AAging Gracefully – Appreciating a Certain Admirals Club in Its Twilight

Admirals Club DFW Terminal C

When it comes to airline lounges, I roll the dice more on Admirals Clubs more than any other.  I find their widely-varying quality oddly entertaining.  I’m intrigued to see how a given lounge actually feels firsthand – do the newer ones live up to the hype (yes and yes) and are the older ones that bad (sometimes)?  Today, I’m finally getting around to my love for the Admirals Club DFW Terminal C.  While its current days are numbered, I’ve enjoyed the ride up to this point.

Admirals Club DFW Terminal C Thoughts

Bringing the Feels

I came to know DFW Airport from a young age.  Some of my earliest memories are from this place – my mom and I seeing my dad off and picking him up from business trips.  You know, way back when any non-traveler could go past security and right up to the gate.  I remember looking out the gate windows from below the railing.

As I grew and moved elsewhere, I’d periodically return to visit family and friends.  DFW’s mostly been a connection point during my current life season, though.  As a longtime Citi AA Executive AU cardholder, I’ll stop in the airport’s diverse set of Admirals Clubs, primarily whichever one is most convenient during my connection.  Regardless, I naturally gravitate to Admirals Club DFW Terminal C more than any other.  My first job was at Steak & Ale, and it’s probably no surprise I prefer the Admirals Club most resembling one.

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Like many others lounges, visitors can take the elevator or stairs to enter the heart of the club.  I always take the stairs here.  It’s like a portal into a bygone era, albeit a relatively recent one.  After climbing up a few flights, I arrive at a large, mostly vacant customer service area bathed in browns and yellows.  I imagine how this space buzzed years ago, back when people had to rely on humans more than cell phones for their flight (and other) needs.

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Art Everywhere

I’ll periodically shoegaze during travels, including in lounges.  So I was slow to appreciate the variety of art sporting the walls throughout this club.  And we’re not simply talking stock stuff to fill up blank walls.  Art’s everywhere around this club, with each piece helpfully accompanied with a small plaque including the title, artist, and year.  Every time I go through, I try to slow down and take in a different piece more often than the last time.

But still, I miss things.  “Daddy, look at the birds,” my younger one said to me as we sat with our serviceable barbecue chicken.  I gazed up and saw an installation I’d never noticed previously, something the eyes of a child can notice better than mine.

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Remembrances of Times Past

I find a kind of beauty in aging environments.  I enjoy visiting libraries just as much for taking in the space as the media it houses.  Also, I have a soft spot for wandering around malls, even if I do it less frequently these days.

This Admirals Club offers remnants of those earlier times peppered throughout – vacant magazine and newspaper racks, analog clocks, antiseptic business cubicles, etc.  There’s no TV facing visitors sitting at the main bar – only seas of yellow-brown light set against bottles of browner drink.

The Other Familiar

I absolutely love lounging in the Eames (or Eames-knockoff) chairs dotting this club.  They’re not exclusive to this Admirals Club – I also like LGA’s – but they’re certainly not everywhere.  My optimal spot at my favorite Admirals Club could definitely use a few.

In an oddly-magical fashion, the same guy is always making fresh guacamole every time I come through.  I always remind myself to be ready with my order – he’s no-nonsense and always a topping or two ahead of me.  Nonetheless, my small gratuity at the end consistently cajoles a smirk I read as a smile.

Things Change…

And I know I must, even if just slightly.  American has announced the coming redesigned Admirals Club DFW Terminal C will be the airline’s biggest ever.  I’m hoping the update will maintain a bit of the warmth of the current space.  The airline’s done that with their recent design motif at DCA and others, and the image in their public release falls in line there.  It would be even better if the newer Admirals Clubs improve actual warmth by turning on their fireplaces more frequently.

Conclusion

Of course, we can’t outrun certain Admirals Club AAusterity.  “This hummus is runny,” my younger one observed on this latest visit.  But perhaps that was counteracted by a nearby tween reviewing portions of the charcuterie – “I surely recommend the salami.”

We’ll see how things unfold for the updated Admirals Club DFW Terminal C – I expect inevitable delays and a bumpy transition leading up to it.  But in the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying the lounge for what it currently is – a familiar, comforting space reflecting years past and associated memories.  It’s a time I don’t want to end but know it must.

Do you enjoy Admirals Club DFW Terminal C or do you skip right past it?  Why?