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In early May, I had the opportunity to pass through and review the American Airlines Admirals Club in Philadelphia. I stopped in the lounge on the way to Las Vegas and to the MGM Grand.
Location
The American Airlines Admirals Club lounge is located inside the Philadelphia airport, inside security and between terminals B and C. The entrance to the club is directly behind the food court.
Hours
The lounge is open 7 days a week from 5:30 am to 10:00 pm.
Access
Entrance to the lounge is free for American Airlines first and business class customers, oneworld elite status holders, and certain Citi credit cards including: Prestige and AAdvantage branded premium credit cards). Day passes are available for $50.
Services
Free services include: printers & copiers, snacks, Wi-Fi, coffee, soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor (free alcohol is limited to certain brands), newspapers, magazines, and tv.
Premium services include: meals, conference rooms, beer, wine, and liquor (premium brands)
Visited in May 2016
The admirals club lounge is easy to reach and convenient to passengers in both the B and C terminals as it is located roughly halfway between each terminal entrance. The club is well marked and relatively hard to miss as long as you know to look for it behind the food court.
The staff at the front desk was courteous and helpful and maintained a quick and painless check in process. Directly beside the entrance to the lounge was a large display which included an up to date listing of all arrivals and departures. A right turn from the large display brings you directly into the lounge which opens into a fairly extensive lounge.
Layout
The lounge is essentially shaped like an L with a very long corridor that with 10 to 12 groupings of comfortable chairs clustered around a TV screen in separate sections throughout the length of the lounge.
The extensive length of the lounge layout is actually very conducive to keeping a quiet atmosphere and being able to sit in a quiet area without having customers on top of each other. In fact, I believe that is probably the single best aspect of the club itself, especially since I have spent time on other airport lounges where the customers are so closely clustered together that you hear every word of every conversation in your vicinity.
Food
The snack and drink options were very basic and standard but fine. The snacks mainly included a few snack mix options, fruit, soup, and a few cookies and brownies. Standard tea and coffee options were available. The bar had four domestic (free) beer options and limited house (free) liquor and wine options. For an additional charge, four premium brands of beer were available as well as premium liquor and wine options.
The Wi-Fi was easy to access. It had a strong signal within the lounge. However, the speed seemed impacted by the number of people in the lounge while I was there. Signage for the Wi-Fi password was clearly visible at the bar.
Pros
- Large space enables plenty of room between customers and is conducive to a quiet atmosphere.
- Centrally located between terminals B and C.
- Clean and well maintained.
Cons
- Limited free alcohol options and food choices.
- No unique or standout features relative to other available lounges.
Final Thoughts
The lounge itself has a relatively modern feel, is very clean and well maintained, and is brightly lit with natural sunlight from the windows across the length of the lounge. If your looking for a clean, quiet, lounge with standard amenities in between flights at the Philadelphia airport and you have free access through either airline status or credit cards, the American Airlines Admirals Club in terminal B & C is an ideal choice.
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