Skies less ‘friendly’ after United tweaks lounge rules
Lifetime members irked that access now requires same-day boarding pass
“I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by kicking sand on the shoes of those lifetime members who have been so supportive of the airline.”
John Griffin, United lifetime member
John Griffin purchased a lifetime membership to access Continental Airlines’ airport lounges in the late 1980s — after the airline emerged from bankruptcy in 1983 and before it entered another bankruptcy in 1990.
Spending a few hundred dollars on the membership, Griffin, now 64, a civil rights lawyer who lives in Victoria, took a chance on the struggling airline in his backyard.
He’s since logged nearly 1.8 million miles with Houston-based Continental and later Chicago-based United Airlines, which merged with Continental in 2010.
But a new policy has Griffin questioning how much United appreciates those who supported the airline at its lower points.
On Nov. 1, United Club lounges started requiring both a membership (or one-time pass) and a same-day boarding ticket on United or a partner airline. It previously did not require members to be flying United on that day to access its clubs, a change that has some loyal customers feeling spurned and misled.
“For those few people who bet on the carrier and who support the carrier, they ought not be denied admittance to the club simply because they couldn’t fly their preferred airline to a destination or the flights were full on United and they were forced to fly a different carrier,” Griffin said. “I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by kicking sand on the shoes of those lifetime members who have been so supportive of the airline.”
This new policy has lifetime members wistful — again — for the good ol’ days of Continental, which is storied for its turnaround, going from worst to first and becoming a point of pride for many Houstonians.
Continental loyalists spent years complaining about the combined airline’s poor customer service and new headquarters in Chicago. United CEO Oscar Munoz, who will step down as CEO and become executive chairman in May, has been largely successful in improving this relationship with customers.
That’s why this new policy is jarring.
“I’m sort of surprised because
Oscar has been one trying to set United above American and Delta in terms of customer service,” Griffin said, “especially for longtime flyers and business customers.”
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have enacted similar policies requiring a same-day boarding pass for admittance into clubs they operate, but unlike United, these airlines have exempted lifetime members from the restrictions.
United said the new policy aims to ensure adequate seating for people flying that day on United or its partners within the Star Alliance, a global group of airlines that work together to offer smooth connections around the world.
United has about 520 daily departures out of Houston and five United Club locations at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
“The decision to make this change was not one that was made easily or taken lightly,” said Alexander Dorow, United’s managing director of premium services and hospitality. “We never want any of our customers, especially our most loyal customers, to feel alienated.”
Crowded lounges
Airport lounges started as niche, invitation-only areas. Then they were opened to first class travelers and frequent flyers, said Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group, a travel industry research company in San Francisco.
But today, these lounges are much easier to access — and often overcrowded.
Travelers can enter with certain credit cards, frequent flyer program benefits, partner airlines or by purchasing a membership.
“There’s just more demand for the lounges than the airlines can handle,” Harteveldt said.
Harteveldt, both an analyst and United lifetime member, sees the situation from both perspectives.
Ultimately, he said United is a business and has the right to operate its lounges in a way that encourages travelers to fly United or its partner airlines.
With upgrades made to public spaces in airport terminals, Harteveldt said, lounges aren’t necessarily the only areas where travelers can find some comfort or do some work.
Better food, more comfortable chairs and WiFi are now common near the gates.
At Bush Intercontinental Airport, for instance, United Airlines invested $277 million to build the 265,000-square-foot Terminal C North concourse that opened in 2017.
OTG, which oversees the food, beverage and retail operations for United at Bush Intercontinental Airport, separately invested more than $120 million to improve Terminals C, E and B South. These terminals now feature local restaurants, and Terminals C and E have iPads the public can use to order food or play games.
“It’s no longer an unpleasant experience to sit for your flight in a concourse if you don’t have access to a lounge,” Harteveldt said. “And in some cases, having been to these airport clubs when they’re jammed to the gills, they’re not necessarily always pleasant.”
Gary Leff, the author of travel website viewfromthewing.com, said he believes the policy is directed less at easing crowding — as only a small subset of members are in United’s lounges but flying different airlines — and more for inspiring loyalty.
“They don’t want to make it easier for you to fly Delta or Southwest,” Leff said. “They want you to stick with United.”
Frequent users
Lifetime memberships for accessing United Clubs haven’t been sold since the early 2000s. And while it’s not an especially large group of travelers (United wouldn’t give an exact number), Dorow said lifetime members tend to use airport lounges more than other travelers and often bring guests with them.
“When you factor in all of those things,” he said, “then it’s actually a much larger impact than somebody might believe.”
He said the airline, which notified members of the change a year before it went into effect, is grateful for these travelers’ loyalty and urged them to consider value added to their membership over the years.
Both airlines grew significantly since the memberships were purchased, offering a broader route network and more lounge locations.
Members can access more than 1,000 lounges around the world through United Clubs and Star Alliance partnerships.
Dorow said the airline is continuing to examine how it can improve the lounge experience while also accommodating an influx of passengers as United adds more flights and destinations.
United is opening new clubs, placing them in better locations within airports and providing new food and beverage options.
“When these (lifetime memberships) were purchased it was very minimal,” Dorow said. “It was truly a private room with chairs, and now (United Clubs) are intended to be more of a destination.”
Removed from the hubbub
Walter Conrad, who lives in west Houston, likes how lounges allow him to escape the “hubbub” of airport terminals. Conrad, 80, purchased a Continental lifetime membership in the 1990s.
He was caught off guard in September while flying an airline other than United. He visited a lounge during his layover and was told that’d no longer be permitted starting in November.
This contradicted a brochure Conrad received in 2011 after the airlines merged.
The brochure, which he still has, says in bold print: “Best of all, your current club membership card will continue to work just as it always has.”
Conrad, a retired attorney who practiced law for 40 years in Houston, emailed United seeking more information.
Not receiving a response, Conrad called United’s customer service and was routed to several different people who said he should contact corporate headquarters.
So Conrad sent a letter using Certified Mail to Munoz on Nov. 4. He requested a copy of written documentation from when he purchased this lifetime membership that details United’s right to restrict access to lounges.
He remains optimistic that United will contact him. But if this situation isn’t resolved, Conrad said he will consider flying another airline on routes that require a connection.
“United has refused to honor what they sold me several decades ago,” Conrad said, “and I think that’s a wrong, unreasonable action.”
Griffin, who drives to Houston for his flights or takes a commuter airline from Victoria to Houston and then onward, said he, too, will rethink flying United if his lifetime membership isn’t honored.
He doesn’t understand why United is remaining stubborn on this point. How much longer will there be lifetime members, anyway?
“We’re not going to live forever,” he said. “There are going to be fewer and fewer of those lifetimers.”