Capital One Landing opens soon at DCA — and it's unlike any airport lounge we've ever experienced

18.11.2024 - 23:11 / thepointsguy.com / José Andrés

Capital One's newest airport lounge, the Capital One Landing, opens tomorrow at Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) amid a veil of mystery. Capital One had successfully kept the details of its first-in-kind lounge concept under wraps, causing TPGers, cardholders and D.C. flyers to speculate on just what experience awaited them.

Is it an airport lounge with elevated snacks? A grab-and-go option with food and coffee? All we knew was that world-renowned chef José Andrés (who resides in the D.C. area and has multiple restaurant concepts, including one with two Michelin stars) was involved.

At an exclusive preview a week before opening, my TPG colleague Christine Gallipeau and I got a first look at the space and an introduction to its offerings.

The two-part setup is unlike any lounge we've experienced before, and Capital One's experiences team was clear that it was created specifically with the DCA traveler in mind.

Like Capital One's other lounges at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Denver International Airport (DEN) and Dulles International Airport (IAD), the Landing at DCA contains two parts: a traditional lounge with food, bar drinks and spaces to sit and work before a flight on one side and a grab-and-go coffee shop called On the Fly with snacks, takeaway meals and hot and cold beverages on the other.

But unlike the other lounge locations, the Landing's two spaces are separate. To get from one to the other, you will need to go out into the terminal and walk around a corner.

The differences don't stop there. Unlike other lounges, the Capital One Landing will assign all guests to a table after check-in, like at a sit-down restaurant — meaning visitors don't have free rein to hang out wherever they like. The access policy is also more restrictive than at the Capital One Lounges in other airports.

At the grab-and-go, things also take an unexpected turn: On the Fly will be open to all DCA travelers, and the food and drink there will not be free for anyone — regardless of what cards are in your wallet.

Here's what to expect at both halves of this new Capital One destination.

Capital One Landing sits in DCA's Terminal 2, with an entrance from the National Hall main thoroughfare near Concourse D.

Its location places it closest to American Airlines' gates, though DCA's small size means it's only a short walk from the gates regularly used by other airlines that use Terminal 2.

From 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business cardholders can enjoy complimentary access for themselves and one guest.

This differs slightly from access rules for other airports' Capital One Lounges, which permit these cardholders to