Now in effect: New United Airlines lounge access rules begin

If you're a frequent visitor to United Airlines' network of United Club lounges, a heads-up: The start of May brought tighter access rules for the airline's outposts.

As part of an overhaul announced earlier this spring, travelers with one-time lounge access passes will now face a few new restrictions.

New United Club one-time pass rules

As of May 1, travelers using a one-time pass can only enter a United Club up to three hours before their flight's scheduled departure time. This exclusively applies to departure flights; there are no time limits for entry during connections.

Furthermore, travelers can no longer share one-time passes between friends (or random travelers who purchase them on the secondary market, such as on eBay). Going forward, MileagePlus members who earn a one-time pass via a cobranded United credit card can use these passes. An authorized user or a guest accompanying the cardholder can also use them.

In the past, these passes could be shared with whomever you'd like, and there's been a fairly robust black market online for those looking to pick up one-time passes on the cheap. Some travelers had even been known to hand out these passes for free as they approached expiration.

With these new rules, United has effectively shuttered this market — but also the opportunity to share these passes with friends.

That's not the only change United is making to its one-time club passes. From now on, travelers won't be able to use these passes to visit the airline's United Club Fly locations, such as the new grab-and-go spot it recently opened at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

A wave of lounge crackdowns

These changes are all part of a broader lounge access update United announced in March. At the time, the airline debuted a new tier-based membership option and changed how holders of cobranded credit cards can enter the lounge.

United's updates aren't as sweeping as what Delta Air Lines introduced for its (often overcrowded) Sky Clubs, but these are still some big updates that are worth keeping in mind before your next trip.

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All of the changes come as airport lounges, more broadly, have been increasingly overcrowded in recent years. With more travelers carrying eligible credit cards nowadays, lounges regularly hit capacity.

One thing that airlines can do is increase the size of their lounges — and that's indeed something that United is doing in airports where it can find the space.

But in recent years, we've seen airlines and credit card issuers that run outposts turn to new access rules in hopes of limiting access while irking the least number of travelers possible.

These changes by United are designed to do just that, and based on the feedback received after the March announcement, it seems that the airline has threaded that needle more than Delta, which faced stiff backlash after it first announced an access crackdown in late 2023.

If you want to learn more about the changes, be sure to check out TPG's full rundown of how to access United Clubs.

Related reading:

• Best credit cards for airport lounge access
• The ultimate guide to United Club access
• The do's and don'ts of visiting an airport lounge
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• 9 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for