United accelerates lounge reopenings, aims for end of summer
United is elevating the airport experience with an accelerated lounge reopening timeline.
On Friday, a carrier spokesperson shared the news that the airline would quickly ramp up operations across its domestic United Club network throughout the summer.
In a statement shared by the airline below, the carrier cites the stronger than expected demand as the reason for reopening much faster than originally anticipated. Domestic travel among leisure flyers has largely recovered to 2019 levels, with some routes even outperforming historical precedent.
Given the remarkable volumes projected for summer, approaching and exceeding 2019 volumes, we are expediting our domestic reopening plan to be completed by the end of September. With nearly all hub United Club locations reopened, focus now turns to bringing our line station locations back online.
The accelerated domestic United Club reopening plan is as follows:
- Now open
- Austin (AUS)
- Honolulu (HNL)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Opening in July
- Cleveland (CLE)
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- New York/LaGuardia (LGA)
- San Diego (SAN)
- Opening in August
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Boston (BOS)
- Washington Reagan National (DCA)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
- Raleigh-Durham (RDU)
- San Antonio (SAT)
- Orange County (SNA)
- Opening in September
- Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
- New Orleans (MSY)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
- Portland (PDX)
- Seattle (SEA)
In May, Alex Dorow, United's managing director of lounges and premium services, detailed the reopening timeline for the United Club and Polaris Lounge network. At the time, Dorow shared a sixty-day strategy for bringing ten more outposts online, many of which are secondary locations in hub airports.
As for the outstation locations, United was hand-picking ones with the strongest demand. "We're starting with the locations where we have some of the greatest need, and we're supporting the network growth that is projected here as we enter the summer months," he said at the time.
That's why the carrier picked Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Las Vegas for the first round of reopenings; the carrier saw increased demand for flights to these cities.
However, now that the travel recovery is well underway — in July, United's slated to be cash positive for the first time since January 2020 — the carrier is seemingly seeing enough demand to warrant reopening much of its domestic lounge network.
Along with the reopenings, the carrier is improving its food offerings. Dorow is excited about the new menu, as he told TPG that "you're going to see a much more robust, healthy variety of food options that we didn't have before."
This includes sandwiches, wraps, salads, fresh fruit, yogurt and overnight oats. Some locations will also feature regionally inspired offerings, like mini hot dogs in Chicago and a churros bar in Houston.
Though United's focus is on club locations, the carrier is also working behind the scenes on preparing to reopen its top-notch business-class-only Polaris Lounges.
Though United doesn't yet have a firm reopening timeline for its business-class-only Polaris Lounges — Dorow's "babies," in his words — one of the major considerations that the team is talking through is demand for international travel.
According to an internal memo viewed by TPG, "plans are in motion to begin reopening our Polaris Lounges and international United Club locations later this year."
United's lounge reopening timeline is a bit behind that of its Big 3 competitors. With the opening of the brand-new Delta Sky Club in Fort Lauderdale in late June, all of the Atlanta-based carrier's lounges have now reopened.
American is continuing to reopen its entire domestic Admirals Club network by August 2021, except for the Honolulu (HNL) outpost which will reopen at a later date. Additionally, the carrier will reopen its premium Flagship Lounges starting in September.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.