Inside American’s chic new Newark Admirals Club
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)'s lounge game is getting stronger thanks to the opening of American Airlines' all-new Admirals Club in Terminal A.
The lounge is the second to open with the Texas-based airline's new design concept, following the one at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The Newark location features 137 seats and measures 7,050 square feet.
The new iterations of American's Admirals Club lean heavily into locally inspired design elements, and the Newark outpost, designed with IA Interior Architects, was created to feel like a pavilion retreat with subtle nods to Newark and its history.
For example, the entrance to the lounge features a dark, moody wall with the American Airlines logo and metal elements that pay tribute to the area's many bridges.
Near the bathrooms, a mirrored glass wall is home to beautiful Newark cherry blossoms from Branch Brook Park.
All this to say, the lounge is a big step up for American and American loyalists passing through Newark. It's a great sign for more upcoming lounges in Austin and Denver.
Here's everything else you need to know about the lounge.
Location, hours and access
The Admirals Lounge is located on an upper mezzanine near gates A7 and A8 and can be accessed via stairs or an elevator. The lounge is clustered together with other lounges, including Delta's new Sky Club, all of which can easily be found with signage in the terminal.
The Admirals Club is open from 4 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.
There are a handful of ways to get access to American's Admirals Clubs, ranging from holding an eligible credit card to having elite status. To break it all down, check out our handy guide to American Airlines Admirals Club access.
The 'living room' has a stunning fireplace
When entering the lounge's "living room," you'll see a range of finishing touches that pay homage to the New York-New Jersey area.
For example, the new lounge is filled with industrial light fixtures inspired by one of New Jersey's most famous residents, Thomas Edison. Industrial metal bars that riff off the many bridges of New York City also adorn the lounge.
But similar to the Admirals lounge in DCA, the living room's centerpiece is its double-sided fireplace, which gives the space a cozy and welcoming feel.
Surrounding the fireplaces are plenty of seats, with each accompanied by an outlet, a USB-A port and a USB-C port. Unlike the DCA lounge, these charging ports are located on the front of each side table, making them easier to find.
The living room also features rugs with warm orange and brown hues, taking inspiration from the fall foliage of the Northeast.
Additionally, there's plenty of seating looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the runways, perfect for watching planes land and take off or getting right up close with the planes parked at gates 7 and 8.
Pastrami sliders and Jersey tomato bloody marys
At the back of the lounge, guests will find a full bar with bar stools, a small buffet that changes throughout the day and a handful of dining tables.
During our morning visit, we were able to get a sampling of breakfast options, including a savory quiche tartlet that seemed to replace many lounges' watery scrambled eggs, a Belgian waffle and bacon that wasn't exactly crispy but still tasted delicious. Other breakfast items include fresh fruit, yogurt, oatmeal and an assortment of breads and pastries.
When breakfast service is over, the all-day menu features New York-centric items like pastrami sliders and the city's iconic black and white cookies, as well as kale and edamame salad, falafel with cucumber tzatziki, locally sourced meats and cheeses, and various desserts.
Throughout the day, you'll find La Colombe coffee (sadly, not iced), various teas and a touchscreen soda fountain with Coca-Cola products.
At the bar, you'll find all the standard spirits and beers, but keeping with the local flavors, a signature New Jersey bloody mary featuring vodka, bloody mary mix and Jersey tomatoes is also on the menu. The bloody mary was delicious and tangy, especially with the salted rim. The bar's IPA on draft comes from New Jersey's own Flying Fish Brewing in Somerdale.
There's also a secondary row of bar seats at the far backside of the lounge that looks out onto the runways and gates.
More communal than private
Leaning into the homey ambience, American's Admirals Club in Newark is more of a communal space — the lounge doesn't have many private workspaces.
Toward the lounge's entrance are three workstations designed like individual cubbies, but those areas are not completely enclosed. The most private spaces in the lounge are the two phone booths, located right off the entrance, and a conference room that can be booked directly on American's website for a fee.
Beyond those spaces, much of the lounge's seating is open.
While there is a wall of seats with minimalistic dividers toward the dining room, those stations lack desks and are front-facing, meaning you'll still be able to see other passengers and hear any chatter if you're trying to work.
The bathrooms are sleek
Bathrooms aren't the sexiest places in the world, but big props to American for making the ones in this club about as close to that as you can get. The lighting is bright in the right places, such as around the mirrors, but subtly moody everywhere else.
All the stalls feature large, fully enclosed doors for maximum privacy, which should be expected, but who hasn't been in a public restroom in an airport bathroom where the doors basically have a foot-wide gap?
And, as an extra nice touch, the soap in the bathroom was from New York's D.S. & Durga.
Bottom line
When American rolled out the first iteration of the new Admirals Club in Washington, D.C., it set the bar high — very high. And the new lounge in Newark rose to the occasion. The lounge is chic and modern but simultaneously cozy and comfortable. It's a treat for the eyes and based on the food and drinks we were able to try, on the tastebuds, too.
But what's especially great are the subtle nods to the lounge's locale, from Edison-centric lightbulbs to the beautiful carpets reflecting the area's vibrant fall colors.
We can't wait to see what American turns out for its next lounge trick. As for Newark, we'll be keeping tabs on the upcoming Amex Centurion Lounge, which will be the largest one to date.
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