Why It’s Becoming Harder To Get Into Airport Lounges

Over the past couple of years, airlines and credit card companies like American, United, Chase and Capital One are investing millions into expanding their airport lounge networks for customers. According to Chase, lounge access is often the top cited reason for its credit card signups, and by the end of 2023, Delta said it would add 2,700 seats to its lounges. However, lounges have become so popular that some face overcrowding, and companies like Delta are making it harder to get airline status. Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 01:10 — Declining exclusivity 05:20 — The rise of luxury lounges 08:03 — Increasing premiumization Produced, Shot and Edited by: Erin Black Script and Narration by: Ryan Baker Additional Reporting by:: Leslie Josephs Animation: Jason Reginato, Andrea Schmitz, Alex Wood, and Christina Locopo Senior Managing Producer: Tala Hadavi Additional Footage: American Airlines, Capital One, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Finnair, Getty Images, J.P. Morgan Chase, United Airlines Additional Sources: Business Traveler, Simply Flying