United Airlines Denver mini lounge opens for time-crunched travelers

United Airlines is opening a latest sort of lounge at Denver International Airport, and it is not designed for travelers to linger.

The Chicago-based airline is launching the brand new club Saturday as travel demand recovers, and airlines return to profitability partially because of customers are willing to pay up for trips, like those with access to airport lounges.

The roughly 1,600-square-foot lounge, called United Club Fly, is a “grab-and-go” facility with complimentary food options like sandwiches, wraps and salads in addition to smaller items like Noosa yogurt cups and treats like Milk Bar Birthday Cake Truffles.

A barista will offer made-to-order coffee drinks like cappuccinos, but there’s also a self-serve coffee machine and a water bottle refilling station.

Seating is proscribed: 16 seats and standing room for eight people at a bar. Travelers scan their boarding pass to enter and may’t bring guests, like they’ll at standard United Clubs.

Access to United Clubs comes with any international business class or transcontinental ticket, or with a membership, which costs $650 a 12 months for many members of its frequent flyer program, in keeping with the airline’s website. It’s $550 to $600 for members with higher-tier status. Some bank cards also offer access.

The brand new, smaller club in Denver is for “those that are time constrained or just in search of good food and drinks all of the while preserving space in our facilities for individuals who have slightly more time,” said Alexander Dorow, United’s head of lounges and premium services.

About two-third’s of United’s customers in Denver, one in every of the busiest airports in the course of the Covid pandemic, are passing through in between connecting flights, Dorow said.

It is a latest concept for a U.S. airline. “It is not a one-size-fits-all mentality by any means,” Dorow said of the carrier’s approach to its lounges.

Carriers are ramping up their fight for consumers willing to shell out more for travel, and attempting to make their lucrative co-brand bank cards more appealing.

“It’s a really smart move by United because airlines try to attenuate the connecting time between flights for passengers,” said Henry Harteveldt, founding father of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group. “I would not be surprised once United launches this that we see other airlines looking do to something similar.”