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

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.

What’s unique about Capital One Landing

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 main lounge

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 enter with two guests without incurring a fee.

Additional guests, as well as those with a Capital One Spark Miles for Business or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, pay $45 per person, per visit. Everyone else pays $90 — except kids under 2 traveling with cardholders, who can enter at no additional cost.

Upon arrival, you can gain entry by showing your relevant Capital One credit card (if you have one) and a boarding pass for a same-day departing or connecting flight up to three hours before departure.

Capacity

At 5,500 square feet, the Capital One Landing at DCA has a current maximum capacity of 90-plus guests, making it smaller than the Capital One Lounge at nearby Dulles International Airport, which measures 8,500 square feet and has a capacity of 120-plus. (Though the Landing’s capacity might change once the space is open.) That means that only a limited number of guests can enjoy the facilities at one time in an age of constant lounge overcrowding.

The Capital One team has anticipated this issue. To address occupancy concerns, the team will manage demand by allowing cardholders to make reservations up to six months in advance — an unheard-of development in airport lounge culture.

Walk-ins will be accepted if space is available, and, as with the other Capital One Lounges, travelers can add themselves to a waitlist and monitor wait times via the Capital One app.

Layout and what to expect

Upon checking in at the host stand, you and your party will be assigned seats at one of the tables. This is unlike most other lounges, where you must wander through the lounge, bar and table seating to find a spot large enough for your party.

All the seating in the Capital One Landing outposts is at tables, with discreet table and chair setups flanking a central section with two long banquettes and a bar area with counter seating and a bar-height table.

The seating areas were cleverly designed with the traveler in mind. Coat/purse hooks and power outlets are available at every table, and there are spaces between and under tables for luggage storage.

Additional luggage storage areas for larger bags can be found at each end of a row of tables. And for those who wish to stay connected while on the go, there’s complimentary high-speed internet access.

While some of Capital One Landing’s tables are adjacent to windows looking out at the jetway, the seats along the terminal-facing side of the room are alongside half walls. As a result, the space will be open to the terminal traffic rather than completely walled off in quiet and privacy, an intentional decision made by Capital One to provide visitors with opportunities to watch passersby.

The thinking behind the Landing, as explained to us by Jenn Scheurich, Capital One’s head of travel and retail experience, is that the DCA traveler is typically flying domestically, not on a long layover. Because of this, they spend minimal time in the airport between clearing security and heading to their gate.

To best cater to this type of traveler, Capital One designed the Landing’s food-and-beverage service to be delivered quickly. Any item on the menu, even craft cocktails and hot tapas, is designed to arrive in under 20 minutes.

By serving food and drinks faster, travelers may find they spend less time in the lounge, perhaps making the smaller number of seats less of a concern due to the constant turnover.

Since the Landing was designed for shorter layovers, you won’t find showers, relaxation areas or private conference rooms here. However, it does have two gender-neutral bathrooms with changing tables and fun local artwork.

The decor is part of the allure of the lounge, with geometric murals on the walls, a stunning basket-inspired lighting installation in the heart of the lounge and quirky knickknacks on shelves around the bar. Long walls of windows bring lots of light into the space.

Capital One Landing food

If you have the time and the right credit card, José Andrés’ tapas menu is definitely a reason to stop by the Capital One Landing.

The partnership between Andrés and Capital One marks the restaurateur’s first experience with airport dining. The José Andrés Group was not hands-off; the chef and his team were integral to the planning of the lounge, from the menu to the decor, furniture and kitchen layout.

For example, the team made certain that select ingredients on the Landing’s menu (Spanish bread, olive oil, jamon) were sourced from the group’s favorite purveyors or even all the way from Spain.

The venue has a breakfast menu, as well as a lunch and dinner menu. You can pick up cold snacks and desserts at the buffet, but the rest of your food will be plated and served by an attendant.

Don’t miss the gazpacho in cute branded glasses while you pick out charcuterie and cheeses, kale or Caesar salad, hummus and veggies, and baba ghanoush with pita chips.

Order your hot items via the QR code on the table, and your food will be delivered in just minutes. (During our visit, everything came in under 10 minutes.) We were fans of the croquetas, the bikini de queso grilled cheese sandwich, the carne asada with mojo verde sauce and the not-so-Spanish-but-still-delicious eggplant and tofu donburi.

For dessert, the burnt Basque cheesecake and oat milk soft serve are musts.

Breakfast options include olive oil pancakes, eggs Benedict and a Spanish omelet (pincho de tortilla).

If you want a truly special treat during your time at the Capital One Landing, keep an eye out for waiters with roving carts. These interactive tableside experiences are inspired by the José Andrés Group’s restaurant The Bazaar.

During our preview, a waiter came around with labneh cones — tiny ice cream cones filled with labneh (a soft Middle Eastern cheese) and then topped with caviar. A cheesecake cart might make an appearance in the afternoon. No upcharge required.

Capital One Landing drinks

A team of top-notch mixologists and wine directors from the José Andrés Group designed the Capital One Landing’s beverage menu. They put a lot of thought into creating a cocktail menu that offers the type of high-end craft cocktails you’d find in D.C.’s urban bar scene in a way that’s speedy to assemble for flyers on the go.

The team achieved this through culinary magic that lets them premix most of the ingredients. Many of the signature cocktails are on tap — take a moment to admire the tap handles designed to look like foosball figures, a José Andrés restaurant staple that adds a playful touch to the space — along with two draft beers (a Spanish lager and a rotating local beer).

Several drinks on the menu draw inspiration from Spain, where Andrés was born. Signature drinks include a nitro-machine espresso martini with a hint of mint and banana, a sangria roja, the Negroni Cortado (made with gin, sweet vermouth, Campari and palo cortado sherry) and the Rum & Coconut (a much lighter version of a pina colada that’s clarified using coconut and features Banks 7 golden blend rum, lime, orange and club soda).

If drinking and flying is too dehydrating, try one of the nonalcoholic concoctions; the Fresa y Pina (a refreshing drink with strawberry and pineapple flavors) was delightfully tasty.

Coffee drinks (including cold brew straight from a tap), caffeinated and herbal teas, Spanish wine and soda are also available.

If you love personalized cocktails, keep your eye out for those fun roving carts. During our preview, one of the bartenders served custom gin and tonics with your choice of ingredients and garnishes. During breakfast hours, you can select from an array of fruit juices to pair with sparkling wine from a mimosa cart.

On the Fly quick-service venue

The other half of the Capital One Landing is called On the Fly, located just around the corner off Concourse D. It’s an a la carte quick-service cafe serving premade sandwiches and snacks, bottled drinks and caffeinated beverages made to order.

On the Fly is open to all travelers, and it’s not free for any Capital One cardholders.

Here, you’ll find a pretty typical airport grab-and-go food purveyor and coffee shop, an alternative to Starbucks and other airport food vendors. The reason to stop here instead of Five Guys or &Pizza would be that the menu items come from the José Andrés Group.

The one consolation for cardholders is that if you pay with a Venture X or Venture X Business card, you can receive a 50% discount for all food and drinks.

At On the Fly, refrigerated shelves hold premade sandwiches (tuna, grilled vegetable) and salads (chicken Caesar, baby kale), plus lidded plastic tubs of yogurt, hummus and pita, and fruit.

You can also pick up Terra chips or José Andrés-branded potato chips, boxes of crackers, a fresh bagel or brisket sandwich, an empanada or a croissant from the counter. Various coffee and tea beverages (including the aforementioned cold brew from a tap) are also available to purchase; the menu is still being finalized.

The prices listed on the shelves were sky-high (e.g., $9 for a small serving of hummus and pita chips), as befits an airport, so we’re curious to see if noncardholders will choose the Capital One option over Starbucks, Dunkin’ or other Concourse D eateries.

A representative from Capital One tells us they’re still finalizing pricing, so we’re interested to see if the prices change in the future.

The half-price option for Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders makes it a more appealing grab-and-go option for those with the right card in their wallet, but travelers will likely miss the free takeaway options they’re used to at the Capital One Lounges at DFW, DEN and IAD.

Bottom line

The Capital One Landing represents a new lounge concept for the credit card company and the airport lounge industry. The José Andrés collaboration and smartly designed lounge space are compelling reasons for Capital One cardholders to choose the new lounge over other options at the airport — if they have the time and can get a table.

The a la carte quick-service coffee bar may be a harder sell for most travelers. While the quality matches what you’d expect from José Andrés, the high prices and name recognition might not be enough to lure travelers from their beloved Starbucks or Dunkin’.

For those eager to test the new concept elsewhere, you’re in luck, as a second Capital One Landing will debut in late 2025 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in Terminal B. Travelers who prefer the original lounge concept will find the next new locations at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in early 2025 and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in mid-2025.

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