No doubt a center of education, technology, and tourism, the Boston metro area has a busy hub over at Logan International Airport. Delta and jetBlue regularly vie to see which has the biggest … market share, with American Airlines, former number one at the airport, sitting comfortably in third place.
Still, third place in Boston is no slouch; thus, the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge is sizable for a non-hub.
Access
Post-security (aka airside), close to gate B4. I happened to be on the AA flight to London Heathrow (LHR), and I think the lounge stays open mainly to coincide with the scheduled departure time of that flight.
Layout
Lounge check-in was easy; all I had to do was scan the boarding pass, et voilà. Then again, it was equally simple to get in the St. Louis Admirals Club.
I entered around 18:30 – 19:00 (6:30pm – 7pm), and it was quite busy in the main seating area. However, the seats by the lounge entrance — which is also where the printer, shredder, and little booth seats were located — were basically empty the entire time. I set up shop there, and worked almost distraction-free, save for occasional dog (and human) barking.
Food & Drink
There were some vegetables, dips, and clam chowder, as well as some sweets close to the entrance. Things to do tide you over, but perhaps not considered “meals.”
But then, I look at the photo of the Admirals Club menu, and can’t help but think think– wasn’t a benefit of being in an airport lounge that you didn’t have to pay for meals? As more and more airport terminals have free wi-fi, and more and more lounges get busier, the point of a lounge in the U.S. is sometimes lost over me.
On one side, you’ve got your non-airline affiliated ones, the Chases and the Capital Ones and the Amexes, often surpassing the average AA, Delta, or United spot. (I haven’t been to a flagship airline lounge in the U.S., so I can’t compare those) On the other side, you’ve got your average airline or Priority Pass club, which may as well install troughs of Tillamook cheddar, and frozen bananas.
But I guess a “free” plate of tomatoes and hummus is better than paying five bucks for a Hudson News bag of pretzels … assuming one is still open at that absurdly late time of 8:30pm.
In short, the Boston Admirals Club isn’t bad at all, with a fair amount of seating and drinks, but wouldn’t it be great if there were supermarkets at U.S. airports, too?
Have you been to the AA lounge in Boston? What do you think a good lounge should offer?
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