Originally Posted by
pinniped
A United Club isn't too different than a lot of the J lounges around the world. Some a little better, mainly because they don't serve American beer
and have better food. Some a little worse because they're shared lounges and don't have an agent who can really solve issues related to your itinerary. I think the U.S. carriers are *close* when we're talking about J - close enough that I wouldn't significantly reroute my travels to avoid them.
Erm. What????
The American lounges I've been into all have had a poor food selection (snacks only), usually have stained, aged seating upholstered in a camel-hair/barbed wire blend and the bar charges for everything except the cheapest stuff. I have only seen showers in one US lounge, ever (I forget where) and quite a few charge for WiFi access. In contrast the J lounges in Europe, Asia and Australasia stand leagues above them. I can normally have a full (even if not exactly cordon bleu) meal, drink anything from a beer to a special edition single malt whisky and surf the net free of charge on all three PED's at once, if I so choose. Last night I was transitting in FRA after a long day in a hot lab and ducked into the Senator lounge in concourse B where I had a hot shower that felt like a warm cascade in a stunningly appointed private bathroom, followed by a weisen beer, turkey sausage and potato salad with salad and a pickle. I have never seen a J lounge anywhere in the US that even comes close.