American Airlines previews new eye-catching lounge design debuting this fall
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When I toured American Airlines' newly expanded Admirals Club in LaGuardia Airport (LGA), I called the space "stunning."
With upgraded furnishings and a sleek design, the LGA lounge breaks from the utilitarian motifs that permeate American's other Admirals Clubs.
Well, as it turns out, the LaGuardia space is a harbinger of good things to come. American on Thursday revealed that it's kicking off a multiyear redesign of its Admirals Clubs with a new concept.
The new motifs are centered around the concept of "coming home." To that end, American will bring open spaces, natural woods and tall ceilings to all of its Admirals Clubs.
Based on the renderings American shared with TPG, the next generation of Admirals Clubs is sure to impress.
"The new Admirals Club interior design is inspired by our customers, who tell us that their favorite aspect of visiting our lounges is feeling like they're 'coming home,'" Clarissa Sebastian, managing director of premium customer experience and onboard products, said in a statement.
American worked with Chicago-based DMAC Architecture & Interiors to create this new design concept for the Admirals Club network.
The first lounge to feature the new look will be the airline's much-anticipated club in Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). When it opens this fall, expect to be captivated by plenty of natural wood, a glass fireplace and more.
The next batch of Admirals Clubs to receive the updated design will include new locations opening in the coming months and years. This includes spaces opening soon in the new Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) as well as Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Denver International Airport (DEN).
Eventually, American plans to upgrade all of its existing Admirals Club lounges to the new design concept.
While American is clearly working to improve the lounge's "hard product," hopefully it'll also invest in more extensive food and drink offerings. Right now, the lounge fare pales in comparison to that of Delta Air Line's Sky Clubs. Additionally, it'll be great if the carrier works to bring some elements of this look to its future onboard cabins.
In recent years, the fierce competition among the top three U.S. airlines has turned to airport lounges.
Delta continues to set a high bar with its Sky Clubs, which are among the most luxurious spaces in the airport. This includes recently opened locations in LGA, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND).
For its part, United Airlines recently took the wraps off its "one-of-a-kind" Newark club that ushers in a new era of lounge design for the Chicago-based carrier. United promises to bring locally inspired motifs to its future clubs, including the soon-to-open redesign in Denver.
Both American and United operate a more exclusive tier of lounges — which are open to eligible long-haul, business-class passengers (among others) — dubbed the Flagship Lounge and Polaris Lounge, respectively. These spaces have always featured unique elements that are nicer than those of the standard membership lounge.
However, some of the renderings of the next generation of Admirals Clubs look so impressive that some flyers might prefer the updated design to the existing one in Flagship Lounges.
To access the Admirals Club, you'll want to make sure you're carrying the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, which includes a lounge membership.
American also sells memberships to the Admirals Club, but holding the right credit card can be much more lucrative — especially if you add authorized users to your account. Be sure to check out our ultimate guide to accessing the American lounge for more details.