As a frequent traveler, one of the primary ways to make commercial air travel more tolerable is the quiet, relaxing atmosphere offered at discretely-located private lounges. You will not find these in small regional airports like the one in Santa Fe, Steamboat, or Jackson Hole, but you will find them in all major cities with international flights.
We have distilled the list of lounges down to the top three you should know and how to access. In addition to the top lounges, we included one you should avoid, as well as second-tier lounge access via Priority Pass. Without further ado, here are the most luxurious commercial flight lounges to visit:
The Centurion Lounge
Relax before flights at this posh lounge, which can be found at select locations around the world. The Centurion Lounge is found at the following airports:
- Dallas (DFW) | Location: Gate D12 | Open: 5:30am – 10:00pm
- Hong Kong (HKG) | Location: Terminal 1; Level 7; Escalator before Gate 60 | Open: 5:30am – 12:30am
- Houston (IAH) | Location: Gate D6 | Open: 5:30am – 9:00pm
- Las Vegas (LAS) | Location: Gate D1 | Open: 5am – 11pm
- New York (LGA) | Location: Terminal B (pre-security) | Open: 5:30am – 8:00pm & 5:30am – 6:30pm (Saturdays)
- Philadelphia (PHL) | Location: Gate A14 | Open: 5:00am – 9:00pm
- Miami (MIA) | Location: Gate D12 (4th floor) | Open: 5:00am – 11:00pm
- Seattle (SEA) | Location: Gate B3 | Open: 5:00am – 10:00pm
- San Francisco (SFO) | Location: Gate 74; Terminal 3 | Open: 5:00am – 11:00pm
Lounges coming soon to the following locations:
- Denver (DIA)
- New York (JFK)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- London (LHR)
- Charlotte (CLT)
You must be an American Express Platinum cardholder to enjoy these lounges. You will need a boarding pass, AMEX Platinum, and Government ID to enter – noncardholders are shit out of luck since guest passes for the day are not sold. Up to one guest for free and a fee for each additional guest.
360 Degree View of the Centurion Lounge
The lounge offers buffet-style food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner by award-winning chefs. You can help yourself to coffee, water, and juice, or stop by the bar for some booze if you’re like me and cannot say no to an alcoholic beverage – especially when they are free. Always tip the bartender.
Seating is first come first serve with dining tables and lounge areas throughout the facility. It can become overly crowded during peak hours, but the staff is typically on point with quickly clearing tables for new guests. They have conference room-type workspaces with free wifi, computers, and printers if work comes up.
Massages are available for travelers feeling a little stiff. Wash yourself off in one of the shower suites afterward because nobody wants to fly covered in lotion and sweat.
The Centurion Lounge is hard to beat; however, the limited number of locations makes it hard to enjoy if you do not regularly fly through one of the airports listed above. You want to have access to several different lounges for that reason – which brings us to the next lounge on our list.
Admirals Club
The Admirals Club is comparable to the Centurion Lounge experience with nearly identical amenities and more locations. The Admirals Club locations:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Austin (AUS)
- Boston (BOS)
- Buenos Aires (EZE)
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
- Denver (DEN)
- Honolulu (HNL)
- Houston (IAH)
- London (LHR)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Mexico City (MEX)
- Miami (MIA)
- Nashville (BNA)
- New York (JFK)
- New York (LGA)
- Newark (EWR)
- Orange County (SNA)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Paris (CDG)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Pittsburgh (PIT)
- Raleigh-Durham (RDU)
- Rio De Janeiro (GIG)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Santiago (SCL)
- Sao Paulo (GRU)
- St. Louis (STL)
- Tampa (TPA)
- Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- Toronto (YYZ)
- Washington DC (DCA)
- Specific Gate Locations
In order to gain access, you can buy a day pass as well. Another option is to sign up for the American Airlines AAdvantage Executive World Elite credit card. It is worth the hefty annual fee if you consistently fly American Airlines. The card allows you to take in two guests and all immediate family.
Additionally, you will be granted lounge access when flying first or business class on international and transcontinental flights (NYC to LAX or SFO) – you are limited to one guest. US Military in uniform will be granted free access plus one guest.
Delta Sky Club
Delta Sky Club is the third luxury lounge that is slightly less comparable to the Admirals Club and Centurion Lounge. You will get food, booze, lounge chairs, wifi, TVs, and showers at select locations, but it’s worth noting the food selection is more like snacks and “appeteasers” to quote Michael Scott.
You can also expect to pull out the wallet for top-shelf drinks whereas the last two lounges provide the good stuff gratis. Here are the freebies:
Still interested in visiting the Delta Sky Club? Here is a map of locations across the contiguous 48 states (international locations can be found at Tokyo Narita & Santiago Chile):
- Atlanta, GA – Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Austin, TX – Austin-Bergstrom Int’l (AUS)
- Chicago, IL – Chicago O’Hare Int’l (ORD)
- (Cincinnati Area) Hebron, KY – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Int’l (CVG)
- Dallas – Ft. Worth, TX – Dallas/Fort Worth Int’l (DFW)
- Denver, CO – Denver Int’l (DEN)
- Detroit, MI – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l (FLL)
- Honolulu, HI – Honolulu Int’l (HNL)
- Indianapolis, IN – Indianapolis Int’l (IND)
- Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Int’l (JAX)
- Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Int’l  (LAX)
- Memphis, TN – Memphis Int’l (MEM)
- Miami, FL – Miami Int’l (MIA)
- Milwaukee, WI – General Mitchell Int’l (MKE)
- Minneapolis-St.Paul, MN – Minneapolis–Saint Paul Int’l (MSP)
- Nashville, TN – Nashville Int’l (BNA)
- New Orleans, LA – Louis Armstrong New Orleans Int’l (MSY)
- New York, NY – LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- Newark, NY – Newark Liberty Int’l (EWR)
- Orlando, FL – Orlando Int’l (MCO)
- Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Int’l (PHL)
- Portland, OR – Portland Int’l (PDX)
- Raleigh-Durham, NC – Raleigh–Durham Int’l (RDU)
- Salt Lake City, UT – Salt Lake City Int’l (SLC)
- San Diego, CA – San Diego Int’l (SAN)
- San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Int’l (SFO)
- Seattle, WA – Seattle–Tacoma Int’l (SEA)
- Tampa, FL – Tampa Int’l (TPA)
- Washington, DC – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
- West Palm Beach, FL – Palm Beach Int’l (PBI)
- Specific Gate Locations
American Express Platinum cardholders are given access as well if they are flying Delta Airlines. You are allowed two guests with the Platinum card.
It’s worth noting, that if you are not flying Delta but want to access this lounge, you can pay for it with the Platinum card making it complimentary if Delta is the airline you selected at the beginning of the year for your $200 travel credit. You can pull this maneuver with the Platinum card and Admirals Club day pass, too.
Here is a list of ways to access the Delta Sky Club. American:
United Club
Honorable mention goes to the airline that kills dogs and physically assaults passengers as they pull them off flights – United Airlines. This airline run by underqualified lemmings offers travelers the United Club. Do not bother stopping by unless all other lounges are at capacity, open seating at the gates is full, restaurants are packed, and bathroom toilet stalls are occupied.
Not only should you avoid this lounge – but you should avoid flying the airline at all cost. To say they have mistreated travelers is an understatement.
Rather than ending up like the poor man United Airlines savagely beat and dragged off the plane or risk getting #MeToo’d by some bartender because she did not like the tone when you ordered your drink – utilize the Priority Pass included with the credit cards listed here. These will be second-tier lounges with more of a grab-and-go offering, but they are worth the stop if you have some time to kill.
You should have no problem finding either a Centurion Lounge, Admirals Club, or Delta Sky Lounge at the very least. These three lounges will make commercial flights much more enjoyable so take advantage whenever you have the opportunity. Be sure to review information on the best credit cards for airport lounges:
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