The Capital One Lounge network is expanding! The company is planning its newest lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) which is an airport that certainly could use some additional lounge capacity.
What We Know About the New Capital One Lounge Coming to Charlotte
Capital One has announced plans to open a new lounge in Charlotte’s Concourse A. This terminal primarily serves all domestic, non American Airlines carriers, though American does have some gates in the terminal.
The lounge will be located in the mezzanine level of the concourse’s new expansion. Specifically the lounge will be located on the A21-A29 pier and it will likely be a mirror image of Delta’s new Sky Club. This pier serves United, Southwest , and Spirit, so hopefully it won’t be too crowded once it finally opens.
The new lounge is expected to span roughly 14,000 square feet, making it the largest lounge in the network. The lounge in New York JFK’s Terminal 4 currently measures 13,500 square feet. According to the company it will offer tarmac views, locally inspired menus, a coffee bar, and workspaces.
No timeline has been given for the opening of the lounge at this point but I’d expect it to come online sometime in 2027.
Capital One currently operates lounges in Dallas (DFW), Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), New York (JFK), and Washington (IAD). They also operate the Capital One Landing at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Charlotte’s Lounge Network is Improving
FOr many years, the lounge situation in Charlotte was abysmal. That finally started to change with the opening of an American Express Centurion Lounge though the space is chronically overcrowded leading to long wait times.
In 2024, Delta’s new Sky Club opened which alleviated some pressure on the Centurion Lounge but that was only helpful for Delta and SkyTeam flyers. In August of last year, American’s first grab and go concept, Provisions by Admirals Club opened at the airport and American announced plans to build a Flagship Lounge at the airport. A much needed development for American’s second largest hub.
While Charlotte is far from A tier in the lounge space, it has come a long way over the last few years and with the addition of a Capital One Lounge and a new American Flagship Lounge, it’s only going to get better.
Summary
Capital One is opening a new lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. While timing is not known it is expected that the new lounge will be the largest in Capital One’s lounge network at 14,000 square feet. The new lounge will provide some much needed capacity to the crowded airport.
Thanks to NedsKid for the location information.
A welcome development, indeed!
Despite the distance from “the action” at CLT, my guess is it will still be quite crowded. AA keeps CLT bursting at the seams with capacity, ridiculously short connections, and tarmac congestion. It’s misconnect central. That plus the regular traffic will keep this lounge buzzing.
On the plus side, it will relieve pressure from The Club at CLT, which I’ve always found to be nice.
That is a very long walk from where the lounge will be located to the AA Gates. You’d need a lengthy layover at CLT to make it worth your while IMO. Assuming most AA passengers with Admirals Club access won’t want to walk all the way down there.
For DL, WN, UA, etc. this is a very nice addition.
Also, I haven’t visited the The Club at CLT but I’m flying through next month. If my connection isn’t to tight I may try and check it out.
Which prong of A will it be? There’s no mezzanine on the original A. There’s no additional room on the A where Delta is at as the Sky Club takes up the whole space. Will it go on the middle A where Spirit, United, and Southwest are housed?
It’s got to be the only location for it unless there is additional space I’m not aware of opposite the Sky Club. CLT specifically stated mezzanine on Concourse A.
Local news says A21-29. So basically it’s mirror space of the Sky Club.
There’s no additional space upstairs where SkyClub is on the A30+ pier… it goes all the way from the escalator to the other end as the windows beside the bar look out over the MD-80 tail at the concourse entrance.
It’s too bad as the space above A21-29 now is quiet, has rocking chairs and tables, a good view, and very lightly used bathrooms.
There is a space that mirrors where The Club is, but between the UA and DL concourses. But that would only be 3000-4000 sqft at best including kitchen.
I’ll have to go and check it out next time I’m through CLT. I’ve only ever flown AA or DL in/out of CLT so I just breeze past that portion of the airport. The new A piers are the only quiet place in the airport these days, its bursting at the seams, like Austin on steroids.