Which Lounge at HNL: Premier Club or Plumeria Lounge for Hawaiian Airlines?
In this article, I’ll go over both the Premier Club and Plumeria Lounge found at HNL and show you what each lounge has to offer when flying Hawaiian Airlines.
You can also find details for these lounges such as the different locations they are found at and how to access these.
So even if you are not flying in or out of HNL you could find this article helpful!
Premier Club overview
The Premier Club is the more “basic” lounge for Hawaiian Airlines and you can find these at just about all of the major airports in Hawaii.
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Premier Club Access
North America and Neighbor Island First Class Hawaiian Airlines guests
Pualani Platinum and Gold members
Premier Club members
A lot of airlines don’t give you lounge access when you fly first class domestically.
I’d say that flying between Hawaiian islands is the equivalent of flying between states on the mainland so I was kind of surprised that we were granted lounge access when flying first class between Oahu and Kauai.
However, once I scoped out the lounge it all sort of made a little bit more sense because it’s not like the Premier Club has a whole lot to offer. More on that later, though.
Premier Club Locations
Honolulu, Oahu (HNL)
Location: 2nd Floor inside secure area near Gate A18 Weekday Hours: 5:00am–7:00pm Weekend Hours: 6:00am–7:00pm
Hilo, Hawaii Island (ITO)
Location: Below Gate 6 Hours: Temporarily Closed
Kahului, Maui (OGG)
Location: Upstairs, across from Gate 17 Hours: 6:00-am – 8:30pm
Kona, Hawaii Island (KOA)
Location: Next to Gate 10 Hours: Temporarily Closed
Lihue, Kauai (LIH)
Location: Approximately 50 feet from Gate 5 Hours: Temporarily Closed
One thing to keep in mind is that some of these Premier Club lounges are known for being notoriously underwhelming. I’ve seen reviews and pictures of the lounge in LIH and it does not look like anything special.
So while you can find these Premier Clubs on quite a few of the islands, make sure you go into it with the right expectations.
Plumeria Lounge overview
The Plumeria Lounge is the upgraded version of the Premier Club. It’s essentially the flagship lounge of Hawaiian Airlines although it feels really weird to use that word to describe this lounge.
Plumeria Lounge Access
Many of you will be happy to know that you can get Plumeria Lounge access with Priority Pass.
It’s a little bit odd that Priority Pass gives you Plumeria Lounge access considering that this is essentially the flagship first class lounge for Hawaiian Airlines.
But whenever you take a closer look at the lounge and what it offers it makes a bit more since that Priority Pass would get you in.
Otherwise in order to get access you have to meet one of the following criteria:
Business Class guest departing Honolulu to a Hawaiian Airlines international destination.
First Class guest departing Honolulu to New York, Boston, or Orlando.
Pualani Platinums departing Honolulu to a Hawaiian Airlines international destination. Platinums may bring up to 1 guest.
A day pass can also be purchased.
I was a bit surprised to find out that we would not get access based on our first class ticket from HNL to PHX so make sure you are aware that first class passengers only get Plumeria Loungeaccess at HNL when departing to destinations on the East Coast.
The Plumeria Lounge Pass prices are below:
General
$40 USD*
Pualani Gold
$35 USD**
Pualani Platinum
$30 USD**
*General Lounge Pass is only available for purchase at time of check-in on the day of travel and is subject to seat availability.
**Pualani Platinum and Pualani Gold Discounted Lounge Pass is only available for purchase with a lounge agent located at The Plumeria Lounge on the day of travel. Prices for elites applies to the member only.
Locations
There is only one Plumeria Lounge and it is at Honolulu International Airport, Terminal 1 on the third floor, after the TSA security check point.
Premier Club at HNL review
The Premier Club at HNL is pretty much a bare minimum airport lounge.
If you’re visiting during pandemic times, you may have to show proof of vaccination before you enter.
Inside the lounge you’ll find the following:
Pau Hana Snacks
Coffee and Hot Tea
Soda and Juice
Dedicated Customer Service Agent for lounge guests
High speed Wi-Fi
AC & USB charging outlets
Men & Women restroom (only in Honolulu)
You’ll notice that you don’t see any alcoholic drinks or any kind of meaningful food in the lounge. When it comes to drinks you’re pretty much limited to coffee, tea, juice, and a soda machine.
And for food, you’re going to be limited to just a package of Pau Hana snacks. So this is definitely not a lounge that you want to arrive at with the hopes of satisfying your growing appetite. You will be sorely disappointed if so.
So this lounge is basically a place to just escape the terminal and gate area and hopefully find relaxation while possibly enjoying a non-alcoholic beverage.
Also, if you want to get work done you can find outlets at some of the tables and some ground outlets as well.
It’s not a bad looking lounge and it’s reasonably spacious but it is just a very basic lounge in terms of its food and drink offerings.
When we spent some time in this lounge it was pretty laid-back and I liked that but after only about 10 minutes we decided to head to the Plumeria Lounge where we would be able to get access with our Platinum Card’s Priority Pass membership.
Plumeria Lounge at HNL review
The Plumeria Lounge is significantly better than the Premier Club.
The lounge is a little bit harder to find because you have to take an escalator up and look around but if you follow the signs and look for the Wiki Wiki shuttle it’s pretty hard to miss.
If you’re visiting during pandemic times, you may have to show proof of vaccination before you enter.
The Plumeria Lounge offers more food and drink options including:
Assortment of Sandwiches
Beer and Wines
Coffee and Hot Tea
Soda and Juice
Assortment of Snacks
Dedicated Customer Service Agent for lounge guests
High speed Wi-Fi
AC & USB charging outlets
Men & Women restroom
With that said, the Plumeria Lounge is still a pretty basic airport lounge.
It’s not on the same level as an American Express Centurion Lounge and not even on the same level as newer legacy carriers lounges like Delta Sky Clubs that offer hot food and have nice bar areas.
Instead, I would put it on par with a typical domestic Priority Pass lounge (which it kind of is).
Here’s what it’s like at the lounge.
Once we entered, I noticed a partitioned little private area to the right of the entrance of the lounge. The tables were marked with reserved but I’m not sure how are you can reserve them.
At one point, I saw a couple of people in the section that did not look like they had reserved it so I’m not sure if they strictly enforce the reservations. YMMV.
Overall, the lounge does feel a bit nicer than the Premier Club but it’s not a substantial upgrade in terms of decor, seating, etc.
While the lounge did get a little bit busy at times, there were pretty much always a few open seating areas.
We visited during one of the playoff games with the Los Angeles Rams playing the San Francisco 49ers and it was cool that they had it on the TV. At one point, this corner with the TV had a lot of people into the game.
There’s a row of seats lined along the window where you can get some work done.
I thought there might be a decent view behind the shades but when I pulled them back it did not look like there was much to see behind this pretty dirty window. I suddenly understood why they have the shades.
While still a pretty basic offering, this lounge is a significant step up from the Premier Club when it comes to food.
You’ll find a corner with all of the food options which include two varieties of sandwiches, cup of noodle soup, chips, fruit, cookies, and fruit snacks.
Honestly, the sandwiches were really good and a perfect little food item to hold you over until your flight. Or, if you were trying to fill up it would not be hard to do so with those sliders.
You can grab you a pack of mayo or mustard to put on your sandwich if it’s a little too dry.
I grabbed one of the turkey and cheese sandwiches and really loved it but they also had mushroom and onion sliders. I don’t really do mushrooms so that was an easy no for me.
And if you’re looking for some snacks they had a good variety of potato chips, Welch’s fruit snacks, and Biscoff cookies.
The bowl of noodle soup was interesting because I don’t think I have ever seen that in an airport lounge before.
They also had a decent little selection of wine along with beer.
The bathroom at this lounge was also a bit nicer.
Final word
Visiting a Hawaiian Airlines airport lounge at HNL can be a pretty disappointing experience if you don’t properly adjust your expectations before arriving.
I’m guessing that because leisure travel is so much more prevalent than business travel here that there just is not a strong demand to create high-quality airport lounges.
But if you have to choose between these two lounges I would definitely try to get into the Plumeria Lounge because it is significantly better than the Premier Club.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Delta Sky Club PHX (Terminal 3) Review [2022]
Almost all of my flying around the US has been on United, American, and Southwest. But recently we decided to dabble with Delta and our flight started off with a visit to the Delta Sky Club at PHX.
It was a nice morning lounge visit and below I’ll break down the whole experience so that you’ll know what to expect when you visit this lounge found in Terminal 3.
Trip overview
This Delta Sky Club visit was the beginning of a fast-paced trip where we flew Delta First Class from PHX to BWI with a connection in MSP.
The goal of this trip was to finally explore the Northeast.
We rented a car and spent eight days hitting up 13 states in the northeast region and exploring some of the fall color change along the way.
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Getting through the airport
We had bags to check and, while we were flying Delta first class, the baggage check-in experience was a little underwhelming.
That’s because the line was backed up and with only a couple of staff members it appeared to be going even slower than the standard line.
It ended up being that classic scenario where you don’t realize another line is moving quicker until you have already progressed quite a way in your own line, so we just stayed put.
The good news is that we breezed through security with TSA Pre-Check and CLEAR.
Delta Sky Club Location
The Delta Sky Club is located in Terminal 3, across from gate F8.
Terminal 3 serves Delta Airlines among many other airlines at this American Airlines hub.
The entire Terminal 3 South Concourse consists of 15 gates and was opened in early 2019 which is the same time this lounge opened up.
It’s a pretty nice little airport terminal if you ask me with some notable eating spots like Shake Shack and Panera Bread.
As mentioned, you will find the lounge across from gate F8, just after you pass up Shake Shack. The entrance to the Sky Club doesn’t stick out that much but you still shouldn’t struggle to find its clear blue doors.
Access & hours
The lounge is open daily from 5:15am to 12am.
We got in to the Delta Sky Club at PHX free of charge with our Amex Platinum cards.
With the Amex Platinum, you can get free access to Delta Sky Clubs but the catch is you have to be flying Delta that day.
Your guest cannot get in for free but you can pay to get up to two guests in at a discounted rate of $39.
In this case, I had made Bradley an authorized user on the Platinum Card so he had his own Platinum Card and was able to get in for free.
The authorized user fee is $175 for up to three users which actually turns out to be a pretty good deal if you can max it out.
We were flying domestic first class to MSP where we would have a layover and then another short first class flight to BWI. Unfortunately, like other domestic airlines, you don’t get lounge access automatically when flying first class domestically.
Opened in early 2019, the 7,500-square-foot Delta Sky Club boasts design “inspired by the Southwest desert landscape.”
As someone who recently moved to Arizona in the spring of 2020, the look and feel of all things Southwest has grown on me exponentially. So I was interested to see what they did with the lounge.
Throughout the lounge you’ll find earth tones with pops of rich colors and some of the walls showcase artwork from local artists. The Southwest influence is definitely there but it’s still pretty subtle in my opinion.
There’s a small printer station in one of the corners which was out of order when we visited.
The center of the lounge has a beautiful modern chandelier with a lot of seating options that to be honest looked a tad bit crowded.
I would say that this airport lounge is one of the more beautiful airport lounges I’ve seen for a domestic airline. I loved the aviation artwork and overall peaceful color scheme.
American and United have also done a pretty good job of renovating and giving their new lounges a fresh modern feel. To see what I mean check out a couple of the photos below.
Here’s an image from one of the newer Admirals Clubs:
And here is one of the newer United Clubs:
At the end of the Delta Sky Club there is a long wall with decent views of the neighboring gates but I believe the closest runway is on the other side of the terminal so you don’t get those close/direct views.
Along the wall, you’ll find a long conference table with plenty of outlets for getting work done.
Most of the seats had power outlets or USB ports near the seats. So charging your devices should not be an issue but I would still be careful with plugging directly into USBs.
There’s a TV on both sides of the main central living area, which again felt a little bit cluttered with the seating.
After scoping out some of the seats we decided to head to the back where the bar is. Since this was still really early in the morning, the bar was not open and not serving alcohol.
But if you do come during later hours you can take advantage of seasonal cocktails including the Agave Experience – “an extensive selection of tequila and mezcal that can be sampled in individual pours or tasting flights.”
They also have wine selected by Delta’s Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson.
It looks like they had removed a couple of seats from the bar area for social distancing.
However, there were still a lot of seating options in this section of the lounge. If you need a power outlet consider getting a spot at one of the high counter seats located next to the partition.
Personally, I really like the vibe of this wooded area.
Dining
We passed on breakfast and so I was really interested to see what type of food we would be able to enjoy at the lounge.
I was happy to see that there was a self-serve line and that they had some pretty hearty options like this breakfast casserole along with sausage and scrambled eggs.
You could also go with hard boiled eggs and throw in a little bit of red salsa if you wanted.
They had a nice little section of fresh fruit including pineapple, cantaloupe, and melon along with grapes and strawberries. And to my surprise they even had blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.
Overall, the breakfast options were much superior to what I experienced at non-hub Admirals Club lounges when arriving early for breakfast. I could actually fill up if I wanted do at this lounge versus just getting by with light bites.
There was a whole mixture of yogurt including plain Greek yogurt and vanilla yogurt.
And if you were looking for cereal they had Cheerios, raisin bran, and rice crispies. The cereal dispensers were tricky for some people so my pro tip is to be a little gentle with the levers. I almost witnessed an early-morning disaster.
There’s a soda machine with Coke products including Coke Zero, Dr Pepper, Minute Maid lemonade, and ginger ale.
You could also pour up some fresh orange juice which can be found next to the utensil dispenser. They had a sparkling water machine but I was not able to get it to work which resulted in pouring a glass of some very pathetically carbonated water.
We grabbed our food and then locked down a table in the corner area which gave us plenty of space from other travelers as the lounge did not have much traffic this early in the morning.
Shortly after we sat down to eat there was a morning surge that came in and then also quickly thinned out after only about 20 to 30 minutes.
The lounge seemed to have pretty decent views of some of the other gates where we found Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
However, given the morning hour there wasn’t much to see beyond our own reflections in the window.
I took a quick visit to the bathroom which was very clean and modern. It’s always a good feeling to avoid those airport terminal bathrooms.
Final word
Overall, this was a very solid lounge experience. I thought that the lounge was beautiful, clean, and not overcrowded. The breakfast was hearty and had some nice additional options like fresh berries. The Wi-Fi was fast and there were no issues with anything really. Just a great lounge visit.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Escape Lounge at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) Review
I’ve been waiting to visit an Escape Lounge for a very long time.
A few visit opportunities had arisen in the past but every time it seemed like it would just be inconvenient or more practical to visit another lounge. So finally on a recent layover at MSP it was the perfect time to have our very first Escape Lounge visit!
Below, I’ll give you an overview of what the lounge was like when visiting in the fall of 2021 when things were still not quite fully opened.
Escape Lounge MSP airport terminal location
The Escape Lounge at MSP is located in Terminal 1 on the mezzanine level above the entrance to concourse E.
It’s pretty hard to miss and can be found right above a chocolate factory in case you have a little sweet tooth before making your way to your flight.
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You can take the stairs up to the lounge or take the elevator. Once you are in the elevator, select level three to get to the lounge.
Access & hours
Access to the Escape Lounge is free for American Express Platinum cardmembers. In fact, I was also able to bring Brad in as a complimentary guest. (Platinum cardmembers can bring up the two guest for free.)
You can also get in for free if you have an American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card but you will have to pay $30 for your guests.
If you don’t have a card that gets you in for free you can book a visit and pay out-of-pocket.
If you book your visit online ahead of time the entry price is $40 but if you pay when you arrive it is $45.
As of the time of this writing the open hours are 5am to 8pm.
I’ve seen several Escape Lounges that open really early so these lounges seem to be a good alternative when other airport lounges don’t open until later in the morning.
Dining
Due to coronavirus the standard dining options were not available for self-serve.
Instead, a staff member came around taking orders.
The staff member was extremely personable and very attentive.
We used the QR code found on the table to pull up the digital menu on our phone which I have provided a photograph of below.
I was surprised to see that they have a pretty extensive menu.
For breakfast they had a lot of different options I would not expect like fruit smoothies, breakfast tacos, French toast, etc.
We ended up trying the creamy tomato bisque, turkey sandwich, and soy ginger salmon along with a couple of drinks.
I was pretty happy with the quality of the food.
I wasn’t expecting the most gourmet experience in the world and I felt that these food items properly held me over while we passed time during the layover.
I would put the food quality on par with a decent international Priority Pass lounge.
The lounge
At 5000 ft.², the lounge felt pretty spacious to me.
The seating looked like it had been rearranged for social distancing but there were still quite a few different types of seating options with some offering more privacy than others.
Thankfully, the lounge was not doing assigned seating which really can be annoying when you get placed in a type of seat you would never choose on your own.
Anytime I can get a good view for plane spotting I will take it so we took the back corner of the lounge on a table with great views.
There are quite a few tables with nice views.
Some of these have power outlets and USB ports for your charging convenience although I would read my article on using public USB ports before using them.
The bathroom situation was very interesting.
I had to exit the lounge in order to use the bathroom which was essentially just a normal public airport bathroom that was a bit hidden in a hallway.
The back door leading to the hallway does not allow for re-entry so I had to go around to the front to get back in the lounge.
One of the perks of airport lounges is not dealing with the busy and often times disgusting bathrooms with an airport terminal so it was a little disappointing to not have a quality and connected bathroom.
The bar area is also where I believe the buffet is typically set up but I wasn’t sure.
Again the lounge asked that you make all food and drink orders with the staff member who would be coming around to your table so I’m not sure how everything is typically set up.
Final word
Visiting airport lounges is still not the same due to the pandemic which has altered the dining experience. With that said, I enjoyed my visit to the Escape Lounge. With free entry from the Platinum Card, it felt nice to enjoy a lounge that was not overcrowded and that had some decent food offerings.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
But how do you find these lounges and which terminals are they in?
This article will tell you how to get to these Priority Pass LAX lounges and what to expect when you get there when it comes to things like food, drinks, showers, crowds, etc.. I’ll cover the Korean Air KAL Lounge and the Alaska Lounge.
I’ll also give you some tips for traveling between terminals to make your life a little easier.
What Priority Pass lounges are at LAX?
The only Priority Pass lounge at LAX:
Be Relax Spa — Terminal 1
Update: These two lounges at LAX are no longer available via Priority Pass:
KAL Lounge (Korean Air) — Tom Bradley International Terminal
Alaska Lounge — Terminal 6
(We’ve kept their details below just in case they come back.)
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
How to get Priority Pass
You can get Priority Pass by purchasing a club membership but I always recommend considering credit cards that offer you a Priority Pass Select membership.
These cards would be cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express. Those cards do come with higher fees so you might want to think about credit cards with lower annual fees that offer Priority Pass like the Hilton Ascend card, which offers you 10 free lounge visits every year.
If you don’t normally spend a lot of time visiting airports and traveling, then 10 lounge visits is more than enough for you and you’ll benefit from the lower annual fee.
LAX terminals
LAX has a total of nine terminals. Below is a list of the different airlines that should fly in and out of the terminals.
Exciting changes are on the way as Delta Airlines moves in and prepares to renovate Terminal 3 and neighboring Terminal 2.
Terminal 3 is temporarily closed as Delta is consolidating flights due to COVID-19 and flights will be leaving out of terminal 2. Please check with Delta directly on gate locations.
Copa Airlines (Checkin at T3 and Arrivals at TBIT)
El Al Israel Airlines
Emirates
Etihad Airways
EVA Air
Fiji Airways
Finnair
Hainan Airlines
Iberia Airlines
InterJet
Japan Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Korean Airlines
LATAM
Level Airlines
LOT Polish
Lufthansa
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Philippine Airlines
Qantas
Qatar Airways
Saudia Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines
Sichuan Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Swiss International Air Lines Ltd
Turkish Airlines
Volaris
Xiamen Airlines
Getting between terminals
Update: Due to construction/changes connecting between terminals may have changed. Click here for guidance.
Every terminal at LAX can be reached via a shuttle bus, so if you’re loaded down with luggage you don’t have to haul all of your bags around. The Airline Connections shuttle runs every 10 minutes and you can stand stand under the blue sign on the Lower/Arrivals Level to wait for it.
However, the terminals aren’t that far apart (it only take a couple of minutes to get from one to another) so walking with your bags is often very practical and efficient. Note that it’s much easier to navigate the exterior of the terminals from the departure level.
You can access every terminal (except for Terminal 1) via other terminals without having to clear security twice but it’s not always easy. For example, you might have pass through a couple of tunnels and hop on a bus to accomplish this, depending on where you’re going to and from.
Terminals 2, 3, and the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) are connected via a Delta shuttle bus.
If you’re trying to get from TBIT to one of the lower terminals like T2 or T3 without going through security again, you’ll have to navigate a series of bridges and tunnels while getting to terminals like T4 and T5 is much easier.
Be Relax Spa — Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, turn right and Be Relax is located next door to Rock n Brew Restaurant.
Hours
Daily: 6:00am – 11:00pm
Note: Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Conditions
Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to take advantage of one of the following options: Be Back 30-minute Lounger Massage (a US$35 value) or Be Back 15-minute Lounger Massage plus Aromatherapy & 02 (a US$35 value) or Head Up on lounger 10-minute plus Aromatherapy & 02 (a US$38 value) or Be Feet on Lounger 10-minute plus Aromatherapy & 02 (a US$38 value)
Cardholder is responsible for all additional charges incurred
Complimentary luggage storage available
Be Relax usage is subject to availability
Priority Pass and its Affiliates Companies shall not be liable should the offer value be less than Customers lounge visit entitlement. Customers who pay for lounge visits are advised to review program Conditions of Use prior to accessing the offer
KAL Lounge (Korean Air) — Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT)
Location
Airside – after Security Checks follow the signs to ‘ALL GATES’. Before passing the Duty Free Store, turn left and take the lift to the 5th Floor where the lounge is located.
If you are departing from terminals 4 through 8, there is a tunnel accessible post-security that will connect you to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Hours
Daily: 11:00am – 5:00pm
Cardholders will not be admitted to the lounge outside these hours
Conditions
Access is permitted 3 hours prior to scheduled flight departure
Limited to two guests per cardholder
Access may be restricted due to space constraints
Children under 2 years are admitted free
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
This lounge is on the bigger side and can accommodate over 300 passengers. However, some people still have issues with crowding at the lounge during certain times.
There’s a lot of seating in some very open areas but not a lot of privacy to take advantage of. Many of the chairs look like they could use a refresh, though. I’m not sure if it’s the material of the seats or just their age but some of them looked pretty worn down.
The food is pretty mediocre compared to what some other lounges are offering these days like the amazing Star Alliance Lounge. It’s mostly finger foods and cold food items, with a small selection of hot food items. I wouldn’t go there expecting to receive a full meal.
For drinks, the selection is a small collection of spirits, beer, and wine too. This seems to be a recurring theme as even when I visited the First Class Korean Air Lounge at ICN, the spirits selection was very limited and not very premium (especially for a first class lounge).
One thing that’s very nice about the lounge is the terrace that overlooks the Tom Bradley International Terminal. There are a lot of big and beautiful screens to admire and I’ve always found sitting out on the terrace to be relaxing no matter which lounge I’m visiting. I highly recommend it.
There are showers if you need them and they can be reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Note that if you’re flying first class on Korean Air, you can access the first class lounge which is just a smaller, more exclusive lounge next door with slightly upgraded food items.
The view from the Korean Air Lounge at LAX.
Alaska Lounge — Terminal 6
Location
Airside – the lounge is located on the Mezzanine Level, near Gate 64.
Hours
Daily: 5:00am – 8:00pm
Closed: Dec 25
Conditions
Lounge access is permitted 2 hours prior to a scheduled flight departure
All Cardholders are required to show a physical or digital Priority Pass Card
Limited to two guests per cardholder or immediate family (spouse and children under 21 years of age)
Lounge access may be restricted due to Lounge capacity constraints and the Lounge reserves the right to reserve seating as necessary
Children under 2 years are admitted free
Alcoholic drinks are limited to three per adult.
This lounge is on the smaller side and can get quite crowded but it’s pretty nice lounge with views of the tarmac. There’s a small business center with a number of work stations and a printer available if needed. There are also a couple of private phone rooms.
You should be able to find different snacks (fruits, cheeses, salads, etc.) and light meals like soups. They do sell heavier meals like sandwiches, which you can purchase for about $8. The lounge has a much-adored pancake machine, as well.
Complimentary beer and wine are offered including some locally brewed beers and local wines. Premium wines and spirits are available but those are going to cost you extra.
You should note that Alaska is known for restricting access to this lounge when things get close to capacity. So if you’re relying on Priority Pass to get access to the lounge and you’re traveling during peak times, I’d advise to go in with a back up plan to potentially visit other lounges.
No showers are available.
Final word
The LAX Priority Pass lounges are some decent lounges but I don’t think any specific one is a standout lounge. I still really like the Star Alliance lounges in the International terminal the best but as Priority Pass won’t get you access into those.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
SFO is home to two Priority Pass airport lounges and two restaurants.
But how do you find these lounges/restaurants and which terminals are they located in?
This article will tell you how to get to these Priority Pass SFO lounges and what to expect when you get there when it comes to things like food, drinks, showers, crowds, etc.. I’ll cover the Air France/KLM Lounge, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, the Giants Club House, and the Yankee Pier and also show how to connect to the domestic and international terminals.
There is one Priority Pass lounge at SFO and three restaurants.
Air France/KLM Lounge — International Terminal
Lark Creek Grill — Terminal 2
San Francisco Giants Clubhouse — Terminal 3
Yankee Pier — Terminal 3
How to get Priority Pass
You can get Priority Pass by purchasing a club membership but I always recommend considering credit cards that offer you a Priority Pass Select membership.
These cards would be cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express. Those cards do come with higher fees so you might want to think about credit cards with lower annual fees that offer Priority Pass like the Hilton Ascend card, which offers you 10 free lounge visits every year.
If you don’t normally spend a lot of time visiting airports and traveling, then 10 lounge visits is more than enough for you and you’ll benefit from the lower annual fee.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
SFO terminals
You can connect to all of the different terminals pretty easily with the AirTran but note that there’s currently a lot of construction going on which could make things a little complicated. Many of the terminals cannot be reached when traveling airside so you might have to re-enter security when going between terminals. Given the ongoing construction, my advice is to do specific search inquiries for the terminals you’d like to connect with.
You should be able to clear security in any terminal in SFO with a valid boarding pass departing that day. You might get some push back from the TSA agents but if you explain to them that you’re trying to access a lounge, they should let you get through.
American Airlines is located in Terminal 1, Boarding Area B.
jetBlue
JetBlue is located in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Boarding Area B.
Southwest
Southwest Airlines is located in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Boarding Area B.
Terminal 2
Alaska
Alaska Airlines is located in Terminal 2, Boarding Area D and the International Terminal, Boarding Area A. Please view the website for up-to-date information.
Delta
Delta Air Lines domestic flights are located in Terminal 2, Boarding Area C and D.
Terminal 3
United (Domestic)
United Airlines domestic flights are located in Terminal 3, Boarding Area E and Boarding Area F.
International Terminal A
AeroMexico
AeroMexico is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Air France
Air France is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Alaska
Alaska Airlines is located in Terminal 2, Boarding Area D and the International Terminal, Boarding Area A. Please view the website for up-to-date information.
Avianca
Avianca is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
British Airways
British Airways is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
China Airlines
China Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
China Eastern
China Eastern is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
China Southern
China Southern is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
EL AL
N/A
Emirates
Emirates is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
EVA AIR
EVA AIR is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Finnair (Seasonal)
Finnair is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Frenchbee
N/A
Frontier
Frontier Airlines is located in International Terminal G.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Iberia (Seasonal)
Iberia is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
KLM
KLM is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Korean Air
Korean Air is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Level
Level is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Qantas
Qantas is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Qatar Airways
N/A
Sun Country
Sun Country Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic flights are located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.
WestJet
N/A
International Terminal G
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Air Canada
Air Canada operates from the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Air China
Air China is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Air India
Air India is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
ANA
ANA is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Asiana
Asiana is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines is located in the International Terminal Boarding Area G.
EL AL
N/A
EVA AIR
EVA AIR is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Fiji Airways
Fiji Airways is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Frenchbee
N/A
Lufthansa
Lufthansa is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
SAS
SAS is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines flights are located in the International Terminal Boarding Area G.
TAP Air Portugal
N/A
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
United (International)
United Airlines international flights are located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.
Image via SFO.
You can search for specific lounges and airlines here. Locations are accurate as of October 2021.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
Air France/KLM Lounge — International Terminal
Hours
Mon, Tue, Sat: 7:30am to 4:30pm
Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun: 7:30am to 4:30pm & 6:45pm to 12:00am midnight
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Location
Airside – Concourse A, Level 3. Take the first left after the TSA Checkpoint and the lounge is located straight ahead
Conditions
Maximum 3 hour stay
Children under 2 years are admitted free
Alcoholic drinks are only available to passengers 21 years of age or older
The Air France/KLM Lounge is a pretty basic Priority Pass lounge. It’s decently spacious with great views of the tarmac and lots of seating (although not a lot of privacy). The lounge can get crowded at times and outlets aren’t very easy to come by, so during peak times it can be a bit of a frustrating lounge visit.
There’s a special area for first class passengers though it appears it’s often used by other passengers.
The lounge offers a nicely stocked bar with a nice selection of spirits, as well as wine and beer. You’ll also find hot food items like pasta, rice, soup, etc. and things like salads and sandwiches along with some basic snacks like pretzels, cookies, etc. For a Priority Pass lounge, the food selection is mostly satisfactory and is one of the stronger features of the lounge.
There are no showers in this lounge.
Lark Creek Grill — Terminal 2
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 10:00pm
Cardholders will not be admitted into the lounge outside these hours
Location
Airside – after Security, proceed straight ahead and the restaurant is located on the right hand side. Domestic flights only
Conditions
Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive US$28 off the bill
Each US$28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $28 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account
Only 1 Card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted and at point of registration
The US$28 is valid for the purchase of any meal and/or drinks
To be eligible, Cardholders must present a valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order
Cardholder is responsible for the balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity
San Francisco Giants Clubhouse — Terminal 3
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 11:00pm
Location
Airside – after Security, Concourse F, near Gate F13
Conditions
Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive $28 USD off the bill
Each $28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $56 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account
Only 1 membership card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted at point of entry
The US$28 is valid for purchase of any meal and/or drinks
To be eligible, Cardholders must present a Valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order
Cardholder is responsible for balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity
The restaurant only received 2 stars out of 5 stars on Yelp, so there’s been a lot of unhappy customers. However, plenty of others have enjoyed their food at the dining establishment. I think that if you’re getting $28 worth of free food, it’s a bit hard to complain and you should be able to find something you like as there are plenty of sandwiches, burgers, and other food items well under $28.
Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive $28 USD off the bill.
Each $28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $56 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account.
Only 1 membership card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted at point of entry.
The US$28 is valid for purchase of any meal and/or drinks.
To be eligible, Cardholders must present a Valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order.
Cardholder is responsible for balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity.
Yankee Pier serves seafood, clam chowder, lobster and crab and has a full bar. It’s got better online reviews than the Giant’s Clubhouse so you might want to give it a shot if you’re a bit of a picky eater.
Final word
SFO has two true Priority Pass lounges and two restaurants. With only two lounges and limited airside connections, it can be a little bit of a headache to visit the Air France Lounge, especially since there are also often restrictions on Priority Pass members. However, the Air France lounge isn’t that bad and at least there are some options for grabbing some grub in some of the other terminals.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Priority Pass Select membership can be one of the most valuable credit card perks available. With this membership, you’ll be able to access over 1,300 airport lounges all across the globe. But what exactly are the Priority Pass Select benefits and rules?
In this article, I’ll take an in-depth review of the Priority Pass Select program. I’ll discuss different ways to enroll in Priority Pass Select with different credit cards and go over things like the different guest policies and costs. I’ll also show you how to find Priority Pass lounge locations and what to expect when you visit them.
Priority Pass Select is a type of Priority Pass membership that is offered through various U.S. financial institutions and grants you access to over 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges all over the globe.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Priority Pass membership cost
Priority Pass Select memberships are gained through credit cards so the cost for those memberships are essentially the annual fee paid for those cards.
But there are also different types of Priority Pass memberships that you can purchase without being a credit card holder. Those memberships are listed below.
Standard: $99 annual fee
Standard Plus: $299 annual fee
Prestige: $429 annual fee
Priority Pass Select memberships are very similar to these memberships that you can pay for. For example, some Priority Pass Select memberships will grant you unlimited access while others might limit your visits to only 10 per year.
But one major distinction between the two is that with Priority Pass Select you are often allowed to bring guests with you into the lounge free of charge. And if you exceed your guest limit, you can have guests enter with a reduced fee of around $27 per guest.
If you’re talking about a Priority Pass Select membership that offers unlimited lounge visits, you can quickly see how valuable the membership is. For example, the Prestige membership will cost you $429 per year, so you’re getting at least that much value.
But as noted the Prestige membership does not allow you to bring in guests for free. So if you regularly bring along a companion with you or a family, you’re potentially getting much more than $429 worth of value from your membership.
Priority Pass Select guest policy
Take a look at the cards below and you will notice that the guest policy for the cards differ. Most cards offer two complimentary guests while some other cards also allow for immediate family members to enter or even unlimited guests. As stated, if you exceed the guest policy, you can usually have guests enter with a reduced fee of around $27 per guest.
One thing to take into consideration is that the individual lounges can impose their own restrictions on guest policies. You usually won’t have a problem when bringing in one or two guests but if you’re trying to bring in more than that you could run into issues if the lounge is facing crowding.
How to get a Priority Pass Select membership
There are many different ways to get a Priority Pass membership. Below, I will discuss several of the different credit cards that you can choose from in order to get a membership. I will also highlight some of the key benefits of these cards so that you can have an idea of why these cards might be a good fit for you.
Amex Platinum Card
The American Express Platinum Card is the number one card for lounge access in my opinion. You’ll get Priority Pass membership for you and two other guests but you’ll also get Centurion Lounge access along with Delta Sky Club access, making this the most complete lounge package out there.
The Platinum Card is also a great card if you want elite status, as it offers Gold status with Hilton and Marriott. It’s also a very rewarding card with 5X on airfare and other benefits.
The annual fee for the Platinum Card is $695 but it is offset by the $200 annual Uber credit and the $200 annual airline credit. In addition, you’ll also get a $200 hotel credit, $300 Equinox credit, CLEAR credit, and $240 entertainment credit.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers Priority Pass Select membership for you and two guests. It used to offer unlimited guests but that got a little too popular and Chase cut back the benefit to only allow for two guests.
Beyond Priority Pass, the Sapphire Reserve is a very strong contender of a credit card with its 3X on dining and travel, $300 travel credit, and ability to cash in your points through the Chase Travel Portal at a rate of 1.5 cents per point. It also comes with a host of worthwhile benefits.
The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve is $550 but with the easy to use $300 travel credit and $60 DoorDash credit, it’s very easy knock down the effective annual fee to $190.
US Bank Altitude Reserve
The US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card offers an interesting Priority Pass membership that gives you four complimentary entries each year and four individual accompanying guest visits as well. After the free visits have been used, the member’s card will be charged a lounge visit fee of $27 per person per visit for the member and each guest.
The Altitude Reserve also comes with a sign-up bonus of 50,000 points (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,500 within the first 90 days. It also has one of the highest travel credits of $325 making it easy to offset the $400 annual fee.
This is a great card for those who utilize mobile wallets because it earns 3X on eligible mobile wallet purchases, which can be a significant advantage for some. The card also earns 3X on travel booked directly with airlines, hotels, taxis, trains, etc. (but no OTAs).
Amex Hilton Aspire
The Amex Hilton Aspire will grant you Priority Pass for you and two guests, just like the Platinum Card. The Aspire really shines in a few ways. First, it offers you Hilton Diamond status, which is the top-tier status offered by Hilton. That status can get you free breakfast, lounge access, and suite upgrades, among other benefits.
The Aspire also comes with a number of credits that help offset the $450 annual fee:
$250 airline incidental fee statement credit
$250 Hilton resort statement credit
$100 on property credit at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking the exclusive Aspire Card package
You also get a free anniversary night which can be used at even the most expensive Hilton properties.
And finally you can earn a ton of Hilton points with this card as it comes with the following bonus categories:
14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants
3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases
Amex Hilton Surpass
The Amex Hilton Surpass comes with 10 free Priority Pass lounge passes. You can use these for yourself and for guests if you’d like, so there’s a lot of flexibility with this card.
The Ascend is a much more basic card compared to the Aspire but it’s still a very good hotel credit card. You’ll get Hilton Honors Gold status and the ability to earn one free weekend night at a hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio after spending $15,000 in purchases in a calendar year
You’ll also get some strong bonus earning potential by being able to earn:
12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. restaurants, and U.S. gas stations
3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on all other eligible purchases
For only a $95 annual fee, this card is a bargain for many people.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card comes with the standard Priority Pass Select membership that allows access for you and two guests with unlimited visits. Overall, it’s a pretty strong hotel card and also offers a $300 credit towards Marriott that can even be used at room rates and an annual free night for properties that cost up to 50,000 Marriott points.
There’s also some decent bonus earning potential with the card as it earns:
6X on Marriott purchases
3X on US restaurants
3X on airlines booked directly with airlines
2X on other purchases
The card does come with Marriott Gold elite status but that elite status is less valuable than it was before.
The card earns a whopping 5X on dining and airfare and 3X on cruise lines and hotels, as well as 2X on entertainment. The $250 travel credit is now expanded so you’ll be able to offset the annual fee easier though the fee is increased to $495.
Luxury Card Black Card
Reportedly, the Luxury Card Black Card allows for unlimited guests with your Priority Pass membership. I haven’t been able to confirm that in the terms and conditions but if that’s the case, the Luxury Card offers the most generous type of Priority Pass membership.
Unfortunately, the Black Card is kind of a bust overall. It doesn’t offer a welcome bonus and while it earns 2% back when used for airfare and 1.5% back on all purchases, you can find no annual fee cards that earn that same rate so that’s not entirely impressive.
It does have a $100 airline credit that helps offset the $495 annual fee and some special VIP perks like 24/7 access to Luxury Card Concierge, Luxury Card Travel, and “Priceless” access. But beyond that, there’s not a whole to rave about with this card.
Luxury Card Gold Card
The Luxury Card Gold Card is very similar to the Black Card only it earns 2% back when used for airfare and 2% back on all purchases. Again, that’s not bad but considering there are no-annual fee cards which can earn you the same rates, that’s not that impressive.
Other card options
City National Bank Visa Infinite
Ritz-Carlton Rewards Card (no longer available for new applicants)
Authorized users
Many of these cards allow authorized users to get access to the Priority Pass lounges. Utilizing authorized users is a great way to get more guests into the lounge with you since each authorized user can bring in their own guests. So for example if you and a companion had a Platinum Card, then you each could bring in two guests for a total of four guests. Many times, the fees for adding authorized users are very reasonable so consider using this to your advantage.
How Priority Pass Select works
The way Priority Pass works is pretty simple.
Get approved for an eligible card
First, you need to get approved for a credit card that has Priority Pass Select.
Enroll/activate
You will typically need to enroll in Priority Pass after you are approved for a credit card, so don’t assume that you will be automatically enrolled. You can usually do this online when logging in to your account but you also might be able to do this by calling in.
Show your card
After you enroll into the program, you should receive your physical card in the mail within a couple of weeks. Make sure that you bring your physical card with you when you visit the lounges.
Many programs will allow you to link your Priority Pass card to the mobile app so you won’t always have to bring the physical card but some lounges have issues when trying to use your app. Thus, I always carry my physical card with me when traveling.
Cancelling
Something you need to know is that if you cancel your credit card you will lose out on the lounge membership immediately. If you somehow are given access to the lounge with your Priority Pass card, you will likely get billed for that visit on your credit card on a later date.
Renewing
Your Priority Pass Select membership should automatically renew if your card remains in good standing. However, it’s a good idea to monitor your card membership to make sure that the renewal process goes smoothly.
Priority Pass MCO Lounge.
Priority Pass Select app (digital card)
You can download the Priority Pass app from the App Store or Google Play.
This app is how you can access your digital card. Also, they are now starting to show indoor airport maps to help you better navigate the terminals and find your lounge. Other features include tracking your visit history and saving your “must visit” lounges to access them from the search screen.
The lounge experience can differ dramatically between Priority Pass lounges but here are some benefits you can expect to find at these lounges.
Wifi
Virtually every Priority Pass is going to offer complimentary wifi, at least for a while. Generally, the wifi speed is good enough to get things done but I’ve visited some lounges where the speed was severely lacking.
Food items
The type of food you’ll find in these lounges is going to vary. At the minimum, you’ll usually be able to find snacks and finger foods, such as pretzels, chips, and other light bites. But some lounges will provide you with a spread of hot items — sometimes these are actually pretty tasty items and other times they leave a bit to be desired.
Complimentary drinks
Most Priority Pass lounges that I’ve visited have offered a selection of complimentary alcohol. Beer and wine is common to find but some lounges will have a pretty solid line-up of spirits that you can take advantage of.
Comfy seating
Most lounges will have seating options that are superior to what’s offered in the terminals. Again, it all depends on the lounge.
Showers
Some Priority Pass lounges have showers though there are usually only a small number (or only one shower stall) available. If you want to shower at one of these lounges, your best bet would be to contact the front desk as soon as you arrive in order to secure a stall.
Some of the showers will provide you with amenities like soaps, shampoos, and conditioners, though it varies.
Nap rooms
Nap rooms are more rare to come across but I’ve seen some with some nice nap rooms (sometimes you have to reserve them).
Crowding
With so many credit cards offering Priority Pass now, crowding has definitely become an issue in some of these lounges. As a result, some lounges now limit access to Priority Pass members during busy hours. This is something that you always want to check on before heading out to your lounge.
How to find Priority Pass Select locations
It’s very easy to find Priority Pass lounges.
Simply visit their website and click on “Find a Lounge” at the top of the screen. You can then enter the city, airport name or code.
Once you are taken to the search results, simply click on the “Lounges” tab to see what lounges are available at the airport. You should then be able to select the lounges to find out all of the details for that lounge.
Opening Hours
Location
Conditions
Additional Information
You can also easily see the amenities offered like alcohol, showers, wifi, and things like whether Digital Cards are accepted.
It’s really important to make sure that you’ll be able to visit these lounges from the terminal that you’re flying out of. Many airports don’t allow you to connect between terminals after you go through security, so it’s not always practical to visit these lounges.
Sometimes you can exit the terminal and go through security twice to visit a lounge but some of these lounges might not be worth the effort. If you’re trying to figure out whether or not you can get between terminals, Flyertalk is a great place to research and ask questions.
Priority Pass restaurants
One of the cool new trends is that Priority Pass has added airport restaurants to its lounge network. For example, At SFO, you can visit the San Francisco Giants Clubhouse or Yankee Pier.
This is great if you can’t make it to a terminal with a lounge or if the lounges are full. And you can sometimes register multiple guests so you and a small party of three can enjoy a meal together.
These restaurants are constantly changing so you want to make sure that you’re checking the most up to to date information on them before you visit.
Which Priority Pass Select membership is right for you?
Airlines
Since Priority Pass offers you airport lounge access you will likely be seeking out benefits related to airlines. The Platinum Card is a great way to go to maximize your rewards with airlines because it offers 5X rewards on purchases made directly with airlines.
But note that if you want lounge access with specific airlines like United, American Airlines, Delta, etc., there are co-branded cards that you can get that will offer you lounge access for those specific airlines.
Hotels
If you are interested in hotel rewards then the Hilton Aspire Card might be on the top of your list. Personally, I would go with the Hilton Aspire Card because I like that it offers top tier diamond status and also offers such amazing credits. I would also give the American Express Platinum a really good look because it comes with Hilton Gold Status as well as Marriott Gold as well.
Spending
Now, more premium cards are offering bonus spending for various types of bonus categories like dining and travel. The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a great option for earning bonus points on travel purchases and it will also earn you three times the points on dining is well. The new Citi Prestige Card is a great option for maximizing earnings on dining with its new 5X rewards as well.
Limited visits
Some people might only visit airports a few times a year. For these people, they don’t really need an unlimited membership for airport lounges. Instead, they can be 100% satisfied with a card that only provides them with a handful of visits each year. These people might want to consider cards like the Hilton Ascend or Altitude Reserve.
Multiple cards with Priority Pass
A lot of people wonder if they should hold multiple cards that offer them a Priority Pass Select membership.
The answer to this question is very often: yes.
Now that so many valuable credit cards offer Priority Pass memberships, it is almost difficult to not have multiple memberships with Priority Pass. In fact, right now I could have a hand full of Priority Pass memberships if I chose to enroll each individual credit card.
But that is not because I am a Priority Pass fanatic. It is just because there are several cards out there that offer such great benefits that they are worth picking up individually.
For example, I hold the American Express Platinum Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Hilton Aspire, and will soon be picking up the Citi Prestige. Each of those cards offer me unique benefits that I can take advantage of in different ways.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: 3X on dining and travel earning Ultimate Rewards, 1.5 cents per point through the Chase Travel Portal
Hilton Aspire: Hilton Diamond status, 14X on Hilton purchases
Citi Prestige: 4th night free, 5X on dining and airfare earning Citi ThankYou Points
If you do enroll in multiple Priority Pass programs then I suggest that you mark your Priority Pass cards so that you do not get your memberships mixed up. This is especially important if the guest policy is different for your different cards.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Minute Suites
Terminal
Concourse C
Location
Airside- after security, Minute Suites is located between Gate C3 and C5 right next to Urban Bar-B-Que
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 9:00pm
The Club BWI
Terminal
Concourse D
Location
Airside – Upper Level. After Security Checks, proceed to Gate D10 and the lounge is located next to ‘Dunkin Donuts’. The lounge is also accessible to passengers traveling from Concourse E. Please allow sufficient time to return back to the departure gate
Hours
Daily: 4:30am to 7:00pm
Logan International (BOS)
Stephanies
Terminal
Terminal B
Location
Airside – after Security, Departures Level, opposite Gate B24. Domestic flights only
Hours
Daily: 4:30am and closes 30 minutes prior to last scheduled flight departure (Temporarily Closed)
Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar and Grill
Terminal
Terminal C
Location
Landside – before Security, Departures Level opposite the ‘Alaska Airlines’ check-in counter
Hours
Daily: 2:00pm to 8:00pm
The Lounge
Terminal
Terminal C
Location
Airside – 1st Floor, Concourse Level across from Gate C19. The lounge is not accessible from Gates 40 – 42
Hours
Daily: 6:00am to 8:00pm
Air France Lounge
Terminal
Terminal E
Location
Airside – after Security, turn right towards Gate 4. Take the dedicated lounge elevator or stairs to where the lounge is located
Hours
Mon, Thu, Sat: 10:30am to 10:30pm
Tue: 1:00pm to 10:30pm
Wed, Fri, Sun: 9:30am to 10:30pm
The Club
Terminal
Terminal E
Location
Airside – after Security, turn left and take the elevator down one level
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 1:00am (Temporarily Closed)
Buffalo Niagara Intl (BUF)
The Club
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, between Gates 6 and 7
Hours
Daily: 4:00am to 5:00pm
Charleston SC International (CHS)
The Club CHS
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – after Security walk straight ahead towards Concourse B. Take the elevator on the left hand side for entrance to the lounge which is located over the AME Memorial and the Eddie Bauer store
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 7:30pm
Charlotte Douglas Intl (CLT)
Minute Suites
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – D/E Connector near the Food Court
Hours
Daily: 24 hours
Minute Suites
Terminal
Atrium
Location
Airside – the lounge is located in the main atrium, next to the Food Court Area
Hours
Daily: 24 hours
Chicago Ohare Intl (ORD)
Swissport Lounge
Terminal
International Terminal 5
Location
Airside – after Security turn right and the lounge is located between Gates M8 and M7 on the right
Hours
Daily: 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Closed: Dec. 25 & Jan 1
Cleveland Hopkins Intl (CLE)
The Club CLE
Terminal
Concourse B
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, head straight to Concourse B, turn right into the hall after ‘Ohio Gameday Sports’
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 8:00pm
Bar Symon
Terminal
Concourse C
Location
Airside – after Security, go to Concourse C and Bar Symon is located between Gates C4 and C6
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 5:30pm
Colorado Springs (COS)
Colorado Springs Premier Lounge
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, adjacent to Gate 6
Hours
Daily: 4:00am to last scheduled flight departure
Dallas/Fort Worth Intl (DFW)
Minute Suites
Terminal
Terminal A
Location
Airside – located near Gate A38
Hours
Daily: 24 hours
Gameway
Terminal
Terminal B
Location
Airside – near the Skylink and Gate 42
Hours
Daily: 8:00am to 8:00pm
Minute Suites
Terminal
Terminal D
Location
Airside – located near Gate D23
Hours
Daily: 24 hours
The Club DFW
Terminal
Terminal D
Location
Airside – located on the Mezzanine Floor near Gate 27. Passengers departing from other terminals will need to access the lounge via Skylink to avoid passing through security twice. Please allow sufficient time to reach the departure gate
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 9:00pm
Gameway
Terminal
Terminal E
Location
Airside – near Gate 16
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 7:00pm
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Be Relax Spa
Terminal
McNamara Terminal
Location
Airside – located near the middle of the water fall between Johnston & Murphy & Vino Volo, near to Gate A46
Hours
Daily: 7:00am to 9:00pm
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Minute Suites
Terminal
McNamara Terminal
Location
Airside – near Gate A66
Hours
Daily: 24 hours
Lufthansa Business Lounge
Terminal
North Terminal
Location
Airside – after Security Checks turn left, the lounge is located next to Gate D8
Hours
Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 6:00am to 5:30pm
Tue: 9:00am to 5:30pm
Sat & Sun: Closed
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Intl (FLL)
Kafe Kalik
Terminal
Terminal 4
Location
Airside – after Security proceed towards Concourse G and Kafe Kalik is located near Gate G6
Hours
Daily: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Hebron Northern Kentucky Intl (CVG)
The Club CVG
Terminal
Concourse A
Location
Airside, the lounge is located between Gates A8 and A10. The lounge is also accessible to passengers traveling through Concourse B or C but will need to allow sufficient time to reach the departure gate
Hours
Mon, Thu, Fri, Sun: 6:00am to 8:00pm
Tue, Wed, Sat: 6:00am to 6:00pm
Honolulu Intl (HNL)
The Plumeria Lounge
Terminal
Inter-Island Terminal
Location
Airside – 3rd Floor, the lounge is located near the Wiki Wiki shuttle pick up area. The lounge is not accessible for Arrivals
Hours
Daily: 8:00am to 6:00pm
IASS Hawaii Lounge
Terminal
Overseas Terminal
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, proceed to Garden Court (Airline Lounge Area) towards Gates 14-23 of the Central Concourse. Take the elevator or stairs to Ground Level and follow the signs to the lounge
Hours
Daily: 7:30am to 1:30pm & 2:00pm to 6:00pm (Temporarily Closed)
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar
Terminal
Terminal A
Location
Airside – proceed to Security Checkpoint for Gates A17-A30 and Cadillac is located near Gate A17
Hours
Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Thu, Fri, Sun: 7:00am to 9:00pm
Landry’s Seafood
Terminal
Terminal C
Location
Airside – after Security Checkpoint, turn left and Landry’s is located near Gate C42
Hours
Daily: 11:00am to 6:00pm
Air France Lounge
Terminal
Terminal D
Location
Airside – after Security, opposite Gate D12
Hours
Mon, Wed: 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 1:00pm to 7:00pm
KLM Crown Lounge
Terminal
Terminal D
Location
Airside – the lounge is located near Gate D8
Hours
Daily: 8:00am to 9:00pm
Indianapolis Intl (IND)
The Fan Zone
Terminal
Concourse B
Location
Airside – after Security, turn left and The Fan Zone is located at the end of Concourse B, near Gate B17
Hours
Daily: 8:00am to last scheduled flight departure
Jacksonville Intl (JAX)
The Club JAX
Terminal
Concourse A
Location
Airside – once you pass through Security walk directly ahead past the Food Court and the lounge is located slightly to the right
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 6:00pm
Kahului Airport (OGG)
Premier Lounge
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – 2nd Floor, opposite Gate 17
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 8:30pm
McCarran Intl (LAS)
The Club LAS
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – Level 2. After passing through Security Checkpoint D, take the Blue Line train to D Gates – Level 0. Take the escalator and head West or right towards Gate D33. The lounge is located between Brooks Brothers & Tumi. It takes approximately 15 minutes. Access from Terminal 3 – Level 0. After passing through Security Checkpoint D and E, take the Red Line train to the D Gates-Level 0 and follow the same directions as above. It takes approximately 18 minutes
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 8:00pm
The Club LAS
Terminal
Terminal 3
Location
Airside – the lounge is located across from Gate E2
Hours
Daily: 11:00am to 10:00pm (Temporarily Closed)
Blue Grass Airport (LEX)
Kentucky Ale Taproom
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – after Security, the Kentucky Ale Taproom is located on the right, next to Concourse B entrance. Domestic flights only
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to last scheduled flight departure
Los Angeles Intl (LAX)
Be Relax Spa
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, turn right and Be Relax is located next door to Rock n Brew Restaurant
Hours
Daily: 6:00am to 11:00pm
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Miami Intl (MIA)
Turkish Airlines Lounge
Terminal
Central Terminal Concourse E
Location
Airside – after TSA Check Point in Concourse E. The lounge is located on Level 2, past the escalator on the left hand side. Access from Terminal D – pass through the connector to the Central Terminal (E Gates Concourse) and the lounge is located directly ahead
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 10:00pm
Club America F
Terminal
Central Terminal Concourse F
Location
Airside – after Security Checkpoint, follow signs to the lounge which is located on the 3rd Floor. International flights only
Hours
Daily: 7:00am to 9:00pm
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Corona Beach House
Terminal
North Terminal Concourse D
Location
Airside – between Gates D23 and D24
Hours
Daily: 6:30am to 9:00pm
Turkish Airlines Lounge
Terminal
South Terminal Concourse H
Location
Airside – the lounge lift lobby is located midway between Concourses H and J. Take the lift to the 3rd Floor, keep to the left until you reach the lounge entrance
Hours
Daily: Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP)
PGA MSP Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – proceed to the north end of the Airport Mall (towards Concourses D/E). Take the lift or stairs located between Concourses D and E (corner) up to the Upper Level. Check-in at the Golf Shop Counter
Hours
Daily: 11:00am to 8:00pm
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Minute Suites Nashville
Terminal
Concourse D
Location
Airside – near Gate D3
Hours
Daily: 4:00am to 10:00pm
Louis Armstrong New Orleans Intl (MSY)
The Club MSY
Terminal
Concourse A
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, follow the signs for Concourse A and pass Cafe Du Mondé. Take the elevator located on the right hand side to the 3rd Floor
Hours
Daily: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Newark Liberty Intl (EWR)
Lufthansa Business Lounge
Terminal
Terminal B
Location
Airside – the lounge is located before Gates 60 – 68
Hours
Mon, Wed: 2:30pm to 5:30pm
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 2:30pm to 9:00pm
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Closed: Dec 24, 25 & 31
John F Kennedy Intl (JFK)
Air France Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – near the Air France Boarding Area by Gate 1
Hours
Daily: 2:00pm to 7:30pm
KAL Business Class Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security Checkpoint, the lounge is located on the right hand side, across Gate 3. All passengers must hold a boarding pass departing from Terminal 1
Hours
Daily: 8:30am to 12:00pm
Lufthansa Business Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security Checkpoint on the left hand side. International and in-transit flights only
Hours
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun: 12:30pm to 6:00pm
Tue, Thu, Sat: 12:30pm to 5:30pm
Primeclass Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security, next to Gates 8 and 9. International flights only
Hours
Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat: 12:00pm to 6:30pm
Wed, Fri, Sun: 9:30am to 6:30pm
Air India Maharaja Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 4
Location
Airside – after Security, next to Gate 5
Hours
Daily: 9:30am to 6:30pm
Wingtips Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 4
Location
Airside – after proceeding through TSA/Security Checkpoint, turn right and proceed approximately 100 meters where the lounge is located on the left
Hours
Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat: 8:00am to 8:00pm
Thu, Fri, Sun: 8:00am to 9:00pm
Alaska Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 7
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, proceed to the Mezzanine Level above Security
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 9:00am & 2:30pm to 9:00pm
Closed: Dec 25
Bobby Van’s Steakhouse
Terminal
Terminal 8
Location
Airside – after Security, turn right and Bobby Van’s Steakhouse is located opposite Gate 14
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 8:00pm
LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Minute Suites Express
Terminal
Terminal B
Location
Airside – after Security, take the escalator up one level and the Minute Suites Express is located on the right hand side of the Bowery Bay Shops
Hours
Daily: 7:00am to 8:00pm
Orlando Intl (MCO)
The Club MCO (Gates 1-29)
Terminal
Terminal A Concourse 1
Location
Airside – Gates 1-29, adjacent to XpresSpa. All passengers with a Boarding Pass can gain access to the lounge but passengers not departing from Gates 1-29 will be required to pass through Security. Please allow sufficient time to reach the departure gates
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 9:00pm
The Club MCO (Gates 70-99)
Terminal
Terminal B Concourse 4
Location
Airside – accessible from Gates 70-99, next to the ‘InMotion’ Store, near Gate 91. All passengers with a Boarding Pass can gain access to the lounge but passengers not departing from Gates 70-99 will be required to pass through Security. Please allow sufficient time to reach the departure gates
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 9:00pm
Orlando Sanford Intl (SFB)
The Royal Palm Lounge
Terminal
Terminal A
Location
Airside – the lounge is located in the international departure lounge, adjacent to Budweiser Tap Room
Hours
Lounge opens 3 hours prior to the first international scheduled flight departure and closes after last scheduled international departure or 23:00, whichever comes first. (Temporarily Closed)
Philadelphia Intl (PHL)
Minute Suites
Terminal
Terminal B
Location
Airside – located between Concourses A and B in the AB Connector
Hours
Daily: 24 hours
Pittsburgh Intl (PIT)
The Club
Terminal
Concourse C
Location
Airside – take the tram from landside to airside, go up the two sets of escalators and turn right towards Concourse C. The lounge is located 50 yards away on the left between Bar Symon and Gate C51
Hours
Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 4:30am to 8:00pm
Sat: 4:30am to 7:30pm
Portland Intl (PDX)
Capers Cafe Le Bar
Terminal
Concourse C
Location
Airside – immediately after Security on the left hand side
Hours
Daily: 4:00am to 2:00pm
Westward Whiskey
Terminal
Concourse C
Location
Airside – near Gate C6
Hours
Daily: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Capers Market
Terminal
Concourse D
Location
Airside – immediately after Security
Hours
Daily: 4:00am to 10:30pm
T. F. Green Airport (PVD)
Providence Provisions Kitchen & Bar
Terminal
N/A
Location
Airside – through Security Checkpoint, turn left into the North Concourse and Providence Provisions Kitchen & Bar is located on the left hand side
Hours
Daily: 11:30am to last scheduled flight departure
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Airspace Lounge
Terminal
Terminal 2
Location
Airside – after East Security Checkpoint, take an immediate left and proceed towards Gate 33. The lounge is located between Gates 33 and 23
Hours
Daily: 6:00am to 1:30pm
Be Relax Spa
Terminal
Terminal 2
Location
Airside – after Security Checks on the right hand side, near Gate 27
Hours
Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 6:00am to 9:00pm
Tue, Sat: 6:00am to 8:00pm
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Be Relax Spa
Terminal
Terminal 2
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, next to Stone Brewery, near Gate 36
Hours
Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 7:00am to 9:00pm
Tue, Sat: 7:00am to 8:00pm
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
San Francisco Intl (SFO)
Air France – KLM Lounge
Terminal
International Terminal
Location
Airside – Concourse A, Level 3. Take the first left after the TSA Checkpoint and the lounge is located straight ahead
Hours
Mon, Tue, Sat: 7:30am to 4:30pm
Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun: 7:30am to 4:30pm & 6:45pm to 12:00am
Hours may vary according to flight schedules
Lark Creek Grill
Terminal
Terminal 2
Location
Airside – after Security, proceed straight ahead and the restaurant is located on the right hand side. Domestic flights only
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 10:00pm
San Francisco Giants Clubhouse
Terminal
Terminal 3
Location
Airside – after Security, Concourse F, near Gate F13
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 11:00pm
Yankee Pier
Terminal
Terminal 3
Location
Airside – Concourse F, near Gate F4
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 10:00pm
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)
The Club SJC A15
Terminal
Terminal A
Location
Airside – the lounge is located on the 3rd Level, across from Gate 15
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 6:00pm
The Club SJC A8
Terminal
Terminal A
Location
Airside – the lounge is located on the Main Level Concourse, across from Gate 8
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 6:00pm (Temporarily Closed)
Seattle Tacoma Intl (SEA)
Trail Head BBQ Bar
Terminal
Central Terminal
Location
Airside – Trail Head BBQ Bar is located on the right hand side after you exit TSA, near Gate C1
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 10:30pm
The Club SEA
Terminal
Concourse A
Location
Airside – across from Gate A11. Access is available to all Concourses by train which runs every few minutes. Please allow sufficient time to reach the Departure Gate when accessing the lounge from other Concourses
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 9:00pm
Bambuza
Terminal
North Satellite
Location
Airside – once you disembark the train, take the escalator to Concourse Level and turn left. Bambuza is located on the left hand side
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 10:30pm
The Club SEA
Terminal
South Satellite
Location
Airside – next to Gate S9. Access is available to all Concourses by train which runs every few minutes. Please allow sufficient time to reach the Departure Gate when accessing the lounge from other Concourses
Hours
Daily: 6:00am to 6:00pm
Lambert St Louis Intl (STL)
The Pasta House
Terminal
Terminal 1
Location
Landside – located on the lower level Pre Security close to Baggage Claim
Hours
Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Sat: 10:00am to 6:00pm
(Temporarily Closed)
The Pasta House & Schlafly Beer
Terminal
Terminal 2
Location
Airside – located on the Upper level, through Security on the right, opposite Gate E6
Hours
Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 6:00am to 10:00pm
Sat: 6:00am to 6:00pm
Wingtips Lounge St. Louis
Terminal
Terminal 2
Location
Airside – after TSA Security, turn left. At the end of the terminal hallway (near Gate E22), turn left. The lounge is located opposite Gate E29. Domestic flights only
Hours
Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 7:00am to 8:00pm
Sat: Closed
Syracuse Hancock Intl (SYR)
Johnny Rockets
Terminal
N Concourse B
Location
Airside Connector – after Security Checkpoint, turn left and head towards North Concourse B. The restaurant is located on the left hand side
Hours
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 11:00am to 6:00pm
Sat, Sun: Closed
Closed Thanksgiving
Tampa Intl (TPA)
The Café by Mise en Place
Terminal
Airside F
Location
Airside – after Security, the restaurant is located directly in front of the Security Checkpoint by Gate F85. Access is available to any Airside with a valid Boarding Pass, by train which runs every few minutes. Please allow sufficient time to reach the Departure Gate when accessing the restaurant from other Airsides
Hours
Daily: 5:30am to 2:00pm
Tucson Intl (TUS)
Barrio Brewery Co.
Location
Landside – 2nd Floor, opposite the ‘Arroyo Trading Post’. Domestic flights only
Hours
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Sat, Sun: Closed
Washington Dulles Intl (IAD)
Air France – KLM Lounge
Terminal
Concourse A
Location
Airside – opposite Gate A22. Passengers departing from other Concourses can access the lounge by train. Please allow sufficient time to reach the departure gate
Hours
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 7:30am to 8:00pm
Mon: 2:00pm to 8:00pm
Wed: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Closed: Dec 25
British Airways Galleries Lounge
Terminal
Concourse B
Location
Airside – after Security Screening take the train to Concourse B and go up to the Concourse Level where the lounge is located straight ahead
Hours
Daily: 7:00am to 2:00pm (Temporarily Closed)
Lufthansa Business Lounge
Terminal
Concourse B
Location
Airside – the lounge is located near Gate B50
Hours
Mon, Wed, Sat: 2:00pm to 10:00pm
Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun: 2:00pm to 6:00pm
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington
Terminal
Concourse B
Location
Airside – near Gate B43. After Security, take the stairs to the next level and turn right. Passengers departing from other Concourses can access the lounge by train or walk way to Concourse B. Please allow sufficient time to reach the departure gate
Hours
Daily: 8:00am to 11:00pm
Chef Geoff’s
Terminal
Concourse C
Location
Airside – after Security, take the shuttle bus or train to Concourse C and proceed to Gate C14
Hours
Daily: 11:00am to 10:00pm
Ronald Reagan Washington Natl (DCA)
Bracket Room
Terminal
Terminal B
Location
Airside – after Security Control, turn right. The Bracket Room is located opposite Gate 12
Hours
Daily: 10:00am to 6:00pm
American Tap Room
Terminal
Terminal C
Location
Airside – after Security Control, near Gates 35-45
Hours
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat: 6:00am to 10:00pm
Sun: 6:00am to 8:00pm
Final word
Priority Pass Select can be a valuable credit card perk. But it’s often a secondary perk for a lot of these credit cards that offer strong perks like elite status and great bonus earning potential. Because so many cards offer Priority Pass membership, it isn’t difficult to prioritize these other benefits and go with the card that offers you the best perks beyond Priority Pass.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
JFK Priority Pass Lounges Guide (Alaska, Air France, Etc.) [2021]
JFK is home to several Priority Pass airport lounges and even a restaurant.
But how do you find these lounges and which terminals are they in?
This article will tell you how to get to these Priority Pass JFK lounges and what to expect when you get there when it comes to things like food, drinks, showers, crowds, etc.. I’ll cover all of the lounges for Priority Pass including the Air France, KAL, Wingtips, and Alaska lounge and even the new restaurant.
There are seven Priority Pass lounges at JFK and one restaurant:
Air France Lounge — Terminal 1
KAL Business Class Lounge — Terminal 1
Lufthansa Business Lounge — Terminal 1
Primeclass Lounge — Terminal 1
Air India Maharaja Lounge — Terminal 4
Wingtips Lounge — Terminal 4
Alaska Lounge — Terminal 7
Bobby Van’s Steakhouse — Terminal 8
I’ll discuss the details of each of these below.
How to get Priority Pass
You can get Priority Pass by purchasing a club membership but I always recommend considering credit cards that offer you a Priority Pass Select membership.
These cards would be cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express. Those cards do come with higher fees so you might want to think about credit cards with lower annual fees that offer Priority Pass like the Hilton Surpass Card, which offers you 10 free lounge visits every year.
If you don’t normally spend a lot of time visiting airports and traveling, then 10 lounge visits is more than enough for you and you’ll benefit from the lower annual fee.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
JFK Terminals
JFK has six operative terminals, which are numbered 1 through 8. In case you were wondering, Terminals 3 and 6 were demolished in 2011 and 2013 after Terminal 5 was expanded. Full list here.
Getting between terminals at JFK is not very easy because the majority of the terminals are not located airside. There is a free train called the AirTran but that requires you re-enter through security when traveling between terminals. An exception to this is that Delta connects its terminals 2 and 4 with a shuttle bus.
Air France Lounge — Terminal 1
Location
Airside – near the Air France Boarding Area by Gate 1
Hours
Daily: 2:00pm to 7:30pm
Conditions
Maximum 3 hour stay
Access may be restricted due to space constraints
Cardholder must be 21 years of age or older
Children under 2 years are admitted free – All children must be accompanied by an adult
The Air France Lounge at JFK is a spacious, two-floor lounge with modern decor and quiet seating, although it can get a bit busy before large flights ship out. While there are large windows in the lounge, there are no views in this lounge truly ideal for plane-spotting but it’s still a beautiful lounge to relax in.
There’s a well-stocked bar and a decent selection of snacks as well as hot and cold foods, such as croissants and eggs for breakfast. There are showers available at this lounge and spa treatment available too.
KAL Business Class Lounge — Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security Checkpoint, the lounge is located on the right hand side, across Gate 3. All passengers must hold a boarding pass departing from Terminal 1
Hours
Daily: 8:30am – 12:00pm
Cardholders will not be admitted into the lounge outside these hours
Conditions
Limited to two guests per cardholder
Access may be restricted due to space constraints
Children under 2 years are admitted free – All children must be accompanied by an adult
The KAL Business Class Lounge in Terminal 1 is largely overshadowed by the Lufthansa Lounge and the Air France Lounge, which are nicer. The KAL Lounge is mostly one large lounge room full of sofas and chairs, but limited with electrical outlets.
The food selection is very limited and you probably won’t find hot food options. Instead, you’ll be limited to things like sandwiches, chips, cookies, etc. You’ll be able to find enough to get you by but just don’t go in expecting a full meal.
This is why some people bring in their own food from the outside in order to quench their hunger (the lounge will usually allow for outside food to be brought in).
Like many other KAL lounges, the drink selection is limited in this lounge and definitely not on par with the Air France Lounge.
Showers are available at this lounge.
Lufthansa Business Lounge — Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security Checkpoint on the left hand side. International and in-transit flights only.
Hours
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun: 12:30pm – 6:00pm
Tue, Thu, Sat: 12:30pm – 5:30pm
Conditions
Maximum 3 hour stay
Children under 2 years are admitted free
Primeclass Lounge — Terminal 1
Location
Airside – after Security, next to Gates 8 and 9. International flights only
Hours
Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat: 12:00pm to 6:30pm
Wed, Fri, Sun: 9:30am to 6:30pm
Conditions
Maximum 4 hour stay
Lounge access may be restricted due to Lounge capacity constraints and the lounge reserves the right to reserve seating as necessary
Children under 6 years are admitted free
Complimentary drinks are limited to two per person
Computer workstations and printers available
This is a pretty solid 5,120-square foot contract lounge where you can find a variety of hot foods and a decently sized buffet. The lounge feels pretty modern and fresh and has a good variety of seating options for you to choose from.
The biggest restriction to note here is that complimentary drinks are limited to only two per person (you should be issued drink vouchers). Also, this lounge serves premium cocktails and alcoholic drinks but those are served for an additional charge. Cocktails will cost you $16 and other premium alcohol will cost you about $14. Beer and wine will range from $8 to $10.
This lounge does have shower facilities.
Air India Maharaja Lounge — Terminal 4
Location
Airside – after Security, next to Gate 5
Hours
Daily: 9:30am to 6:30pm
Conditions
Maximum 4 hour stay
Lounge access may be restricted due to lounge capacity constraints and the lounge reserves the right to reserve seating as necessary
Children under 6 years are admitted free.
This is a pretty basic lounge on the smaller side. It is not going to probably offer you anything special but should cover your basic needs for food and drinks. This lounge does not have shower facilities.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
Wingtips Lounge — Terminal 4
Location
Airside – after proceeding through TSA/Security Checkpoint, turn right and proceed approximately 100 meters where the lounge is located on the left
Hours
Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat: 8:00am to 8:00pm
Thu, Fri, Sun: 8:00am to 9:00pm
Conditions
Maximum 4 hour stay
Limited to six guests per Cardholder
Children under 3 years are admitted free
Dress code applicable (shoes and shirts required for entry – no baseball caps allowed).
This lounge is only accessible for passengers departing from Terminal 4. Passengers departing from other terminals may not be able to enter this lounge.
This is one of those lounges that can be strict about admitting Priority Pass members so if you’re trying to visit from 5pm to 1am, do not be surprised if you’re not allowed access with your Priority Pass membership. And if you do get admitted into the lounge, be warned that crowds (and noise) can become an issue at this lounge.
The lounge has an okay food/snack and drink selection but nothing special. You’ll mostly get to choose from some refreshments and snacks (pretzels, cookies, etc.) along with salads. There are international beers available so you can switch things up if you’d like.
Wingtips Lounge at JFK.
Alaska Lounge — Terminal 7
Location
Airside – after Security Checks, proceed to the Mezzanine Level above Security.
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 9:00am & 2:30pm to 9:00pm
Closed: Dec 25
Conditions
Lounge access is permitted 2 hours prior to a scheduled flight departure
Limited to two guests per cardholder or immediate family (spouse and children under 21 years of age)
Lounge access may be restricted due to Lounge capacity constraints and the Lounge reserves the right to reserve seating as necessary
Children under 2 years are admitted free
Alcoholic drinks are limited to three per adult.
This is a new lounge that just opened up in 2018 and so it was an exciting addition to the Priority Pass network, as it’s one of the best Priority Pass lounges at JFK. It’s a beautiful lounge with a rustic vibe optimal for relaxation. The lounge is home to large floor to ceiling windows that are great for watching the runway.
There’s a lot of comfy and private seating options in this lounge and plenty of power outlets for everyone — there’s even a fireplace in the lounge.
As for food you can expect standard breakfast foods like bagels and muffins for breakfast along with the famous pancake machine. In the afternoon, soups, salads, and other light refreshments will be available (though you can pay $8 for hot food items). There’s also a nice coffee bar in the lounge, too.
You’ll have access to complimentary beer and wine though premium drinks can be purchased as well.
Alaska Lounge at JFK.
Bobby Van’s Steakhouse — Terminal 8
Location
Airside – after Security, turn right and Bobby Van’s Steakhouse is located opposite Gate 14
Hours
Daily: 5:00am to 8:00pm
Conditions
Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive $28 USD off the bill.
Each $28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $56 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account.
Only 1 membership card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted at point of entry.
The US$28 is valid for purchase of any meal and/or drinks.
To be eligible, Cardholders must present a Valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order.
Cardholder is responsible for balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity.
If you’re in the mood for a steakhouse then consider trying out Bobby Van’s, which will offer some solid airport dining. You won’t be able to get a steak covered for $28 but you you can offset the cost of one down to $8. Also, there are plenty of other menu items that fall under $28 like burgers and sandwiches.
Centurion Lounge Reminder
You are not offered access to Amex Centurion Lounges with Priority Pass but I thought this would be a good time to remind travelers that a new Amex Centurion Lounge is located at JFK in Terminal 4.
Final word
JFK has a hand full of options for Priority Pass members. However, the layout of JFK Airport makes it difficult to visit many of these lounges since you generally can’t connect airside. Also, the lounge admission policies (and quality) of some of the lounges are questionable although there are at least two solid options with the Alaska and Air France lounge.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Priority Pass Restaurants Guide: (Full List w/Prices & Menu Items) [2021]
Priority Pass is one of the most rewarding travel perks for many premium credit cards and offers value beyond simply granting airport lounge access. At many airports, you can enjoy nice restaurants and receive a pretty sweet credit for your meal at around $30.
In this article, we have broken down all of the Priority Pass restaurants that you will find in the US and also internationally. You’ll find details for the location of the restaurant within the airport, hours, and even items and prices from many of the menus.
I’ll also answer a number of frequently asked questions regarding these restaurants so that you’ll be fully prepared for your visit.
Priority Pass restaurant overview
Priority Pass is a network of over 1,300 airport lounges located across the globe. Most of these locations are actual lounges where you can relax and enjoy things like complimentary Wi-Fi, free snacks and drinks, and in some locations even enjoy a refreshing shower!
But some of these locations are actually restaurants or bars located within airports.
As competition for lounge real estate in airports has heated up, Priority Pass has found it advantageous to partner up with airport restaurants and bars and now the Priority Pass restaurant network is growing and expanding pretty quickly.
At these establishments, your Priority Pass membership may provide you with a credit that can be used up to a certain amount for food and beverages (more on that below). This is a fantastic perk because it gives you an area to relax in when there are no lounges available or you simply just aren’t feeling the lounge.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) Bar Symon. Photo via CLE.
San Francisco Giants Clubhouse at SFO. Photo via MLB.
Priority Pass restaurant details
The hours below are accurate as of October 2021.
But note that some hours are subject to change so always check the link to the lounge (which is supplied below) in order to verify current opening hours.
We’ve also provided pricing information and some menu selections to give you an idea of how much value you can receive at these restaurants along with the type of options that are offered.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
US Priority Pass Restaurants
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Stephanies
Hours
Daily: 4:30am and closes 30 minutes prior to last scheduled flight departure (Temporarily Closed)
Location
Airside – after Security, Departures Level, opposite Gate B24. Domestic flights only
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
PGA MSP Lounge
Hours
Daily: 11:00am – 8:00pm
Location
Airside – proceed to the north end of the Airport Mall (towards Concourses D/E). Take the lift or stairs located between Concourses D and E (corner) up to the Upper Level. Check-in at the Golf Shop Counter
Airside – after Security, the restaurant is located directly in front of the Security Checkpoint by Gate F85. Access is available to any Airside with a valid Boarding Pass, by train which runs every few minutes. Please allow sufficient time to reach the Departure Gate when accessing the restaurant from other Airsides
Airside – after Security Checks, the Houston Avenue Bar & Grill is located near Gate 77. The restaurant is not accessible to passengers departing on Canadian domestic or international flights. US Transborder flights only
Airside – after Security Checks, the Pork & Pickle is located near Gate 3. The restaurant is not accessible to passengers departing on International and US Transborder flights. Canadian Domestic flights only
Airside – after Passport Control and Duty Free, Level 1. Café Vue is located on the right hand side at the end of the luxury retail area. International flights only
Landside – Departure flights only. Take the escalator on the 2nd Floor opposite ‘Domestic Arrivals’ to 3rd Floor. Botejyu is located on the right hand side
São Paulo/Guarulhos – Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU)
Bleriot Bar & Lounge
Hours
Daily: 24 Hours
Location
Airside – after Passport Control, turn left and walk through the Duty Free. The bar is located on the 2nd Level, close to Gates 301-304. International flights only
Airside – Cardholders must first register at the hotel reception desk. The hotel is located after Passport Control in the Transit Area, 1st Floor on the right hand side. Available for International flights departing from Terminals 2 & 3 and in-transit passengers
Airside – after Passport Control, turn right and take the escalator down one level and the restaurant is located on the left hand side, near Gates A20 – A21
You need to have an eligible Priority Pass card since not every type of Priority Pass Select membership will grant you credits to the restaurants.
For example, if you have a Priority Pass Select membership via the Platinum Card from American Express, you won’t have the restaurant credits within your membership, since this benefit was removed in August 2019.
However, if you have a different type of premium card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Citi Prestige, you should be able to take advantage of the restaurant credits.
How does the restaurant credit work?
Using the credits is very easy.
Simply show the server your card and they will be able to apply the applicable credit to your bill with a quick swipe plus your signature.
To avoid any mishaps, it’s a good idea to show them your Priority Pass card at the beginning of your visit so that they can verify your credits and guest credits.
Sometimes these restaurants are dropped from the lounge network and it’s possible your credit may not be available if you haven’t kept tabs on these restaurant locations so it’s good practice to verify it at the beginning.
How much are the Priority Pass restaurant credits?
Typically, this credit will be $28 per person although some lounges provide a credit of $30. (You can check the amount offered by the restaurant below or check the Priority Pass website.)
If your bill is more than your credit, you will be responsible for paying that additional amount. And if your bill is less than your credit, you will not be refunded for the difference.
Can you bring in guests at Priority Pass restaurants?
If your Priority Pass membership allows complimentary guests, you’ll be able to receive a credit for them.
Just be aware that some restaurants may limit the number of guests to only one or two individuals. Again, inquire about these details as soon as you arrive to avoid any confusion.
Can you visit multiple Priority Pass restaurants in one day?
It’s not prohibited for you to visit multiple restaurants within one airport so it could be possible to visit multiple Priority Pass restaurants in one day.
Do you still need to tip at Priority Pass restaurants?
You should still tip at these restaurants regardless of whether or not you are utilizing a credit. Servers in the US primarily rely on tips to make up for their low wages and they will be expecting a tip even if you are utilizing your credits.
If you don’t have cash to tip with, the restaurant may ring up a nominal charge of something like one cent which will allow you to tip with your credit card.
If your total bill is less than your credit, you cannot apply the credit towards a tip. Also, be aware that some restaurants could include gratuity within the charge, so tipping may not always be necessary.
Do you have to go through security to get to these restaurants?
Some of these restaurants will require you to go through security but others will be located prior to security (landside). Check that location information below for more details.
Can I use a Priority Pass restaurant when arriving?
Some restaurants may require you to have an outbound boarding pass in order to utilize your credit. Just check the terms of the establishment and it should indicate the requirements for using a credit.
Can I use multiple Priority Pass cards?
You might be wondering if you can use multiple Priority Pass cards to get multiple meals for free. However, it looks like most if not all restaurants limit you to one card usage per person, per visit.
Can I use the credit on alcohol?
Yes, you can use the Priority Pass restaurant credit on alcohol and many of these establishments are bars.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
American Express Hong Kong Centurion Lounge (HKG) Review
Offers contained within this article maybe expired.
The American Express Centurion Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport is one of the newest Centurion Lounges to open. It’s got a different vibe from many other Centurion Lounges as it’s very open and build more like a cafe than a lounge. I had the chance to check it out recently and here’s my review of that experience.
The American Express Hong Kong Centurion Lounge is a “true” Centurion Lounge and not merely an international Amex Lounge. The difference is that the international lounges aren’t typically as nice and equipped as the Centurion Lounges are. For example, they are often smaller and may not have the same level of food and drink options.
You can find the locations for all true Centurion Lounges below:
5X on airfare and 5X on hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal
TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry $100 credit
Annual fee: $695 (NOT waived first year)
Guest Policy
You’ll be allowed to bring in two guests with you on a complimentary basis if you have the Platinum Card. Centurion members may enter with up to two guests or immediate family (spouse or domestic partner, and children under 18) at no additional charge.
Platinum Card and Centurion Members may purchase a day-pass for any additional guests for $50 USD at the time of entry.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge Location
The Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge is located in Terminal 1. Take the escalator just before Gate 60 and you should have not problem finding the lounge, which is near the Plaza Premium Lounge and the United Club Lounge There are plenty of signs in the area to help guide you along the way.
Terminal 1 map of HKG.
Cathay Pacific HKG Terminal 1 map.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge Hours
The Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge will be open 5:30am to 12:30am.
The Pier
We made our way to the Amex Centurion Lounge after visiting Cathay Pacific’s first class lounge, The Pier. On our way over to The Pier, we saw the sign for the Centurion Lounge so it only made sense to give it a visit, especially since The Pier is nearby by Gate 63.
Because The Pier was the far superior lounge, we spent the vast majority of our time in that lounge. There, we were able to try out some great dining and experience the day suites and nice bar area as well as lounge around in the cozy seating areas.
The service at The Pier was a bit lackluster, though, and to be honest I felt like we received better service at the Centurion Lounge. However, with that said, I’d still say The Pier is much better and that I just probably caught it on an off day when it came to the service.
The Pier First Class Lounge.
Entering the lounge
The entrance to the lounge has the signature Centurion look with blue tinted door and a wall of greenery but it is a bit different from some of the other Centurion Lounges. Many Centurion Lounges are discrete and private but this lounge was wide open to the terminal. Personally, I love the open feel of the Hong Kong lounge more than the closed-off feel of some of the other Centurion Lounges.
The entrance to the Hong Kong Amex Centurion Lounge.
We checked in using our Amex Platinum Card as usual and were given the wifi password and asked if we needed to be shown around the lounge. We politely declined and then started to check out the lounge on our own accord.
As soon as you enter the lounge there’s a small business center/meeting room with a work table and a couple of computers along with a printer and a collection of newspapers. This room felt like a great place to set up shop and get some work done if you wanted to be away from the open area of the lounge.
Business center at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
It also had a TV built into the standard Centurion shelf display. It was cool to see the Centurion design juxtaposed to something different with the decor on the walls.
Business center at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
There’s a small meeting room that you come to next, and I liked the semi-privacy glass walls.
Meeting room at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
Meeting room at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
Next, there’s a small room for taking phone calls with the same semi-privacy shading on the glass.
Phone room at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
Phone room at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
Once we made our way past the meeting and phone room, we came across the signature American Express signage and it started to feel a little bit more like a Centurion Lounge back home. Although, with the area wide open to the terminal below it definitely had a different vibe to it.
Entrance to the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge Bar
We then made our way to the main area of the lounge with the bar/cafe area. It’s one of the more spectacular looking bar areas I’ve seen at an airport lounge or even just in general. It’s definitely different from every other Centurion Lounge and it’s a cool place to grab a drink or enjoy your meal as there are a few tables.
The Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge bar area.
As you’d expect from a Centurion Lounge, there’s a wide selection of spirits for you to choose from on a complimentary basis. You can also order your espresso from the bar if you don’t wish to make it yourself. They also had both San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna water.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge bar.
There are multiple juice stations in the lounge.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge bar.
Centurion Lounges are known for their specialty cocktails and they had some of the common cocktails you find at the Centurion Lounge like the amazing “Blue Door.” We tried out the Rickshaw and thought that it was really great. You could also select from a number of wines.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge cocktail menu.
The Rickshaw.
There’s an open seating area that has a few tables with chairs and some pretty good views of the tarmac/runway. While I thought the area was impressive from a design and views perspective, it certainly lacked in size compared to other Centurion Lounges.
Seating area at the Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
The seating area is definitely not on the same level that many Centurion Lounges offer in the US. It wasn’t just the size of the seating, either.
Centurion Lounges usually have much more comfortable/cozy seating options great for hunkering down for hours if needed. The seating here is more suited for shorter visits and there’s no true area to “lounge” in — it’s much closer to a cafe feeling, in my opinion. So the lounge (relaxation) element of the Centurion Lounge is missing a here and that is one of the drawbacks to the lounge.
There is also no family room at the Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge Views
The views from the lounge are great. You’re pretty high up and can watch these birds make their way to the runway.
You’ll probably see mostly Cathay Pacific/Dragon Air but we caught some good views of some others as well.
With the mountains in the background, this is really a beautiful spot to plane spot.
There’s another seating area with stools lining a long bar where you can enjoy the views while being a little more secluded from the crowds. This area also had power outlets so you can get some work done there as you admire the view.
The chairs/stools in this area looked kind of crazy in this area but I did like them. They were another element that gave off more of a cafe vibe than a lounge vibe, though.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge food
The food at the Hong Kong Centurion Lounge is located in the back of the lounge located near the large and iconic American Express logo seen below.
There was a lot of hot food to choose from, including locally inspired items.
I’d already eaten at The Pier earlier and was trying to save room for our Cathay Pacific first class flight so I didn’t partake in trying out any of the dishes. But here’s a look at some of the items they were serving up, which included shrimp dumplings, pasta, fried fish, pork, mushroom, and a number of cold items like salads, and deli meats.
It looked like a decent spread but keep in mind you’re competing with Cathay Pacific lounges like The Pier at HKG and those amazing noodle bars Cathay has. So again, I definitely wouldn’t prioritize my meal here if I had access to other Cathay Pacific lounges.
There was also a nice little dessert section.
Some breads were also available. There’s also an expresso machine, soft drinks, tea, and an area for juices, too.
Overall, the food selection was nothing extraordinary. For US lounges it would be pretty good but given the competition of other lounges at HKG, it was not anything special.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge bathroom
The bathroom was small but very clean and high quality. In the past I’ve been embarrassed for Amex by the sight of the bathroom at the IAH Centurion Lounge, so it was nice to see such a clean Centurion bathroom.
There is a shower suite at the lounge so inquire with the front desk if you’re interested in that.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge bathroom.
Amex Hong Kong Centurion Lounge bathroom.
Final word
The Amex Centurion Lounge at HKG is a cool twist on the Centurion experience. It doesn’t offer quite the comfort that lounges back in the US offer, but it’s a very cool looking airport lounge with great drinks and perfect views great for plane spotting. I think it’s a solid plan to combine a Centurion Lounge visit with a visit to another lounge at the airport but I wouldn’t prioritize the Centurion Lounge over Cathay Pacific lounges.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Admirals Club Houston IAH (Terminal A) Review
I’ve visited a lot of lounges at IAH but I had yet to ever visit the American Airline Admirals Club lounge. Recently, we finally flew American Airlines to Cabo and so since we were flying out of Terminal A, it just made sense to give the lounge a visit.
Here’s a review of what you can expect to encounter at the Admirals Club in Terminal A at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH).
We arrived at IAH Terminal A bright and early around 4:30am and found our parking spot in the parking garage. I did what I usually do and snapped a photo of where we were parked as a reminder and then we were off to the terminal.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
I had never flown out of Terminal A at IAH that I can remember but we found our way to the check-in area via an underground passage with some cool looking corridors.
We then made our way up to the check-in terminal area to find a pretty sizable crowd lined up for TSA.
Luckily, we had TSA Pre-Check which was available at the Terminal A North security checkpoint, where the line was much, much more manageable (CLEAR was also available). We made it through security in a jiffy and then were off to the Admirals Club, near Gate A25. (It only took about 15 minutes to get through security to the lounge.)
IAH Terminal A.
Admirals Club IAH hours
4 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
One advantage to the Admirals Club is that it opens up at 4am, well before the United Club Lounges open at 5:00/5:30am/7:30am and before the Amex Centurion Lounge opens (at 5:30am).
This Admirals Club opened in 2017 after IAH didn’t have an AA lounge for 15 years, so it’s a newer lounge. And since I’d never experienced an Admirals Club before and since we were flying to Cabo on American Airlines, I thought it would be a good time to give it a visit.
I purchased two day passes for the Admirals Club for $59 each using my Amex Gold Card, which activated the $100 airline credit. This day pass would give us Admirals Club access at IAH and then access later for our connection at DFW as well, so I thought it was well worth paying an effective $18 for the two of us.
Admirals Club access
Here are all of the ways you can get access to the Admirals Club:
The above are all subject to certain restrictions. If you want to find out more about access rules and policies to the Admirals Club you can click here.
Entrance to the Admirals Club at IAH, Terminal A.
The Admirals Club experience
In the entrance area, there were two screens with flight information, including departures and arrivals. And of course, there were some ads for AAdvantage cards on display.
Entrance to the Admirals Club at IAH, Terminal A.
They also had some storage areas with rods to hang your garments on. I’m guessing you could inquire with the staff about using the lockers, too.
Entrance to the Admirals Club at IAH, Terminal A.
At the main entrance on the right there was a wall lined with literature, including American Way, Men’s Journal, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and others.
Admirals Club magazines and newspapers.
We then made our way into the main lounge area, which only had a couple of passengers in it. It’s definitely on the smaller side, especially compared to the Admirals Club we’d later visit at DFW.
The lounge felt modern and fresh and I liked the wood accents found throughout with splashes of bright colors in the artwork and some furniture. It looked like just about every seat had outlets built in to it or very close and most seats also had at least a little bit of counter or table space.
Admirals Club seating area.
There were a couple of small areas with semi-private partitions offering nice compact areas to relax in.
Again, I was a big fan of the interior design and the bold, refreshing artwork featured in these areas.
There are also other seating options that offer a little more privacy, especially when facing the windows. These come in odd cube-like shapes but they could be good spots for the solo traveler who wants to get some work done.
Seating options with a little bit more privacy.
There’s also a row of seats lining the bar at the windows with outlets and a little bit of floral decor. Since it was dark and early, I really didn’t get a sense of the views from the lounge.
In the back of the lounge are two more areas offering better privacy.
One room has more seating and I believe it also has work stations. Since this mysterious area was dark when I visited, I cranked up the ISO on my Canon to get the shot below but didn’t notice the work stations. I liked the Houston-inspired photography on the wall, though I wasn’t sure why this room was not properly lit (I’m guessing it was just too early).
Then there is the business conference room. There’s a table with six chairs and a total of six chairs lining the wall. There’s also some counter space, a TV monitor, and presentation area. You can pay to rent these out and you can find rates for these here.
Admirals Club meeting room.
Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!
The Admirals Club buffet
The buffet area was in a long hallway-like section of the lounge, located between the dining area and the lounge seating area. You can also find a few tables in there.
Admirals Club buffet area.
Admirals Club breakfast buffet.
They had a selection of water, infused water, and I believe orange juice.
Admirals Club breakfast buffet drinks.
For food they had Oikos and Chobanil yogurt along with a selection of fruits including pineapple, cantaloupe, melon, and mixed grapes — no berries. They also had hard-boiled eggs which tasted a little funky to be honest.
For cereal lovers, they had Kashie GoLean cereal (looked like Cheerios), Froot Loops, and low-fat granola, along with 2% milk and oatmeal.
Next to the oatmeal were three bins of bagels along with a toaster and fruit.
Toward the end of the counter was the espresso machine, tea bags, and soda machine.
The Admirals Club bar and dining area
The Admirals Club also has a small dining and bar area in the lounge with a few tables. It’s a nice little area but I’d imagine that it gets pretty packed at times.
Admirals Club dining room and bar area at IAH.
The bar was closed during our early visit but you can see the liquor bottles they serve and the beer on draft.
Admirals Club bar area at IAH.
Admirals Club liquor selection at IAH.
Admirals Club beer selection at IAH.
The buffet and some drinks like certain domestic beers are complimentary but you’ll have to drop a little bit of cash for other items. For example, a Bloody Mary would cost you $10 and an imported beer would cost $8. I’ve included the full menu below.
Admirals Club drink menu.
Admirals Club drink menu.
Admirals Club breakfast menu.
Admirals Club breakfast menu.
Admirals Club bathroom
The bathroom was small but very clean and smelled fresh during my visit.
The bathroom had C.O. Bigelow hand wash and hand lotion. C.O. Bigelow claims to be the oldest apothecary in America, established in 1838.
The lounge does not offer showers.
Final word
Overall, I enjoyed my first ever Admirals Club visit. I had adjusted my expectations to expect the “US domestic carrier” lounge experience and it was about what I expected. I liked having the option to oder hot food items (even though I’d have to pay) and I liked the overall look and feel of the lounge’s design.
I would still prefer the Amex Centurion Lounge over the Admirals Club any day though due to its hot food selection and seating options. Also, while crowds were not an issue on my visit, I could see them being a problem at times due to the size of the lounge.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
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