Review: American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia Airport (PHL)

At the end of our Good Morning Milan, Goodnight Moon trip, I was looking forward to flying out of Philadelphia Airport (PHL), and checking out a couple of lounges that have been on my radar. In the previous installment, I reviewed the Chase Sapphire Lounge, and in this installment, I’ll be reviewing the American Flagship Lounge.

Flagship Lounges are American’s network of premium lounges, intended primarily for international travelers, so they’re a step above Admirals Clubs. This is a particularly exciting Flagship Lounge, though, as it’s the newest in the network, and only opened in May 2025. It’s also the first Flagship Lounge to feature American’s new design concept, the first Flagship Lounge to have a proper, bar, etc.

Did the lounge live up to the hype, and was it worth the wait? Maybe(ish)? I walked in this lounge wanting to love it, but I can’t say I was blown away. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic that American finally has a Flagship Lounge at one of its biggest transatlantic gateways, but I’d put this more in the camp of “better than not having a Flagship Lounge, and pretty nice,” rather than “wow, what a bold vision of the carrier’s future, move over, Delta!”

Anyway, enough of an introduction, let’s get into the review…

American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia location

The American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia is located in the A-West Terminal. All terminals at the airport are connected airside, and this is at the very far end of the airport. Admittedly this is also the area where most long haul flights depart from, but don’t be surprised if you have a long walk to your gate.

Anyway, the lounge is located between gates A15 and A16. So once you’re in the A-West Terminal, just keep walking, and eventually you’ll see the signage for both the Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge on the left.

The lounges are on the on the mezzanine level, and can be accessed either via escalators or elevators.

Once you’re at reception, you’ll see a help desk in the center, the Flagship Lounge to the left, and the Admirals Club to the right.

This lounge has automatic entry gates, so you can scan yourself in with your eligible boarding pass (and if you have any issues, one of the employees at the central desk can help).

American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia hours & crowding

The American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia is open daily from 8AM until 9PM. That doesn’t cover all departures from the airport, but it does cover most departures with people who are eligible for access.

In terms of long haul flights, Philadelphia is primarily a transatlantic gateway for American, so a vast majority of the people eligible for lounge access will visit in the afternoons and evenings. That kind of gets at the uneven crowding you’ll find in this lounge (which, in fairness, you’ll find at most lounges):

• In the mornings this lounge is an oasis of calm; I was there at opening time for 90 minutes, and I was literally the only guest the entire time(!!!)
• In the evenings this lounge gets uncomfortably crowded, given how many passengers are eligible for access, and also given that the lounge isn’t huge

American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia entry requirements

The American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia follows the same access requirements as all other lounges in the network. Generally speaking, the lounge is open to the following passengers:

• Long haul first and business class passengers on American and oneworld partner airlines
• Concierge Key members in conjunction with a same day oneworld flight, even if it’s domestic and in economy
• If you have oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status through a non-US frequent flyer program, you get access in conjunction with a same day oneworld flight, even if it’s domestic and in economy
• If you have oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status through American AAdvantage or Alaska Atmos Rewards, you get access in conjunction with a same day long haul oneworld flight

If you want exact details on access, see my guide to American Flagship Lounges (since I don’t want to dedicate 1,000+ words in this post to every possible scenario).

American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia layout & seating

The American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia covers an area of around 13,750 square feet, with seating for around 200 guests. This makes it the smallest Flagship Lounge in the network — it’s slightly smaller than the Los Angeles (LAX) location, and around half the size of most of the other locations.

The Flagship Lounge basically consists of one huge room that’s in a rectangular(ish) shape, with windows spanning the entire length of the lounge. The lounge follows American’s new design concept, which debuted at the Admirals Club Washington (DCA).

As you enter the lounge, you’ll first find yourself in a seating area designed for relaxing, with a variety of couches and chairs. This area also has the new signature faux-fireplace, along with lots of nice ceiling and wall finishes, which add a bit of personality to the space.

Past there, you’ll find some more seating that’s quite similar, along with a large communal table with high-top seating.

Then the largest part of the lounge is designed with more of a focus on eating and drinking, with dining tables, communal tables with high-top seating, rows of seats along the windows, and more.

This is the first Flagship Lounge in the network to actually have a bar, since all other Flagship Lounges have self-serve alcohol. People will have mixed opinions on that — personally I’m a fan of a bar, and being able to get a drink prepared by a bartender. However, I know others prefer pouring their own drinks.

The very back of the lounge then has some more dining tables, communal tables, and tables with booths.

That’s the extent of the lounge, with the exception of a phone booth, a quiet room, and a business center, back near the entrance to the lounge. The workstation isn’t exactly designed for comfort, with a seat that doesn’t even have a backrest.

I’ve gotta be honest, I had mixed feelings about the decor, especially given the ways that other airlines have elevated their lounge design. Sure, the design is way better than the previous Flagship Lounge concept, which seemed to be inspired by hospital waiting rooms, or something (okay, maybe that’s harsh, but I don’t even know how you describe the old design inspiration at this point).

I thought the front area of the lounge was quite elegant, with the fireplace and comfortable seating options. However, the majority of the lounge was dedicated to dining and drinking, and am I the only one who feels like the design just feels sterile, neutral, and very IKEA-ish? Like, what’s the actual design inspiration?

There’s nothing about those dining tables, the bar, or the high-top seating, that feels at all elevated, in my opinion. Actually, perhaps the issue is that this basically exactly matches the updated Admirals Club design, when you’d think that a Flagship Lounge would feel a bit more elevated in terms of design.

For example, just compare this to the Delta One Lounge JFK in terms of the elegance of the bar, dining seating, etc.

American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia food & drinks

American Flagship Lounges feature a greatly elevated food and drink selection compared to Admirals Club. Upon entering the lounge, the first thing that you’ll notice is a champagne station, serving Bollinger.

American now serves this champagne in Flagship Lounges and in Flagship Business, and that’s awesome (since I had a Delta comparison earlier, let me mention that Delta serves much worse champagne in lounges than onboard, which is disappointing).

The lounge then has a self-serve buffet along the center of the lounge. I guess this is a reflection of just how empty the lounge stays in the mornings, but very small quantities of each food were put out.

Cold breakfast options included smoothies, wellness shots, greek yogurt, fresh fruit, salad, cereal, muffins, and croissants.

Then hot options included scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, hash browns, tofu scramble, bread pudding, porridge, oatmeal, and an omelet bar.

It’s my understanding that the lounge also has a small selection of a la carte options in the evenings, meant to supplement the buffet, though that wasn’t available during my morning visit.

In terms of drinks, the lounge has an espresso machine, drip coffee, a variety of soda, canned and bottled beer, water, and other soft drinks, and self-serve wine.

Cocktails are available from the bar, and you can order just about any “mainstream” drink you’ll find at a bar. The bar also has a small selection of grab & go snacks, though don’t get too excited.

American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia bathrooms & showers

The American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia has a set of bathrooms at the center of the lounge and on the right, and I quite liked the entrance area, thanks to the art and the ribbed walls.

I found the men’s room to be clean and quite big, with around half a dozen sinks, along with toilets and urinals.

The lounge also has six shower suites, which are spacious.

I had a look at one of the shower suites, and it had a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower, with toiletries from KLUR.

Unfortunately the water pressure was not great, and I should point out that there were no other amenities in the shower suite, like a dental or shaving kit. Heck, Delta even puts bathrobes in its Delta One Lounge shower suites (not that this is really necessary, but it certainly contributes to an elevated feel).

My favorite aspect of the shower suite was the retro American Airlines keychains the keys were attached to.

Bottom line

After an opening delay of many years, it’s great to see the American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia finally open, and in particular, that it’s the first Flagship Lounge to feature an updated design. The whole A-West Terminal lounge complex massively elevates American’s lounge offerings at the airport.

I’d say that I liked the Flagship Lounge Philadelphia, but didn’t love it. The lounge is definitely on the small side — it was great for my visit, when I was literally the only guest, but in the afternoons, there’s no way this lounge can comfortably handle the amount of demand.

I also think that while the updated design is way better than the old design, the whole dining and bar area just feels sort of sterile, especially when you look at the direction that Delta has gone with lounge design. The food was pretty good for breakfast, though, and it’s nice that American serves Bollinger in its lounges.

What’s your take on the American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia?