American Elites Will Pay More for Lounge Access

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

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American has published new pricing for Admirals Club airport lounge memberships, effective from May 1.

The price for general AAdvantage members will remain the same: $500 for a new membership, and $450 to renew an existing membership.

Elite AAdvantage members, however, will pay more:

AAdvantage Gold: Price will increase by $25, to $475 for a new membership and $425 for a renewal.
AAdvantage Platinum: Price will increase by $50, to $450 for a new membership and $400 for a renewal.
AAdvantage Executive Platinum: Price will increase by $50, to $400 for a new membership and $350 for a renewal.

The price in miles will also remain the same for general members and increase for elite members.

The price increases for elite members amount to a dilution in the value of elite status and benefits. That’s a curious move on American’s part, given the service disruptions that the merger with US Airways will inevitably entail. This isn’t the time to jeopardize the goodwill of the airline’s best customers, whose loyalty and business will be critical in seeing American through what could be a rough transition.

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.

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