Chase has been aggressively expanding its airport lounge portfolio, with the opening of Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club. Up until now, four Chase Sapphire Lounges have been open, including in Boston (BOS), Hong Kong (HKG), New York (JFK), and New York (LGA). A fifth lounge has just quietly opened as part of the network, which is pretty exciting.
In this post:
Chase takes over Etihad Lounge at Washington Dulles
Back in 2013, Etihad Airways opened a lounge at Washington Dulles Airport. This was at a time when Etihad was investing in becoming a premium airline, with little regard for profitability. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier ended up undergoing a restructuring, and the lounge was then closed for several years.
Fortunately this lounge is getting some new life, with a financial arrangement that I suspect will be better for Etihad. This is actually virtually identical to the arrangement you’ll find at the former Etihad Lounge New York JFK.
The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club with Etihad Airways Washington Dulles has opened as of March 6, 2024. As far as the details go:
- The lounge is located in Concourse A, near gate A14; all gates at Dulles Airport are connected airside, though this will be most convenient for people traveling on airlines other than United
- The lounge is open daily from 6AM until 10PM; as long as there are no capacity issues, this lounge can be accessed through the Chase network even in the hours leading up to the departure of the Etihad flight
- The lounge is roughly 5,200 square feet and is spread across two floors, so it’s smaller than the other lounge locations in the network, and will likely get very busy during peak periods
- In terms of the soft product, you can expect the lounge to have the typical Chase Sapphire Lounge offerings, including made-to-order and ready-to-eat options, signature cocktails and wine, coffee, tea, and more
- It looks like significant work was done to refresh the interior of the lounge (thanks to @jpb_dc for sharing some pictures he took from a visit today)
- As far as the competitive lounge landscape at Washington Dulles goes, there’s no Amex Centurion Lounge, but there is a Capital One Lounge
Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club entry requirements
As a reminder, here are the entry requirements for all Chase Sapphire Lounges in the United States:
- Those with a Priority Pass membership through the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) can access the lounge an unlimited number of times, with up to two complimentary guests; this also applies to those with the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, which is no longer open to new applicants
- Those with a Priority Pass membership issued through any other means can access any Chase Sapphire Lounge in the United States once per calendar year at no additional cost (that’s one visit across all lounges, not per lounge), and guests aren’t complimentary; subsequent visits, as well as guests, will be charged an entry fee of $75
- If you don’t have a Priority Pass membership, you can outright buy access to the lounge for $100 per person per visit, subject to availability
- Chase Sapphire Lounges are only accessible within three hours of departure, unless you’re connecting, in which case you can access it earlier
Since this lounge is in partnership with Etihad Airways, premium passengers on the airline of course also have access to the lounge. This includes those traveling in first and business class, as well as Etihad Guest Platinum and Gold passengers.
For context, Etihad Airways operates one daily flight to Washington Dulles, which departs in the late evenings. Soon Etihad will even offer its new Boeing 787 business class on this route.
Clearly the intent here is for Etihad to still be able to offer a great experience for its passengers. However, the airline doesn’t want to bleed money from operating a lounge, as was the case several years ago.
Bottom line
The former Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles has become a Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. However, the lounge is a joint effort with Etihad Airways. It’s now open, and it’s a great new option for Priority Pass members at the airport. How cool to have a second credit card lounge at Washington Dulles!
What do you make of the new Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club Washington Dulles?
"Chase Sapphire Lounges are only accessible within three hours of departure, unless you’re connecting, in which case you can access it earlier"
where in their Terms and conditions does it mention the connecting clause. because I was told by Chase that it's only 3 hours for everyone, not different if connecting.
I will be there tomorrow with my Ritz-Carlton card. IAD has lots of choices with Priority Pass, and now Sapphire. I hope PHX is next.
Great!!! I’m flying Etihad from Dulles in a few weeks. Perfect timing!
I have a flight to Rome out of Dulles in April. Should I go to chase or cap one lounge ?
Cap 1 is near tsa from my recollection; this chase lounge is in the same terminal that the ITA flight to FCO flies out of. I'd say chase due to ease of access.
Thank you for info
Why not both? Hit up Cap 1 after passing security, then move on to the Chase lounge closer to departure time?
So the access you describe is somewhat confusing...........can't someone just flash their Chase Sapphire Reserve card out and receive admittance? The way you describe it is that they have to pull out a Priority Pass card?
You would that just showing your Sapphire card would be the way. But it’s not. You must show priority pass and boarding pass. Probably easier for them to track attendance that way.
Where do you see the info about the no entry until 3 hours before departure not applying when connecting flights? I was recently denied entry to the Chase lounges at BOS and HKG and told to come back 3 hours before departure when on a long connection. I protested with the agent that the 3 hour rule didn't apply on connections but was told that it was always applicable, and I couldn't find any "official"...
Where do you see the info about the no entry until 3 hours before departure not applying when connecting flights? I was recently denied entry to the Chase lounges at BOS and HKG and told to come back 3 hours before departure when on a long connection. I protested with the agent that the 3 hour rule didn't apply on connections but was told that it was always applicable, and I couldn't find any "official" sources that corroborated the presence of an exception to the 3 hour rule for connections. Does anyone know of one...since I'm sure this blog post would not suffice?
I disagree with you about United. United has a number of flights from Terminal A that have not had access to a club so this is a great option.
United flights from terminal a are mainly erj/crj domestic flights. International flights leave out of C/D terminal.
Flying and out of Dulles this weekend. Great news!
Gorgeous lounge! Also less than 10 mins to C/D (United) gates since it is right near the train/pods.
Ben, have you heard any updates as to when the west coast Sapphire lounges will be opening? I believe Phoenix was scheduled to open within a matter of weeks....
Don't worry, they will come very soon.
A senior executive source from Chase hinted off the record that their goal is to open on average one location each month this year. So far right on schedule.