United, Delta and US Airways declined to comment on their lounge closings or operation, while American declined to provide specifics on its Admirals Club cost structure, though it said the lounges were profitable.
Their services include airside/landside operations, airport lounge, baggage services, cargo services, ramp services, ticketing & Information, station control and flight operations.
Graham Richards, Airport Lounge Development's director of operations, said the market for independent clubs was ripe.
Beyond its physical fact -- in continuous operation since 1939, the lounge was never stripped for sale or vacant -- documentation of the design is scant.
It's commodious and complex, with two floors, roughly 60 employees, 5,000 square feet of space, a range of ceviches and grilled meats, that subterranean lounge and a whole separate takeout operation.
Among Airport Lounge Development's long-range ambitions is persuading airlines to hand off operations of some of their lounges to the company.
Members also offer reciprocal access to their airport lounges and in many cases have moved their operations into the same terminals to ease connections.
Moreover, the environment is reassuringly familiar to Regus's members: the décor is the same at the service-station operations as at the company's other lounges.
The chef Todd English will manage food and beverage operations, which cover the lobby restaurant, the rooftop poolside lounge and the minibar goodies.
It's better upstairs, away from the grim dining room, where the lounge décor makes it possible to think of the whole operation as a campy nineties theme bar.
