While airplane tickets might potentially be getting more affordable,accessing the comfort of airport lounges is becoming increasingly expensive for families.

capital One is the latest company to restrict access to airport lounges, a move designed to combat overcrowding. The changes primarily affect Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders.

Starting Feb. 1, these cardholders will no longer be able to automatically bring guests into lounges or provide access to authorized second card users without additional fees.

Instead, they will need to pay $125 annually for each additional cardholder to maintain lounge access. Alternatively, they can pay $45 per adult guest per visit and $25 per guest aged 17 or younger.The $125 annual fee also includes access to the Priority Pass lounge network for second cardholders.

In a statement, Capital One explained that the changes are necessary “As airport lounges continue to grow in popularity across the industry, we’ve seen our customers increasingly encounter wait times to enter them. It is crucial to us that we maintain a great airport lounge experiance for our Venture X and Venture X Business customers,while continuing to deliver best-in-class premium travel cards at an accessible price point.”

Primary cardholders will need to spend at least $75,000 per calendar year to bring up to two complimentary guests to Capital One lounges and one guest to Capital one Landings. Capital One Landings are smaller lounges designed for travelers taking shorter flights.

The $75,000 spending requirement mirrors a similar policy implemented by American Express two years ago, which also aimed to reduce crowding and maintain a sense of exclusivity.

The Trend of Exclusive Lounges

Credit card companies have significantly expanded their airport lounge networks in recent years, opening new locations to meet growing demand. Airport lounge access has become a key perk for rewards cards,which typically come with an annual fee.

“Like Amex, like Chase, these lounges have become victims of their own success,”

The Venture X card, launched in 2021, has an annual fee of $395. This is less than the $695 annual fee for the American express Platinum card and the $550 fee for the JPMorgan Chase Sapphire Reserve,both of which offer airport lounge access.

Capital One’s Strategy and the Competition

“When it comes to lounges, Capital One is a challenger brand; they’re an underdog,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group.

Capital One currently operates lounges at Denver International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and Harry Reid international Airport in Las Vegas. The company plans to open a new lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and one of its landings at LaGuardia Airport later this year.

however, the new restrictions indicate that Capital One is also facing challenges related to overcrowding.

“Like Amex, like Chase, these lounges have become victims of their own success,” Harteveldt noted. “No lounge operator wants them to be as overrun as the public areas of the airport.”

Airlines are also responding to the increased demand by raising prices for lounge access and building larger facilities.

Delta Air Lines, for example, has implemented significant changes to its lounge access policies, including replacing unlimited visits with annual caps.Delta also unveiled its first Delta One lounge dedicated to customers in its highest class of cabin last summer and plans to open a new one in Seattle later this month.

American Airlines and United Airlines have also expanded their airport lounges and introduced new top-tier lounges for customers traveling in premium classes on long-haul flights.