Which lounge to go for?
 

I don't believe any have access on arrival. I will be flying in and out on AA, with access to Centurion, Capital 1, and the new Chase Sapphire lounges (as well as The Clubs). Which one would be expected to have shortest or no wait to get in?

I had a lot of time to kill at LAS today (Sunday afternoon) and spent time in all 3 bank-operated lounges, so feel like I can give a pretty good comparison.

The one with shortest wait is the Capital One lounge. The wait at the Chase lounge is BY FAR the longest. There was a short waitlist for the C1 lounge at some point (but none when I entered). The AMEX lounge had about a 10 minute wait when I entered. The Chase lounge had a 1 hr+ wait for me to get in, and when I left, the lounge dragon told me some people have been on the list for 2-3 hours.

Here are some short thoughts on all of them:

Chase: The newest, so I think a lot of people are trying to check it out, hence the longer waits. Also, it is by far the smallest lounge of the three, and is probably 20% of the size of the AMEX lounge, and maybe 1/3 the size of the C1 lounge. It is the only lounge that has food-to-order.
AMEX: The oldest and largest lounge, so it is getting a little bit more run down. It is also the only lounge with a TV, so if you want to have a drink at the bar and watch sports, this is your only option.
Capital One: In between the two for both size and upkeep. It's still pretty new, so it doesn't feel very worn yet, but you can see it starting to show in some places.

In comparison:
Size: AMEX > C1 > Chase
Bar: All 3 have good options of drinks and cocktails, though I'm not a huge connoisseur. The Chase lounge has real Champagne as their special feature among their Sapphire lounges.
Non-alcoholic drinks: C1 > AMEX > Chase. C1 has a lot of various specialty coffee and soda drafts, while Chase has cans of drinks, and AMEX has their typical setup of tanks of various flavored drinks.
Food: Chase > C1 > AMEX in terms of quality, but Chase had fewer hot food options in the buffet. Chase has the collab with momofuku with potatoes and pork buns which puts them above the rest. AMEX buffet gets the job done and has the most quantity, and C1 has a variety of individually-portioned options of both hot and cold foods. C1 has a to-go area (but still only accessible once you are off waitlist).

Overall: If you have a lot of time to kill, you can check out the Chase lounge which is the newest and nicest but smallest. Otherwise they are all more-or-less equiavlent and go to the one with the shortest line.

I am flying in & out next week on AA for a change. I usually fly SW so no lounge choice. Are these all in tge same terminal & other than walking up to each one, is there a way to check wait time ahead?
Thanks for such a great report...you must have had a LOT of time to kill!

All the terminals and gates are connected airside with trams that are pretty short and frequent, so you can definitely go to them all if you have the time.

AMEX and C1 are near the central area in D, while the Chase lounge is in C. Southwest uses the C gates so you may be in luck for that, just beware of really long waits if it's a busy day.

You can walk or take a tram between the main security area and the C gates, but the Chase lounge is halfway back towards the main security area from the C tram stop, so it may be easier to just walk. Here's a helpful map:
https://www.harryreidairport.com/FlyFit. It's really not as confusing as the map looks: just go through security at the A/B/C gates and you can quickly get to the D and E gates.

Amazing review and info. Much appreciated!

To summarize:

Chase lounge is in C, between gates 23 and 24; open until 11pm.
C1 is in D, near gate 50, second floor; open until 11pm.
AMEX is in D, near gate D1 (turn left at top of escalator and follow signs); open until 11pm. (Used to be midnight).

I happen to be leaving at 11:59pm on AA (D gates) so will plan to start with Chase (or at least get on the wait list) at 8:59pm, then C1 / AMEX, then after 11pm The Club (second level near D33), which closes at 11:30pm.

The C1 lounge is actually closer to the escalators than the AMEX lounge due to the way the terminal is shaped with spokes. When you go up the escalators from the tram to D, turn right and you'll be pretty close to the C1 lounge. The AMEX lounge you turn left and walk a minute or two.

You can also see a blocked off area from the escalators (on the left) where they are currently building the AMEX Sidecar concept that opens sometime next year. You can look into getting into the virtual line for AMEX. Not sure if Chase or C1 have that option.

I try not to get to the airport super early so I certainly won't be lounge hopping. I will be lucky to get to one and I guess that will be the Amex one. I don't have Capital one access.

Last time I had a 51 minute wait to get into the packed Amex lounge. Just arrive as late as possible to the airport and avoid all the lounges. Not worth getting there early IMHO.

Sometimes I can't wait to leave Vegas & other times you have to pull me away. It mostly depends on how lucky I am.

Chase appears to be the worst: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/airp...s-dec-3-a.html
AMEX Centurion seems to depend on what convention is going on and whether you're leaving early or late: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...ry-2013-a.html
Capital One likely will be the shortest: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/airp...vegas-las.html

David

Depends on the date, time of day, how much time you have to kill, your departure gate, and how much time you want to spend walking.

The Crap1 and Amex lounges require a separate train ride to the D gates, so not convenient to WN but maybe to AA?

Similarly the Chase lounge is convenient to C gates and a hike (but no train) to A/B gates.

The worst times are Sundays when the weekend crowd is departing. You will see 30-40min waits at Chase and need to get on the waitlist in person. Amex allows you to join the list via the app so you can eliminate most of the waiting time. If you only have an hour before boarding you won't want to be hiking around.

Amex is decent - not the best in the system and often jam packed but standard F&B. My Chase experience at IAD was fav but IDK how this version compares.

For what it's worth, when exiting from the trams, there is a second set of escalators further along to the left that gives much more direct access to the arm of the D Concourse where the AMEX lounge is. However IIRC this set only has one in each direction, and no stairs to bypass if the escalators are congested.

I'm sitting in LAS Centurion right now. It's a but busier than when I arrived about an hour ago, but not at all 'full'.

3 minute wait for Centurion today but hard to find a seat once i came in. Not impressed with the food offerings--pretty ordinary. I certainly wouldn't come to the airport early to come here.
Long line at the bar. I drank too much in Vegas so only iced tea for me.

Yep, there last Sunday. Heading out on UA, but decided to give the Chase lounge a try. Rideshare driver on the way to the airport said it was a slow weekend in Vegas after all. :D

Well, there's a line out the door outside the Chase lounge, although only about 5 people when I arrived. Got on the waitlist. No time estimate given, only that the "lounge is very busy" and I'll get a text. Hung around the C gate area (jam packed; has to be one of my least favorite terminals anywhere) for about 20-25 minutes before giving up. Got on the AmEx CL waitlist through the app while walking over to the D tram and got a confirmation a few minutes later before arriving at the CL. Was ensconced there when the text from the Chase lounge finally arrived, 40+ minutes after joining the waitlist.