I recently stopped by the American Airlines Flagship Lounge while waiting for a flight at Chicago O’Hare. I had a relatively good time there, as American offers a solid space for travelers waiting for flights.
Let’s go over the details and my time there.
Flagship Lounge Access
To access an American Airlines Flagship Lounge:
- Fly First or Business on a qualifying flight. On American Airlines, on another Oneworld airline, or on Aer Lingus, fly First or Business on a transcontinental route, an international route, or to Hawaii. For American Airlines flights, these flights must be ticketed as Flagship.
- For South America: access excludes flights to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela
- Guest access: 1 guest for First class passengers
- Hold status with AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards. On American Airlines, on another Oneworld airline, or on Aer Lingus, fly a qualifying international route.
- For South America: access excludes flights to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela
- Guest access: 1 guest
- ConciergeKey. Fly any flight on American Airlines, on another Oneworld airline, or on Aer Lingus.
- Guest access: Immediate family, or up to two guests
- Oneworld Sapphire, Emerald. Fly any flight on American Airlines or on another Oneworld airline.
- This does not apply to passengers with Oneworld status via AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards.
- Guest access: 1 guest
- Single visit pass for $150, or 15,000 AAdvantage miles. Fly any flight on American Airlines or on another Oneworld airline, purchased at any Flagship Lounge locations.
- Based on lounge capacity.
The weird part about Flagship Lounge access always has to do with the Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald status. Those who have status with AAdvantage or Atmos Rewards only get access on international flights, but those with status with a different Oneworld airline do get access on any Oneworld flight.
In other words, I could have Oneworld Sapphire status with Cathay Pacific, and I’d be able to access a Flagship Lounge even when flying from Chicago to New York. However, Oneworld Sapphire status via AAdvantage would not grant me access.
Flagship Lounge ORD Review
This lounge is located in the connector between Concourses H and K. I arrived at around 3 p.m.
Once you enter, the agent will hand you a black card, which you will hand to another agent once you go up the elevators to the Flagship Lounge. It’s located one level above the concourse.
This lounge spans 17,000 square feet and provides ample seating and dining space. I was there during the busy evening hours, but still managed to find a fair number of open seats. That should be as busy as it gets for this Flagship Lounge.
I was met with Christmas decorations this time around:
The dining space is located on the left side when you enter the lounge.
I found the food options to be pretty good during this visit. I enjoyed the chicken.
Some desserts:
A self-serve wine station is located adjacent to the food with a decent selection. There are no sit-down bars inside this Flagship Lounge, however.
American Airlines began serving Bollinger Champagne in business class and in Flagship Lounges recently. This was my first time in a Flagship Lounge since they began doing so, and I enjoyed myself a glass.
There were more of them by the entrance, which I had somehow missed during entry.
Plenty more alcoholic options are around the lounge:
It was quite busy while I was there, so it was kind of difficult to take photos of all of the seating areas. I did the best I could.
To put it simply, there’s ample seating even during the peak time I was there this time; I didn’t necessarily have trouble finding a place to sit.
Coffee stations and snack bars with fruit and other small bites can be found in various parts of the lounge, away from the main dining area.
A TV room is located at the very end of the space:
This lounge offers solid views of ramp activity for both concourses H and K.
Bottom Line
This lounge isn’t as big as some other Flagship Lounges (like the Greenwich Lounge at JFK), but it’s still a decent space with lots to do before a flight. I liked the food options this time, and I also enjoyed the Bollinger Champagne that American Airlines recently began serving.
I don’t believe this lounge gets ultra-packed; the time I visited was during peak hours, and I was still able to find space for myself (irregular operations is a different story, but that goes for every lounge in existence). That’s not to say that additional space would be welcome, maybe including an actual sit-down bar.
All photos taken by the author.
