Look, I don’t hate banks. I spent a decade and a half working for banks. I get free stuff from banks. I understand the constraints under which they operate and I have reasonable expectations of banks.
With that said: American Express’s latest changes to its Platinum card benefits are asinine. Starting at the end of the month, Amex Platinum cardholders can only bring two guests free of charge. The wording from the Centurion website:
Please note: Beginning March 30, 2017, The Centurion® Lounge guest policy for Platinum Card® Members will change. All Platinum Card® Members will be limited to two total guests at no additional charge. One-day passes for any additional guests, including immediate family members, may be purchased.
What that means is that if you have more than one kid, you are no longer going to take your kids into the Centurion Lounge on a family trip unless you’re willing to fork over $50 per kid for the privilege that you thought you had for free when you paid the annual fee.
I understand that airport lounges are expensive to operate. I understand the Centurion lounges are crowded. But there are good and bad ways of handling these issues and Amex picked a bad way.
First mistake: the short notice. I just signed up for a Platinum in December. Centurion lounge access wasn’t a primary consideration in my decision to get the card, but I certainly was looking forward to the possibility of a visit to the DFW lounge on our family trip this summer when I signed up. Amex could have grandfathered in cardholders under the old policy until their next annual fee was due, or they could have announced that the new policy would take effect much further into the future… but nope! March 30 it is.
Second mistake: the half-assed change. Are kids really why Centurion lounges are overcrowded? Are the Duggars gaming the system? Why not just say “No children under 18 allowed”? Or why not cap the number of free guests per year? Honestly I’d be less pissed about this if they’d just put in a blanket prohibition on children. Believe me, I’m well aware that kids can be annoying sometimes, especially kids that aren’t mine. But no, Amex instead decided to deliver the message that if your family’s fertility rate is replacement level or above, you’re not welcome. It’s perplexing.
Third mistake: the failure to differentiate between kids and other guests traveling on the same reservation. Kids in lounges are an all-or-nothing deal. When traveling with a group of adults you can say, “Sorry, but the policy is only two guests. We’ll draw straws to see who gets in, duck into the lounge for a bit, and meet you at the gate.” But you just try treating kids unequally and let me know how that goes for you: “Okay Little Timmy, I’m going to take you into this place where they have all the free desserts you want! Little Sally, we’ll meet you at the gate.” That doesn’t work too well.
I don’t know if Amex is hurting for money or hurting for talent in their corporate operations but either way they are hurting right now. They really botched this one.
I love the new limits. Wish it was only 1 guest…
Except that this new limitation doesn’t really make a dent in overcrowding. I rarely see kids in the lounge. Usually one family, maybe two. Amex is addressing an issue that is virtually non existent.
Personally, I think ONLY the cardholder should get to use the lounge, and MAYBE one guest. That’s enough. Got two adults? Get an AU card for the other adult besides the main cardholder.
Two guests per cardholder is very generous.
I am totally fine with this. In the past month I’ve seen multiple large families in the small Seattle lounge while people were being turned away at the door because the space was full.
“Believe me, I’m well aware that kids can be annoying sometimes, especially kids that aren’t mine.”
Amen on that, and for that self-awareness, you are unique.
DFW Centurion Lounge was a playground last Sunday. Kids of all ages running around, young ones crying, older ones yelling. It’s nice folks can travel with their kids but thrusting them in my face in a place I pay to Have a respite is not.
I’ll skip the experience next time and find a bar which is reserved for adults.
We were in MIA after Xmas and could not get a seat. Literally, there were no seats. What there were, were tons of families and kids taking up seats, running around and being obnoxious. I am fine with this.
I’ve only had the pleasure of visiting four Centurion lounges. Most visits were with my wife and two children, though I’ve been to DFW solo quite a bit on bisinesss travel. These visits spanned all hours of the lounge operations, week days and weekends. In my observations, my kids have almost always been the only children in the lounge. Some of the locations, such as the new one in Houston, have a nice play room to keep kids entertained in a quiet space. Most kids don’t eat a lot either, compared to adults. Having a child munch on a few carrots or cookies, and then watch cartoons in an isolated room, doesn’t quite equate to a $50 value. I’m with PF Digest on this one. Kids are the wrong target… families are the wrong target. Overcrowding that I’ve experienced is 100% attributed to adults. Limit the number of non-family guests and you’ll see occupancy rate reduced during peak hours.
It has nothing to do with how much (less) kids are eating. It’s all about space. What, your kids are not going to take seat? As a parent, I loathe self-righteous parents who think nobody deserves respect except for their own.
Good for AmEx for making things right.
You may not, but most people do see too many families taking up space.
Agreed. Should be one guest only.
Most of the Centurion lounges that I’ve visited have a children’s room, thus it’s not an issue of space.
Waiting 10 min to get a drink from the bar, waiting for food to be replinished, or not having enough seats is attributed to overcrowding from adults. Perhaps a better solution is in the furniture design. Have seating geared towards individual travelers to mitigate the frequent single occupant of a four person table with all their belongings sprawled out.
A children’s room is fine, but when a family of four comes in, they WILL take four seats, not two. And that children’s room eats into space that could have been used for additional seats and tables.
As a 25 year member I say BS on Amex. My spend is 500-700k a year…they can stick the restriction in their tight little ass.
Direct enough?
Hell, make it no free guests, and limit 1 paid guest for $50 bucks. These places are supposed to be exclusive, aren’t they?