Just a few years ago, I never would have uttered the phrase “I deliberately chose to fly out of LaGuardia (LGA).” Yet, owing in part to the newish Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club LGA, you could say that I flipped that quote on its head.
Having only opened on 16 January of this year, I was raring to see if it was anything like Hong Kong’s Chase Sapphire Lounge. Which is to say, underwhelming. On the other hand, this also means LaGuardia now has a Priority Pass lounge, so that’s something.
First of all, if you want to visit Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club LGA, make sure that the flight is from Terminal B. Also, keep in mind that the lounge is open daily from 04:30 to 21:30 (subject to change).
Accessing the lounge is a bit odd. As the lounge is hidden behind and below the entrance, you might miss it while rounding the bend to the gates. Then again, there’s a sign right above the hallway stating the lounge’s name.
Anyway, once you’ve made it into the hallway, head to the elevator and push 1.
Once you’ve checked-in, you’ve a got variety of seating types from which to choose. Upholstered table seating is right behind check-in, less comfortable table seating is near the food in the back. Throughout both levels — there are two levels total — you’ve got scattered seating.
For my weekend flight, it was still relatively quiet around 05:30-06:00. In other words, I was able to just about have my pick of places to hunker down.
Lounge staff were mostly nice and eager to help, with one already bored exception. Nevertheless, what was that no one approached me to ask if I wanted anything; rather, once I initiated a conversation, the responses were all proactive.
Food and Drink
Firstly, for those of you who drink, alcohol is available from 08:00 onward Mondays through Saturdays, and from 10:00 onward on Sundays.
Drinks available during the morning were tea, water, juice, and coffee.
All of the staff suggested that I order something through the QR code menu — after all, the menu is all-inclusive — but I was already quite full from the self-service buffet.
Food didn’t seem to get replenished too quickly, but that might be in part due to the lack of patrons at the time.
Overall, there was definitely more care placed in the food in this lounge than many other ones that I’ve visited. Plus, there was a pretty neat pear smoothie, so those always get a vote in my book.
If you overate, fear not. The lounge also comes equipped with a wellness center. It was not open at the time, but snapped a photo of some examination room through its main door window:
Other amenities at the Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club LGA include a a game room, a nursing room, and a kids’ playroom.
But since those things don’t affect me, I didn’t snap any photos of them. Instead, I got a photo of a new FIDS (flight information display screen):
What’s with the trend of new FIDS not including the current time? How asinine. On that note, don’t expect any flight announcements once you’re in the lounge.
For the tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) version, the lounge is a nice and much-needed addition to a New York-area airport. The food worked, the seating and wi-fi were in good shape, and the cortados kept coming to keep me awake.
However, this is all based off of a one-time, early morning review of a lounge that without a doubt would see a waiting list during peak hours.
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