American Airlines is raising the price of its Admirals Club annual memberships on July 25. The private airport clubs, havens for business travelers, are located at American's hubs and at other key destinations for the carrier.
Prices vary by type of membership and status in the airline's AAdvantage frequent-flier program. A new individual membership for a traveler without status in the program is increasing to $550 from $500. A new household membership will be $925, up from $825. Elite members pay less. An AAdvantage member with Platinum status, for example, would pay $500 for an new individual membership -- up from $450. A household membership for a Platinum member runs $775, up by $100.
Travelers can use miles to pay for a membership, and the mileage requirements to do so are going up too. New memberships for non-elite fliers will begin at 85,000 miles, up from 80,000.
And the airline will do away with its $99 30-day pass on July 24.
An American spokeswoman notes that the increase comes as carrier is in the midst of making upgrades to its Admirals Club lounges.
Dawn Gilbertson is a travel reporter at The Arizona Republic. Her content is occasionally featured here in Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. The Republic is owned by Gannett, parent company of USA TODAY.
