Originally Posted by
entropy
Most people here kvelling about SQ, but all I see at the SKL is quarter sandwiches and 59 cent cup-o-noodles.... Does that make a "first class" airline? The LH lounge at IAD is "nicer" physically, and they have gummi bears, soft pretzels and some nasty reheated meatballs, 'pasta' and reheated frozen vegetables. Sure, they have better free alcohol, but that's just european. The bar is pretty low.... I don't see butler-served chateaubriand in any US airline lounge now or in the future.
IAD is a UA hub. You'd need to compare it with the lounges at carriers in their hubs: SQ in SIN, BA in LHR, VS in LHR, TG in BKK, NZ in AKL, CX in HKG, etc..., in which case the comparison would be pretty poor for UA.
That said, in any event, as has been oft-repeated on this forum and others, lounges of US airlines and of foreign carriers are fundamentally different entities. For US carriers, lounges are conceived as membership-based and essentially profit centres. For non-US carriers, lounges are conceived as perks of premium class flying and essentially cost centres. So, it is no surprise that US airlines lounges generally (not just UA) tend to be rather more spartan and basic than lounges of non-US carriers.
A more meaningful comparison would be between IFLs and first class lounge of non-US carriers. While, on the whole, IFLs are still relatively mediocre, the differential is not quite as substantial as between hub RCCs and business lounges of non-US carriers.