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.
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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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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees