Capital One Landing: Amazing New Airport Dining Concept

Capital One has just announced an incredible new concept for cardmembers, intended to be an alternative to the traditional airport lounge. This might just be the coolest-sounding and most innovative airport concept we’ve seen from a credit card issuer.

Capital One’s airport dining lounges with José Andrés

A new concept named Capital One Landing has been unveiled today, which will complement Capital One Lounges (the Capital One Lounge DFW is already open, and Capital One has just reaffirmed that lounges will be opening at DEN and IAD in 2023).

As it’s described, Capital One Landing is a way of rethinking the travel and lounge experience. It’s a new chef-driven, culinary-focused concept, intended to bring an elevated experience to the heart of the terminal.

The concept is being launched in partnership with Chef José Andrés, who will design Capital One Landing’s food and beverage menu, focusing on authentic, Spanish-style tapas. Not only will there be sit-down dining, but there will also be food available to-go.

Here’s what Chef José Andrés had to say about this concept:

“Travel is a huge part of my life, and food is deeply linked to the travel experience. It’s the best way to learn about a place and its people. But as someone who spends a lot of time in airports, many times I find myself wanting more. When Capital One came to us with the idea of creating a new kind of dining experience, our team immediately started to think of the Spanish tapas way of eating with the bounty of American farms and traditions – the very best of both countries. We cannot wait to share these new Capital One Landings with the people of the world!”

Capital One Landing coming to DCA & LGA

Capital One has announced that New York and Washington will be the first locations for this new concept. The intent is that these will open at metropolitan airports where shorter stays are the norm, in order to meet the needs of different kinds of travelers. While we don’t yet know exactly when these lounges will open, we’re told to expect them in “the not-so-distant future.”

Here’s what we know so far:

• The Capital One Landing at New York LGA will be 10,700 square feet, and will be located on one of the skybridges in the new Terminal B; this will be an indoor/outdoor concept, with views of the NYC skyline and airfield
• The Capital One Landing at Washington DCA will be 5,483 square feet, and will be located immediately post-security in the airport’s Terminal 2, at the intersection of National Hall and Concourse D, with access to Concourses B, C, D and E

While there aren’t yet renderings of what the finished product will look like, Capital One has shared pictures of the outdoor space that’s being taken over at LGA. HOW EPIC IS THIS?!?!

There are still lots of questions

It goes without saying that there are still a lot of questions about this concept:

• We don’t know when Capital One Landing locations will open, other than in “the not-so-distant future”
• It remains to be seen what exactly the food and drink menu will look like, and how the service flow will work; is this a sit-down restaurant experience where servers come to your table, or what?
• I would guess the food & drinks are complimentary for those who have access, but that’s not explicitly stated as of now
• Entry requirements haven’t yet been revealed; I would guess that the rules will work similarly to Capital One’s existing lounges, meaning that those with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees) will hopefully get unlimited access

I’ll be sure to provide more details as I learn them.

My take on the Capital One Landing concept

The Capital One Landing concept sounds spectacular, and I can’t wait to experience this. Capital One has been incredibly innovative with its entry into the airport lounge space, as the Capital One Lounge DFW has everything from cold brew on tap, to grab & go food, to a workout room. It’s truly one of my favorite airport lounges in the United States.

Now the issuer is being even more innovative compared to what currently exists. Personally I think what Capital One is doing here is brilliant. With lounge crowding having become such an issue, it’s often not actually fun to linger in lounges for an extended period of time. Rather you might just want to grab something to eat, and then sit somewhere quieter.

In that sense I really love this concept, since you can enjoy a good meal, even if you don’t have much time. This is a smart evolution of the traditional lounge concept.

We’ve of course seen Priority Pass restaurants become popular in recent years, where those with a Priority Pass membership can get a certain dollar credit toward food & drinks at restaurants. The catch is that the restaurants generally aren’t great.

Based on the food Capital One offers at its existing lounge, plus the partnership with Chef José Andrés, plus the fact that this is specifically a food-driven concept, I trust this is going to be something that many will enjoy. José Andrés is also a total rockstar of a human, so I appreciate anything he’s involved in.

I can’t wait to learn more, and to eventually visit one of these “lounges.”

Bottom line

The new Capital One Landing concept has been revealed, whereby the card issuer will be opening new airport facilities in partnership with Chef José Andrés. Instead of enjoying cubed cheese and cheap chardonnay in an airport lounge, you can enjoy Spanish-style tapas and cocktails in more of a restaurant-style environment.

You can expect this concept to debut at DCA and LGA in the not-too-distant future. Hopefully we learn more details soon, including about entry requirements, how the service will work, etc.

What do you make of the Capital One Landing concept?