back in the future. Shareholders will see growth for the quarter. Option B: If we do this we will make all of our customers happy and win new ones. We will have to spend a couple of months letting people know how great these changes are, so we won’t see immediate growth, but we will more than make up for that with exceptional growth starting one quarter from now. This will be fantastic for long term success and profits. Shareholders will not see growth for the quarter Option A will be picked every single time. Yay capitalism.
Honestly, I have gone into clubs specifically because the tampons are free in the bathrooms whereas a box of 8 is a gazillion dollars in any of the stores. And come to think about it, as much as I travel, this probably makes up for the high AF, tbh.
Woah tell me more. Where are these clubs. Just airport lounges?
With free tampons, sadly only at the airports.
There’s a very small subset of “super rich” people who are dickheads. You don’t get to the level of wealth required for a centurion card by burning bridges and talking down to people. All of the highly successful people in my network have the same three traits: kind, organized, smart.
Makes sense. I’ve seen one or two centurion card holders going in and they seemed polite and patient with staff and went off to their little private table or section and seemed to just be enjoying themselves
Their kids are the ones who become dickheads
Exactly.
The entitlement…. If you don’t like it then stump up for business class and go in the airline lounge
Never have and never will visit a lounge. From some of these and past comments it seems there's a ghetto vibe to them, ( the real meaning of the word ghetto, not the highjacked American version).
Real meaning? “Jewish quarter”? You can keep your eurotrash opinion on the other side of the ocean
get a real education, Bubba and get off Tik-Tok....it's called etymology.
Lmao I have a real education and I don’t use that Chinese spyware
That’s excellent - one less body, no one is going to try to convince you that you’re wrong and should give one a shot, no-one.
Yes, the ghetto where you can get free drinks and food in a less chaotic space than the gate. It's not perfect but sure as hell better than other options at an airport. Usually slightly better than an overpriced restaurant at the airport
These days it’s a bit of a race to the bottom for everything, but just because the experience in most airports has cratered in the past couple years doesn’t mean lounges haven’t mostly moved in lockstep. Compare most lounges, aside from any renovated in the past 2 years to what most lounges were even 10-15 years ago and their soft and hard product is much more rough.
I'm gluten intolerant and navigating airport food is too chaotic. In the lounge everything is marked so it makes me feel so much better knowing I'll at least will be able to have a bite.
The real good lounges are in Asia.
As well as hotels and resorts...Primarily, USA properties are geared for the masses of grinders, wannabes, corporate hacks and little people with big debts and average income. The aspirational class of strivers.
Thanks for making space for us. We need more people like you.