Capital One opens lounge at Washington's Dulles Airport in major expansion

Photographer: Lily Girma/Bloomberg

Capital One opened its newest airport lounge to the public at the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area's Dulles International Airport on Thursday.

The Capital One Dulles airport lounge is the second such location for the McLean, Virginia-based banking company — which opened its first airport lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in 2021 and has since embarked on a rapid expansion of its premium lounge business.

Up next, the company says, are locations at Denver International Airport in 2023, followed in coming years by lounges at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, LaGuardia Airport in New York and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

Capital One is going head-to-head in a battle for traveling cardholders with American Express — whose well-established Centurion lounges operate in many of the same airports — and JPMorgan Chase, which will open at least seven U.S. airport lounges before the end of this year.

Here's how closely the battles are playing out: Both American Express and Chase have Washington airport lounges in their pipelines — the former at Reagan and the latter at Dulles. Capital One will be opening a "Capital One Landing" dining lounge concept in partnership with José Andrés at Reagan as soon as permits are approved, said Jenn Scheurich, Capital One's head of travel.

Located in the main terminal building at Dulles, just beyond the airport's TSA PreCheck lanes, the Capital One Lounge occupies the base of the airport's original air traffic control tower, which opened in 1962 and has not been used since 2007. It's as centrally located as possible: All Dulles travelers in the main terminal can easily reach it, and entry is open to anyone whose flight is departing within three hours, although the price to enter will vary according to what's in your wallet.

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Capital One Venture X or Venture X Business cardholders receive unlimited free access, including two guests per visit, as part of their $395-a-year membership. For those with $99-a-year Venture and Spark Miles cards, free entry is limited to two visits a year, and additional visits will cost $45 per person; everyone else will pay $65 for entry. (That's in contrast to Amex Centurion lounges, which are not open to the public for a fee unless you are the guest of an eligible cardmember).

These aren't your pre-pandemic business traveler's stomping grounds. With just 7,000 square feet, Capital One's lounge has less room to spread out and work in privacy but more amenities conducive to socializing. This reflects the audience, Scheurich explains, pointing to declining corporate travel.

"We're not setting our bar at 'great for an airport,'" says Scheurich. "We're setting our bar at a hospitality environment that you would be excited to encounter in your neighborhood or in a great city."

The lounge is purpose-built for shorter stops, given the long walks required to get to Dulles's gates. Gone are such amenities as yoga rooms, Peloton bikes and relaxation rooms that feature in Capital One's Dallas-Fort Worth lounge. In their place is a food and beverage experience created in partnership with businesses from the greater Washington area.

A caveat, for those who must get on with work: There are only two semi-private, open-air working pods. Getting on conference calls or focusing on important reading will prove difficult when the lounge gets crowded.