3 Things I Love (and Hate) About the Admirals Club Airline Lounge

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Here’s my take on the best and worst features of the Admirals Club lounges.  

My husband and I have a travel credit card that allows us access to the Admirals Club lounge. We fly around once per month on American Airlines, so we visit this lounge regularly. There are some things that are great about it — but also some things I don’t like very much at all.

Here are three things I love (along with three things I hate) about the lounge our credit card lets us access.

Three things I love about the Admirals Club lounge

Here are my three favorite features of the Admirals Club lounge.

1. The food is really good — especially the desserts

The free food available at the lounge was one of the main reasons we signed up for a credit card to gain access. We don’t like eating fast food when we travel and we don’t have to, thanks to the spread the Admirals Club puts out.

And the food is really delicious at the lounges we’ve been to — especially the dessert selection consisting of cookies, Rice Krispy treats, and brownies. These deserts are a much higher quality than you’d expect and taste better than the ones on offer at typical buffet restaurants.

2. There’s a great drink selection (even for non-alcoholic drinks)

The Admirals Club lounges offer a great selection of complimentary drinks. I’m nursing a baby so I can’t drink alcohol, but there’s a ton of non-alcoholic drinks on offer too. Last time we visited, a Blueberry Hibiscus Lemonade was the drink of the month. We’ve also enjoyed fresh-squeezed orange juice, among other selections.

3. The seating is really comfortable

In every lounge I’ve been in, there have been comfortable chairs with little attached tables to dine on. The seating beats standard airline waiting room seats any day of the week and it’s comfortable to sit on for longer periods of time when our planes have been delayed.

Three things I hate about the Admirals Club lounge

Despite really enjoying the Admirals Club, there are some things I don’t like about it. Here are the three things I hate.

1. Some of the lounges get really crowded

A few of the lounges I’ve been in — particularly the one at Orlando airport — are much smaller than they should be given the size of the potential crowds. I’ve had trouble finding a place to sit on numerous occasions and these aren’t even on super busy travel days.

2. There’s very little variety in the food

Although the food is good at the Admirals Club lounge, there’s not a lot of variety. Every time I’ve had dinner at one lounge, for example, there’s been taco meat while another has featured meatballs every single time. I would definitely prefer to have different selections, especially since I travel so much and am visiting the lounge regularly.

3. Sometimes the location isn’t convenient

Finally, some of the Admirals Club lounges have been located pretty far from the gate where we end up checking off, which can be a hassle since we have to leave the lounge earlier than we’d like to get to our flight on time.

Overall, I’m happy with our experience, but I do think there’s room for improvement. I’ll be keeping my card that provides access, though, as the annual fee is well worth paying for the perks an Admirals Club membership offers.

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