There’s no denying that the general standard of airport lounges in the United States isn’t great. If you think of airport lounges, you might think of crowded rooms with outdated furniture, stale snack mix, and cheap chardonnay.
Fortunately not all lounges are created equal, so in this post I want to share some of my favorite airport lounges in the United States. Separately, I’ve written about the world’s best first class lounges, the world’s best business class lounges, and the world’s best oneworld Emerald lounges.
However, I’m not going to do a numerical ranking, since access requirements are so different between lounges. Instead, I’m just going to highlight what I’d consider to be among the best lounges in the United States, across a variety of categories. Essentially, these are the lounges that stand out to me as being special, in one form or another.
With that out of the way, below are some of my favorite airport lounges in the United States, in no particular order. Note that I’m only including lounges that I’ve visited, and if you click the reviews that I link to, you can see all the access policies for these lounges. Also, while we’re at it, the Swissport Lounge Chicago (ORD) is my least favorite lounge. 😉
In this post:
Delta One Lounge New York (JFK)
Delta One Lounges are still a relatively new concept, as Delta is late to the game with launching premium business class lounges, like American Flagship Lounges and United Polaris Lounges. However, Delta really knocked it out of the park, and in particular, the Delta One Lounge JFK is spectacular.
The lounge is roughly 40,000 square feet, with everything from a sit-down restaurant, to a market for a more casual dining experience, to a wellness area with spa treatments, to a terrace, to luxurious shower suites. This isn’t just the best business class lounge in the United States, but it might just be the best business class lounge in the world. In fairness, the Delta One Lounge LAX is exceptional as well, while offering a totally different experience.
American & British Airways Chelsea Lounge New York (JFK)
American and British Airways have an interesting lounge setup at JFK, with three lounges in Terminal 8 — the Chelsea Lounge, Soho Lounge, and Greenwich Lounge. The Chelsea Lounge is the most premium of the lounges, and is open to international first class passengers.
It has incredibly elegant decor, and features a la carte dining, a beautiful champagne bar, and a relaxation room. This lounge without a doubt has the best champagne selection you’ll find in any lounge in the United States. My only complaint about this space is that it has no windows, so it’s a bit of a sensory depravation tank.
American Flagship First Dining Miami (MIA)
American Flagship Lounges are business class lounges, but within some of these lounges are Flagship First Dining facilities, which are exclusively for Airbus A321T and Boeing 777-300ER first class customers.
I quite like Flagship First Dining Miami, which features excellent a la carte dining and champagne. This will make you wonder if you’re really flying American, and/or are really at Miami Airport, which is otherwise not so great.
Qantas First Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
The Qantas First Lounge LAX is the best lounge that can be accessed on account of airline elite status. Specifically, oneworld Emerald members can access the Qantas First Lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
What makes this lounge so special is the restaurant quality dining experience it offers. The lounge has excellent cocktails and coffee, and an extensive selection of a la carte dining. This is one of those lounges that makes me very happy to have oneworld Emerald status.
Capital One Lounge Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
In 2021, we saw the launch of Capital One Lounges, as part of the credit card issuer’s entry into the airport lounge game, to compete with Amex Centurion Lounges. The first lounge to open was the Capital One Lounge DFW, and it remains my favorite, to this day.
The lounge has friendly service, tasty food that’s individually portioned, cold brew and iced lattes on tap, a grab and go food selection, a relaxation room, Peloton bikes, and more. I’m so happy to see the way that credit card issuers are competing nowadays.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York (LGA)
It’s not just Capital One that has gotten into the airport lounge game recently, but also Chase, with its network of Chase Sapphire Lounges. While all of these lounges are great, I think the Chase Sapphire Lounge LGA stands out the most. For one, LaGuardia has had quite the glow up in recent years, so I have a hard time wrapping my head around how nice the airport is nowadays.
But even beyond that, the Chase Sapphire Lounge really is the best facility at the airport, with an excellent food and drink selection (there’s a buffet and a la carte dining), great cocktails and coffee, spa treatments, and a generally gorgeous design.
Capital One Landing Washington (DCA)
Capital One’s airport lounge innovation goes beyond its traditional lounges, as we’re also seeing the opening of Capital One Landings, with the first location being the Capital One Landing DCA. This is such a creative twist on the traditional airport lounge experience.
Think of it as the highest quality airport restaurant you’ll find, except everything is included for eligible guests. The concept is offered in partnership with Chef José Andrés, who designs Capital One Landing’s food and beverage menu, focusing on Spanish-style tapas, great cocktails, and more.
Alaska Lounge Seattle Tacoma (SEA)
As you can see, there aren’t any “standard” domestic lounges on this list. However, I really have a soft spot for the Alaska Lounge SEA, in the North Satellite. No, Alaska Lounges don’t have some amazing food program, or anything, but this is really quite a nice lounge.
For one, I love the cozy design, and the incredible views of the apron. This place is heaven for aviation geeks, and I appreciate how there are loungers set up facing the windows, so that you can just watch planes taking off and landing. Also, while the food isn’t amazing, I love how Alaska Lounges have barista coffee, and they also have above average alcoholic drinks, with a heavy emphasis on local products.
Star Alliance Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
There aren’t many lounges in the United States run by one of the “big three” alliances. One exception is the Star Alliance Lounge LAX, which is open to Star Alliance first and business class passengers, plus Star Alliance Gold members.
The best features of the lounge are the indoor terrace (overlooking the terminal) and the outdoor terrace (overlooking the apron). There’s even a separate first class section to the lounge. This lounge is in a totally different league than the adjacent Korean Air Lounge that most SkyTeam passengers are sent to.
Bottom line
The demand for airport lounges has increased massively in recent years, given the focus on premium leisure demand. With that, we’ve seen lounges go in two directions — some are higher quality than ever before, while others are lower quality than ever before.
The above are some of my favorite lounges in the United States, as they all stand out to me in one way or another. It’s by on means exhaustive, since I haven’t visited every single lounge in the United States, so that’s why I’d also like to hear from y’all.
Admittedly this is all highly subjective, so to OMAAT readers — what are your favorite lounges in the United States? Any others that really stand out, even if it’s “just” the best Priority Pass lounge?
“ It’s by on means exhaustive”. Think u mean “ It’s by no means exhaustive” last paragraph
But, but.. what about Swissport at ORD??
The lounges you mentioned are indeed very good. But somehow I find this very comforting as well: “you might think of crowded rooms with outdated furniture, stale snack mix, and cheap chardonnay.”
The most comforting lounges for me have been where I can get some warm diet coke with no ice combined with a handful of peanuts and I feel the happiest man alive.
Ben, a new Escape Lounge accessible with Priority Pass opened in the new Kansas City (MCI) airport terminal and I was mighty impressed! Plus the small (and never crowded) Delta Skyclub with outdoor terrace continues to impress. I'd love to see your review of both lounges!