Philadelphia Airport Lounge Hopping
Until last week, I don’t think I’d ever been through PHL. Or, if I had, it was so unremarkable that I couldn’t remember. Regardless, the overall airport was nicer than I expected. (My low expectations played a role, too.) After my return to Amtrak, it was time for another of my favorite not-for-everybody experiences: darting around to different airport lounges. Over multiple iterations, I’ve refined my strategy to two primary principles – enough time and the optimal timing. Personally, I like a solid three and a half hours in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week. So then, I arrived at my first Philadelphia airport lounge a bit after 10 am on a quiet Wednesday. Ready, set, go!
American Airlines Admirals Club, A West Terminal
My first stop was the new Admirals Club between on the mezzanine level between gates A15 and A16. You’ll know you’re close when you see the two towering escalators. I enjoyed the open check-in area upon arriving upstairs. The new Flagship Lounge is to the left (maybe another time), and the Admirals Club is to the right. I checked in with a bubbly agent and entered through the not-as-nice-as-the-United-Club’s gate thingy. As you may know by now, this location follows the design cues from a few of the more recent Admirals Clubs, including DCA’s newest and the smaller DEN spot. Unfortunately, it also follows the pattern I’ve seen from AA elsewhere – unlit fireplaces. Behold, yet another reminder of AAusterity.
Still, the newer design pops. AA does a great job with various seating areas and functions, but I couldn’t get past the whole lounge feeling like one rectangular room (11k square feet). Indeed, the bigger DCA 14.5k square-foot version feels cozier and offers better views than PHL’s. But this location offers a superior bar and expansive buffet area, something I doubt DCA could attain without a redesign.
While I sipped on my cappuccino, I perused the limited order-to-table selection available. I laughed to myself when I noted the prices – how could I have forgotten AA charges for this stuff?! I hadn’t consumed enough coffee yet, apparently. For what it’s worth, the Flagship next door offers a complimentary order-to-table selection.
After my cappuccino and absolutely-killer snickerdoodle, I was off to the next…
Amex Centurion Lounge
Full disclosure, I didn’t get the memo that the Centurion Lounge PHL is the smallest in Amex’s portfolio. So I bathed in my own ignorance while visiting, oddly entertained at its cuteness. After I checked in, I did what I usually do when I enter a lounge. I walk the entire footprint before committing to a particular seat. Welp, that was a matter of seconds this time, and I still had to hustle. That’s because in the few seconds it took me to look around the 6.3k square-foot lounge, other entrants were plopping down.
I somehow felt lucky getting a Taco Bell-sized two-top facing the bar. I looked to the right and almost laughed at the sign I saw. The same table sizes nearby were reserved for Centurion cardholders. This may be the first time I felt aggrieved on behalf of such individuals. They pay how much and get this? Before I took a picture of the sign above, I asked for permission from the individual at the adjacent table. He knowingly approved, seemingly in on the situation’s absurdity. About half of the tables in the bar area were reserved, leaving scant space for Platinum cardholders to eat at a proper table.
The workers were flipping the buffet from breakfast to lunch and did so quite efficiently. I didn’t partake of either, as I had gut plans at my next stop. I grabbed an iced tea while pondering how this space came to be. This lounge reminds me of when I meet my kids’ teachers in their classrooms every September, along with seemingly every other parent. No matter where I am, I feel like I’m in the way. This is the opposite of how I want to feel in a lounge. I finished up my tea and left, opening up a table for another lounge visitor circling them for a kill. It may have been my best act of public service for the day.
Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club
Things couldn’t have changed more dramatically at this point. I hoofed it to the other side of the airport to a ginormous lounge space. Indeed, I went from the smallest Centurion Lounge to the second-largest Sapphire Lounge. Chase’s PHL location comes in at approximately 20k square feet, just under LGA’s size. For what it’s worth, PHL’s one-floor version feels bigger to me than LGA’s.
I checked in at the front desk, where the agent was more interested in my boarding pass, only giving a brief glance at my CSR. I felt lost before I even started walking past check-in. I traversed the entire sprawling lounge, by the end forgetting what I saw at the beginning. (Along the way, I did reserve a shower suite for later.) I finally tapped out, just sitting down at the last place I saw – the small tables by the self-serve buffet. I picked a grilled cheese from the order-to-table menu to pair with the tomato soup available at the buffet. Then I waited.
I waited for almost 30 minutes. One of the helpful servers came around and offered to check on my order. It arrived a few minutes later, cold and with the cheese hardly melted. I compensated by dipping it into the warm tomato soup I wisely waited to grab from the buffet.
But the highlight of my visit was the shower suite. Again, I’m glad I stopped by to book it earlier, as I was able to squeeze it in the last 30 minutes of my two-hour stay. I enjoyed the design and decor of the inviting area, and the spa music complemented the experience without feeling too cheesy. Surprisingly, I find this shower suite experience competitive with the Delta One Lounge JFK. I still give the latter a slight edge, but the fact that a bank club’s version is even in the same conversation is noteworthy.
As I finished up in the shower suite, a thought crept in. There’s no way this can last. I’m concerned Chase lounges will eventually be overrun just like Amex’s have – if it hasn’t happened at certain locations already. I’m in the last days of my current Reserve account, and I doubt I’ll be returning any time soon. My busier days of Sapphire Lounges are behind me, and that might have worked out the way it should.
Philadelphia Airport Lounge Hopping – Conclusion
This Philadelphia airport lounge hopping experience was all over the place. I got the small, large, and a bit of the in-between. The Sapphire Lounge is probably the predictable standout, but I think the reliable, unsexy Admirals Club will more consistently deliver longer term. Of course, these are two vastly different lounge experiences. But I don’t think the Reserve will continue at its lofty level. Regardless, I wouldn’t be surprised at another Reserve annual fee increase in the next couple years.
And the more I think about it, I like the dimensional oddity that is the Centurion Lounge PHL. In my view, Amex could lean into this unintentional novelty even more. I’ll probably see the PHL Admirals Club and Centurion Lounge again before the Sapphire. Regardless, things will work out the way they should.
Which Philadelphia airport lounge is your favorite and why?
Loved my experience at the Sapphire Lounge over the summer. Very attentive service. Enjoyed the signature cocktails at the bar. Played some Street Fighter with another passenger on his way to Utah. And also partook in the shower suite. Overall, one of the finest lounge experiences I’ve had. Highly recommend.
The Chase lounge in PHL is definitely the winner in my book, but the AAdmirals Club is my go-to. If I ever have a flight issue, the AAdmirals Club agents have come through. For that reason alone, I maintain a Citi AA Executive card.