American's final Flagship Lounge will reopen next week
American Airlines will soon have all five of its Flagship Lounges reopened.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline shared updated reopening plans on Wednesday, April 13, which includes some good news for those flying out of Chicago.
Specifically, the Flagship Lounge in Chicago O'Hare (ORD) will reopen on Thursday, April 21. You'll find the full directory and updated reopening timelines below.
- New York-JFK: Lounge reopened on Sept. 14, 2021.
- Miami (MIA): Lounge reopened on Sept. 28, 2021.
- Los Angeles (LAX): Lounge reopened on Jan. 26, 2022.
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW): Lounge reopened on March 2, 2022.
- Chicago (ORD): Lounge reopening on April 21, 2022.
Originally, the airline had planned to reopen the Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth outposts last fall, but the timeline slipped due to ongoing issues related to staffing.
In addition to its Flagship Lounges, American also operates Flagship First Dining facilities. These outposts are essentially a lounge-within-a-lounge, offering a seated restaurant-style dining experience — with Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle Champagne available — to those ticketed in long-haul or premium transcontinental first class on American's three-cabin jets.
All Flagship Lounges, except for the one in Chicago, feature a Flagship First Dining outpost. Flagship First Dining facilities in JFK, Dallas and Miami have already reopened, with the full timeline available below.
- New York-JFK: Flagship First Dining reopened on Sept. 16, 2021.
- Miami (MIA): Flagship First Dining reopened on Sept. 30, 2021.
- Los Angeles (LAX): No timeline available for reopening Flagship First Dining.
- Chicago (ORD): Doesn't feature a Flagship First Dining facility.
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW): Flagship First Dining reopened on March 3, 2022.
American started reopening its Flagship Lounge network in September 2021, following a nearly 18-month closure due to the pandemic. The Flagship Lounge is American's business-class-only ground experience that's exclusively open to premium flyers and top-tier elites traveling on eligible long-haul and premium transcontinental routes.
In addition to the Flagship Lounge network, American also reopened its premium London Heathrow (LHR) Arrivals Lounge on Monday, Jan. 31.
As American reopens its premium lounges, it's also reimagining the experience inside. This includes a Champagne welcome toast for all passengers, as well as new locally-inspired chef partnerships through the James Beard Foundation, with the full list of chefs available in American's press release.
Related: 6 ways American Airlines' newly reopened Flagship Lounge has changed
Along with the upgraded food and beverage offerings, American is expanding its partnership with D.S. & Durga for new hand soaps and shower amenities in its Flagship Lounges. The airline is also adding Dyson Supersonic hair dryers to the shower suites as well.
American Airlines is also offering new ways to access the Flagship Lounge. Customers traveling to Hawaii in Flagship First and Flagship Business will be able to access the elevated lounge experience.
The airline is now selling day passes at $150 a pop to enter the lounge as well.
Of the U.S. airlines, only American and United offer an elevated lounge experience for their most valuable passengers. All six of United's Polaris Lounges have already reopened. Meanwhile, Delta is rumored to open its first-ever Delta One lounge in LAX (and possibly one in JFK as well) in the coming years.
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