EmailKid

Except at DFW where it is at times almost useless with dead spots, I've found it very useful for what I need to do ^

So while at DFW I have to ask for a reboot every other time I visit (and that only get it working again SLOWLY), they told me that an upgrade is coming ^

EmailKid

vicmmen

Light breakfast is free and OK. No real lunch or dinner food available and you can't bring some from outside (at least that's the rule).

The lounge beats waiting at the gate to board but know where this gate is so as not to miss your boarding. Yesterday, I almost missed my flight because they changed the original boarding gate.

I find the SFO and IAH wifi speeds quite acceptable.

skiermsm

Need some exercise? I enjoy walking the HNL airport, people watching and taking in the fresh air. Why be cooped up in the club?

EmailKid

Since I spend a lot of time at IAH, I too walk around @:-) ^

But people watching is better at HNL.

But I also enjoy the adult beverages and wifi

EmailKid

MSPeconomist

People in wet swimwear presumably would be turned away. You must wear footwear in most jurisdictions in food service areas, sometimes shirts or tee shirts too.

It's helpful to have some type of jacket as a few lounges are overly air conditioned.

I don't like bare skin to contact seats in very public places, including airplanes, so I would not wear very short shorts or sleeveless tee shirts.

invisible

That's key for happiness in general....

agjil

I've been into bunch of UA lounges, and I was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt/jacket on a few occasions, but was never denied entry into the lounges.
I tend to travel very casually when I'm not on a business trip.

GDaoV

I find that food and adult beverages are much better at the restaurants around the airports than the lounges.

Lounges, for me, are only used when I have eaten & drank and need a little quiet time, even that is allusive at some IAH lounges.

InterFlyer

I use it in SFO all the time, and it only slows down when the club is really full (and by that I mean almost no space to sit). When that happens, I just switch to the general airport WiFi, which is also free (woot SFO!). Haven't been to the JFK club though...

Agree about the food, but not so much the drinks. Here is what I usually do at IAH: leave my carry-on luggage in the lockers at the club and then go eat, come back and drink a beer or two before departure (more if it is a long layover), as I am not about to pay 7-10 bucks a beer in the terminal. But the main utility of the club for me is WiFi in airports that don't offer it for free, which is the case for IAH.

GDaoV

I'm usually on business travel so an 8-10 oz of bud or shiner at the lounge just ain't going to do it for me. The new Cat Cora restaurant has some nice cocktails.

LilAbner

Caution;

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT look any of these big shots in the eye, EVER! If you do you'll be very sorry, as they are VIP's and the most beautiful people in the whole wide-wide world, that don't take kindly to hangers-on that get "Guest Passes". My suggestion would be for you to go directly to the bar and down a couple "Freebee's" to get up the courage relax and to feel that they are not talking about you. If you're really lucky you may hear some guy shouting into his cell, "Buy-Buy-Sell-Buy"! If you can kind-a figure out what he just sold or bought you could really make a killing. What ever you do, don't put your feet on the tables as that maneuver is reserved for really, really, REALLY "Big Wig's" that have been specially groomed to be obnoxious, buffoon's.

Anyway, Good Luck!!!^

grahampros

As may have pointed out, lounges long ago ceased being anything "exclusive" on any US carrier. They let anyone in paying the bucks for a day pass or with free passes they give away like candy for credit card programs etc. They are nothing to worry about or get excited about.

alex_b

+1 - And don't feed the lounge dragons

thomwithanh

That was a typo, I meant "business attire." I'm not sure how the Red Carpet Club was in decades past but the CO dragons at Newark always used to be very picky over patron dress. With that in mind, it made sense as the focus of the President's Club was very different back then: it was, first and foremost, a business center within the airport and a premium passenger lounge second - for example apart from BusinessFirst passengers who received drink chits, all adult beverages (including domestic beer and house wine) were charged for, but access to fax machines and photocopiers was complimentary and the conference rooms were well patronized.

Today, the priorities are reversed - lounge for premium cabin passengers and the "You're in.™" crowd first and a business center second if at all (and I'm not surprised that the conference rooms are so underutilized - considering the hassles of a gate pass and TSA when one isn't flying.)

NB: Anybody who considers a United Club a "premium" lounge (maybe with the exception of the IFL at LAX) either needs to have their head examined or hasn't experienced the lounges offered by the LH Group, TG, TK, and SQ. Even the AC MLL's are leaps and bounds better than the UC.

Agreed! I dress up only if I'm heading directly to the office on arrival. On my overnight to London tomorrow evening, I'll be carrying on my garment bag, hitting the *A arrivals lounge after clearing customs, grabbing breakfast and a shower and changing into something smart for my appointment in the afternoon.

As much as I would have loved to experience the glory days of PanAm, the expectation that one would dress up to fly is something I'm glad isn't the case anymore.

alex_b

Yes having grown up in the UK where most flights are international, conference/business centres sprung up around the airports because it was impossible to get airside. In the US until the late 90s I guess it made sense to have them in the airports as security was fairly relaxed. I guess even once they stopped being business centres, there were still a large enough segment of the traveling public and/or companies willing to pay for annual membership.

I'm still amazed people buy day passes for $50, it seems like a colossal waste of money to me.