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Chase has issued a press release to say that it plans to open a series of lounges at airports around the United States and that each lounge will be branded as a “Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club”. Not much detail has been given about what the lounges will offer or where the lounges will be located but there are one or two things that we do know.
What Chase Has Said
According to the press release:
JPMorgan Chase will introduce travelers to a new airport lounge: Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. This entry will bring to life key aspects of the travel journey and offer a fresh approach to the lounge experience with locations to be announced in select markets over time.
JPMorgan Chase is bringing these lounges to its customers in collaboration with the industry experts in global airport lounges and experiences, Airport Dimensions.
The bank also believes that it’s in a good position to provide what guests will be looking for thanks to it prior experiences:
For more than a decade, Chase Sapphire has activated lounges across the country at marquee events, serving as hubs for unique access at culinary, entertainment and cultural experiences. That same inspiration will come to life in airports, providing access to exceptional, authentic and regionally inspired food, drink, art, entertainment, and wellness.
Just how well the experience dovetails with ensuring a good airport lounge experience for guests will only be something we know once the first loungers roll out.
Thoughts & What Else We Know
Whilr not mentioned in the press release (at least not in the one that I’ve seen), ViewFromTheWing says that the first Chase Sapphire Lounge will be located in Boston in the connector between terminals B & C…
…and will be 12,000 sq ft in size with “showers, a family room, a business lounge and rest and wellness areas.”
We haven’t been given any indication as to what the lounge access rules will be like but at the very least, I’d expect Chase to offer complimentary access to Sapphire credit card holders.
The fact that the lounges will have “The Club” as part of their name suggests a tie-in with Collinson who already operates lounges under “The Club” name in United States and the UK, and that, in turn, may possibly be an indication that the new Sapphire Lounges will also be open to Priority Pass members (Collinson owns Priority Pass).
Assuming this all to be true (this is just speculation for now), I don’t think travelers should necessarily expect a Chase Sapphire Lounge experience to be on the same level as the experience offered by the better Amex Centurion Lounges as although I’m sure that Chase will want the lounges to be nice, Collinson isn’t exactly known for keeping its lounges upscale.
Once the first lounges start to open (we don’t know when that will be) it will be interesting to finally see which ethos has won the day – Chase’s or Collinson’s.
Bottom Line
Chase has announced that it plans to launch a new network of airport lounges in the United States and early indications appear to suggest that the first lounge will be opened as Boston’s Logan Airport. Specific details on what guests will be able to expect are thin on the ground right now but watch this space as TFM will be back with more updates as an when they’re released.
If they want to attract upper income business travelers they will allow only Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders to have access (similar to Amex’s policy of at least Platinum card to get in). If they want to let Sapphire Preferred members in hopefully they, and God forbid, regular priority pass members have to pay an entrance fee. If they open it to all the Chase Sapphire Preferred members and priority pass it will be a zoo and higher end travelers will continue to frequent the Centurion Lounges.
Not trying to be elitist just telling you like it is.