Alaska Airlines has two gates in the G concourse. However, American Airlines is only operating one club at ORD in the H/K concourse. We made our way over and we’re quickly admitted.
Upon taking the elevator up to the club we saw the updated look of this Admirals Club.
Alaska Airlines has been expanding their lounge footprint and updating their lounges. Previously the locations were called boardrooms and had a older look to them. The new locations have a modern Pacific Northwest look and feel.
The LAX location is part of Priority Pass but is notorious for not admitting members due to crowding which was also the case today. I was quickly admitted by having a Alaska Club membership (First Class tickets also come with access).
The lounge is pretty small and consist of one seating area and a bar area. The seating area has cubical seating and tables for working or eating.
The LAX Centurion lounge opened a few days back and I wanted to check it out as soon as possible. I booked a flight to LAX for the day just for the occasion. When I checked into the lounge I was told there is a 3 hour policy and I’d need to wait 45 minutes before returning. I understand rules are rules. However, the main purpose of that rule was for crowding and given the current situation with COVID-19 I had a feeling there wasn’t any crowds. When I returned I was quickly admitted into the lounge to find about 10 people.
I’ve been pretty excited to check out Cathay Pacifics First Class Lounges. Based on my limited research are two main First Class lounges. The Wing has cabanas (enclosed suite with a day bed) and a Champagne bar. However, The Pier has recently-ish been remodeled and looks stunning. I decided to check out The Pier.
I was pretty excited for this flight. It’s not everyday I get to fly on an A380. It’s a bit sad that Asiana will be ending First Class service all together later in 2019. The First Class lounge was small but quiet which is always a plus these days.
I was pretty excited to try JAL as I’ve heard good things. I don’t have any points or miles with Oneworld carriers so I transferred AMEX MR points to British Airways Avios during a 30% bonus. This flight typically is pretty expensive as it’s between the two popular close in airports popular with business travelers. Unfortunately, British Airways just increased the cost of redemption. I redeemed just 15,000 Avios (~12,000 AMEX MR with the 30% bonus) for this flight. However, the price has now gone up to 16,500 Avios.
I was excited to check out this “lounge”. I put lounge in quotes as I think lounge isn’t the right world. This is really an addition to the business class lounge that is only accessable to first class customers. The lounge even has a connected door to the business class area which has a larger buffet and even an outdoor deck. However, the business class lounge tends to get pretty crowded.
I was traveling to Tokyo Narita with ANA in First Class which provided access to the Polaris Lounge. This lounge is considerably smaller than SFO but still had all the Polaris Lounge staples.
Originally we were set to fly SIN-DEL-AMD on an Air India award ticket in business class. However, Air India canceled the DEL-AMD leg and I looked for other options. Enter Vistara. This is an airline that currently only flies domestic in India from their hub in New Delhi. The airline is a JV between Tata and Singapore Airlines.
Korean Airlines moved to the new terminal 2 which looks amazing. In addition to the new terminal there is a new first class lounge. I’ve been to the old lounge and wasn’t too impressed so my expectations weren’t to high. I followed signs to the lounge.