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With travel demand sky-high these days, airports are busy places. And given that many travelers carry a credit card that offers lounge access, lounges are busy places, too. To give prospective visitors a heads-up, Capital One has a feature that lets you track lounge capacity and join a digital waitlist if the lounge is full. You can also make reservations at Capital One Landings. Here's how it works.
Use the Capital One App to Track Lounge Capacity and Join the Waitlist
Capital One has held its own in an increasingly competitive premium market. Capital One offers a string of branded Capital One Lounges in major airports nationwide, including:
A new Capital One Lounge is scheduled to open in Charlotte (CLT), but we don't know when. It also offers Capital One Landings, which are restaurant-style lounges located in the following airports:
- New York City (LGA)
- Washington Reagan (DCA)
Capital One Lounges and Landing are snazzy places to hang out pre-flight, so it's not too surprising that they're well-frequented by Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business cardholders. And when there are too many Capital One credit cardholders in the lounge and at the door waiting to get in, the issuer has a feature to help manage the crowd.
Housed in the Capital One mobile app is the lounge capacity tracker. You'll find it on the homepage under the “Travel & lounges” menu. Selecting a location will show real-time capacity, so you'll know whether the lounge is very busy or nearly empty. And if it's busy, you can join the waitlist and get a text when you're next in line.
The waitlist is accessible even if you're not standing outside the lounge. This way, you can enter the lounge sooner after hopping off your flight — or get your name on the list while you're still in line at the TSA checkpoint. But after the confirmation text arrives, you'll have just 10 minutes to check in at the desk; otherwise, you'll lose your spot in line.
Related: Upgrade Your Travel Experience: Best Travel Credit Cards With Lounge Access
Use the Capital One App to Make a Reservation at Landings
To make a reservation for a table at a Capital One Landing location, you'll follow the same initial steps. Click “Travel & lounges” on the homepage of your Capital One app. Next, click “Lounges” and select your desired Capital One Landing location. Then follow the steps to make your reservation, just as you would at any restaurant.
You must make reservations at least 24 hours in advance, and you can make reservations as far out as two months. There are slots available every 15 minutes. You can also enter any dietary restrictions or allergies, or note if you're celebrating a special event. This is a great way to avoid the lines and have a table waiting for you at the airport.
Use the All-New Capital One Travel App
Capital One launched an all-new Capital One Travel app, giving you yet another way to reserve lounge space. Although it's structured a bit differently from the standard Capital One app, you'll follow the same process. On the bottom menu bar, select “Lounges.” Next, you can search for a lounge or scroll to the “Visit our locations” section.
When you click on a lounge, you'll be taken to a page that looks very similar to the lounge page in the Capital One app, where you can either join the waitlist at a Capital One Lounge or make a reservation at a Capital One Landing.
If you booked a flight through Capital One Travel that transits through an airport with a Capital One lounge, it will appear in the “Lounges in your upcoming trip” section as well.
Final Thoughts
Travel rewards credit cards, such as the Capital One Venture X and Venture X Business, are great wallet additions for a lot of reasons — especially if you want to access an airport lounge on a layover. But if one thing is clear, these cards are popular, which is why Capital One Lounge space is a hot commodity. That's why the issuer offers a capacity tracker, digital waitlist, and reservations feature.
If you frequent Capital One Lounges, you'll want to become familiar with these in-app tools. They'll help you navigate busy lounges and help ensure you access a comfy space pre-flight.
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
