IAD and EWR Clubhouses now Priority Pass?!

[preiffer]

And there was me worried that the DL influx would ruin these havens of peace before a flight...

Little did I know this would be just around the corner. Can’t wait for the lines of MSE “customers” who’ve been pointed in the PP direction for a cheap airport meal to be heard demanding access for them and their 8 mates...

https://www.prioritypass.com/en/Lounges ... -Clubhouse

https://www.prioritypass.com/en/Lounges ... -Clubhouse

These were announced some time ago and there are some significant differences to how the lounge will operate for Priority Pass holders compared to Virgin Atlantic guests.

• The lounge will open for Priority Pass holders during the day when the Clubhouse is not in use by Virgin customers
• During this time there is no A La Carte dining available and the bar is not open. For PP holders there is a spread of cold food and drinks.
• At the end of PP hours, everyone is asked to leave
• The lounge then reopens for VS Clubhouse guests and operates as usual.

I honestly can't see anything wrong with this at all - VS get a little extra in their pocket for letting PP use their lounge during the day while it's usually closed. I believe the IAD lounge used to be used by VX when they operated from there but I assume with their recent merge AS have other arrangements, so VS have now filled that gap in revenue with PP.

[preiffer]

Must have missed the original announcement - just surprised.

Trust me, I know the revenue model (and see the attractiveness), it just still doesn’t quite “sit right” in my mind.

But then I guess, an empty space is a wasted space.

The IAD and EWR Clubhouses have long been used by other airlines before they’re needed by VS. So this isn’t really new, they’ve just allowed more people in.

I’ve always been surprised that the LGW Clubhouse isn’t open in the afternoons & evenings when it’s not required by VS. But I guess there are plenty of other cheaper lounges available so other airlines & PP will choose them instead, restricting revenue opportunities.

LAX has done this for quite some time, it was being used as such when I was there in December. There is a lounge review video of it on YouTube, same set up, a few cold sandwiches, nuts etc, usual US lounge fair, soft drinks, red and white wine.

I used the lounge in the afternoon, and would never have known other than the sign saying PP guests had to leave at a certain time, that it had been used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-RlonGfck

"I’ve always been surprised that the LGW Clubhouse isn’t open in the afternoons & evenings when it’s not required by VS. But I guess there are plenty of other cheaper lounges available so other airlines & PP will choose them instead, restricting revenue opportunities."

+1 to that, but maybe it's been a staffing issue.

I thought I heard a rumour around LGW last year they were going to dual-purpose the new V-Room (rather than CH) in that way as a trial on a cheaper entry system to a more premium holiday oriented crowd (that the V-Room was already targetted at anyway) than other more business type lounges after the S->N terminal move but I don't know if that ever happened. Then again, always rumours of things that never turn out to have been really planned in earnest!

Well, it won’t matter as anyone rocking up with a PP card will probably be turned away on the basis of the lounge being “too busy”.