Last November the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX joined Priority Pass. When I first heard about this I was surprised. Clubhouses are known for their excellent amenities, and I had a hard time imagining they would be opening up a la carte dining and all kinds of other amenities to Priority Pass members, not to mention that they’d allow increased crowding in such a way, as it would almost certainly take away from the experience for Virgin Atlantic passengers.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX
But then it made sense. They were just opening the Clubhouse to Priority Pass members over very limited hours, at times that didn’t coincide with when Virgin Atlantic passengers would use the lounge. Essentially the lounge would otherwise sit empty, so they figured they might as well extend the hours and make some extra revenue from Priority Pass members.
This has now been extended further, as two more Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses have joined Priority Pass. Specifically, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses at Washington Dulles and Newark have joined Priority Pass.
As is the case at LAX, Priority Pass members only have access to these lounges over limited hours:
- The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Washington Dulles (in Concourse A, near gate A32) will be open to Priority Pass members daily from 6AM until 1:30PM
- The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Newark (past security at Terminal B) will be open to Priority Pass members daily from 2:00PM until 6:00PM
I would expect that during hours where the lounge is open to Priority Pass members, the food and drink selection will be severely limited. For example, when I visited the Clubhouse LAX using Priority Pass, they had a food and drink selection that was even worse than what you’d find in a US airline lounge.
Still, it was a nice place to sit, and there was free Wi-Fi, so it’s better than nothing. So I’d say these two are fantastic additions. It’s really impressive to see the ways in which the Priority Pass network is growing. Not only are we seeing the introduction of Priority Pass restaurants, but we’re also seeing lounges like these extend their hours to accommodate Priority Pass members.
Do you plan on using the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Newark or Washington Dulles with Priority Pass?
All of this just convinces me more and more I would *never* pay PP for a membership directly.
I second what Chris and DC-PHLyer said....
Priority Pass needs to up its game in DC, but this doesn’t really help. There’s only one lounge at IAD that can be accessed during the late afternoon/evening when the airport is at its busiest - the Turkish lounge which gets hugely overcrowded. Also, no lounges at any hour of the day at DCA, and just one at BWI, not available to those in other terminals. I wish they’d think about partnering with some restaurants as they’ve done in other cities.
I've been to the EWR clubhouse several times and it's in Terminal B international area airside. The other lounge in that area from what I recall is the BA lounge (mainly serving BA and CX.)
Not sure which international flights fly from terminal B from 2pm-6pm but it's probably limited. The only VS flight from EWR is VS2 and it normally departs at 10:30pm.
If we support these lounges with our priority pass fees while they provide close to no amenities during that time, they will only be incentivized to keep offering nothing
I don't really see how this is an improvement for PP. Its members have become second class citizens at many lounges (especially domestic US), often on hours-long waiting lists to get in, which usually means not getting in at all.
Then a potentially better lounge opens up, but food service will be "severely limited, and they'll ratchet down service to "even worse than what you’d find in a US airline lounge" (your words), and...
I don't really see how this is an improvement for PP. Its members have become second class citizens at many lounges (especially domestic US), often on hours-long waiting lists to get in, which usually means not getting in at all.
Then a potentially better lounge opens up, but food service will be "severely limited, and they'll ratchet down service to "even worse than what you’d find in a US airline lounge" (your words), and this is "fantastic" news for PP members?
Does not compute.
Lucky:
EWR Terminal B is split in 3 concourses all separate security lines. Do you happen to know which one Virgin is located in?
LAX clubhouse now has even more limited hours, now it’s 5am to 10.45 am only.
We only used it once and never again because it is not worth the $28 for a bagel.
Assuming that’s what PP pays clubhouse.
Great news for Newark!
I can't imagine using this unless the Turkish Airlines lounge at IAD is full. They're about a 2 minute walk apart from each other.
A visit at the LAX Clubhouse during a trip in January left me completely unimpressed...
From my experience at the BA lounge at IAD, during Priority Pass hours only a small portion of the lounge is open. Off limits were much of the business center as well as an enhanced food area. When Priority Pass hours end, the lounge is closed for cleaning so everyone gets kicked out. Later in the afternoon the lounge reopens in full but only for BA passengers, not PP members.
In IAD, this lounge is right next to the BA lounge which is also a PP lounge with limited, morning hours. More is always better, but it's hardly an improvement for IAD.
Glad to see Priority Pass continually improving their product!
Quick question for the hivemind.
If you enter with PP during the posted hours, do you have to leave/are you kicked out when those hours end, or can you stay as long as you need to?
Thanks for these Priority Pass updates! I really appreciate it!