Lounge Review: LATAM VIP Lounge Miami – South Terminal Concourse J

Airports & Airlines, Florida, Miami, USA
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I was connecting through Miami to go to the west coast. My outbound flight got more than 1.5 hours delayed and I decided to kill some time by checking out the other lounges I have access to thanks to Priority Pass. Because I usually fly American Airlines and they depart from Concourse D, my go-to lounge is the American Express Centurion Lounge.

By checking the Priority Pass app, I found two lounges located in the J Concourse of the airport. I decided to visit the Avianca VIP Lounge because the LATAM VIP Lounge wouldn’t accept Priority Pass anymore after 3 p.m. It is quite a walk from the D-Gates to the J-gates. They are not connected airside, which means that you have to leave the security area and go through security again.

Lucky for me no one was even in line at the security checkpoint for Concourse J. Even tho they don’t officially have a TSA PreCheck line, they officer checking my boarding pass and ID gave me a laminated paper and which allowed me to keep my shoes on and go through the metal detector rather than the “nude-o-scope” but I had to take out my laptops.

After the security, you make a left and walk down the walkway and follow the signs for Concourse J. Concourse J and H are connected airside and passengers coming in on either of these concourses can get to the lounge without leaving the secure area. Everyone else has to leave and re-clear security.

At the end, you make a right and walk down the terminal building. The lounge is next to gate J5, and the entrance is on your right-hand side. You can take the escalator or elevator up to the third floor. This entrance is for the LATAM VIP Lounge and the Avianca VIP Lounge. Once you are upstairs agents will ask you where you want to go and point you in the right direction to either of the lounges and their check-in counter.

The entrance to the lounge is behind the glass wall on the right of the picture.

I took the escalator upstairs to the 3rd floor. Elevators are available as well.

Entrance for both lounges and behind the door is the check-in counter for the LATAM VIP Lounge

As mentioned, I decided to access the Avianca lounge, but they denied access and recommended me to check with the LATAM lounge right next door because they are a Oneworld Alliance lounge. What I didn’t know is that I don’t have to use my Priority Pass, I can use my Oneworld Emerald status with American Airlines. The lady at the counter asked me for my member card and I showed her the digital one stored on my phone and handed over my boarding pass and ID as well. She granted me access and handed me a little piece of paper with the WiFi credentials.

Lounge Location

Once you are in Concourse J, walk down the terminal and the entrance to the lounge will be to your right between gates J5 and J7. You will pass through a glass door in a big glass front along the wall. From there you can either take the escalator or the elevator up to the 3rd floor.

General rules for access
Customers who are boarding or connecting to international trips have the right to access VIP lounges:

  • Passengers traveling in first class, on flights with any of the airlines that are members of the oneworld Alliance. Passengers can bring a companion with them at no additional cost.
  • Passengers that have oneworld Alliance cards equivalent to the categories Sapphire and Emerald. Passengers can bring a companion with them at no additional cost.
  • Passengers traveling in business class on flights belonging to any oneworld Alliance partner airlines. Cannot bring a companion with them.
    Rules for entering the LATAM VIP lounges
  • LATAM Pass or LATAM Fidelidade program members with the Black Signature category can access the LATAM VIP Lounges with their immediate family (spouse, parents, and children) plus one travel companion when they travel with LATAM Airlines or any of the oneworld alliance partner airlines. oneworld VIP Lounges can be accessed by the ticket holder plus one travel companion.
  • The members of the Platinum and Black category can access the lounge with a companion if they are traveling with LATAM or on another airline belonging to the oneworld Alliance.
  • LATAM passengers traveling in Business or Premium Economy categories
  • Santander World Member customers can access only the LATAM VIP lounge at the Santiago (SCL) airport.
  • There’s no limit to the number of companions when the companion is a baby under 2 years of age. Companions older than 2 years of age follow the aforementioned conditions.
  • Service animals are allowed when traveling with people with special needs.
  • LATAM Vip Lounge Day Pass Holders
  • Priority Pass Card Holders (limited times of entry: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday & Tuesday. 04:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday)
  • Showers
  • Business Center
  • complimentary Wi-Fi
  • national and international reading material
  • Meeting Room

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 5:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m.
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 4:00 a.m. – 1:30 a.m.

Priority Pass Members Hours of Operation:

Monday & Tuesday: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday – Sunday  4:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location
Lounge Location

Once you are in Concourse J, walk down the terminal and the entrance to the lounge will be to your right between gates J5 and J7. You will pass through a glass door in a big glass front along the wall. From there you can either take the escalator or the elevator up to the 3rd floor.

Access

General rules for access
Customers who are boarding or connecting to international trips have the right to access VIP lounges:

  • Passengers traveling in first class, on flights with any of the airlines that are members of the oneworld Alliance. Passengers can bring a companion with them at no additional cost.
  • Passengers that have oneworld Alliance cards equivalent to the categories Sapphire and Emerald. Passengers can bring a companion with them at no additional cost.
  • Passengers traveling in business class on flights belonging to any oneworld Alliance partner airlines. Cannot bring a companion with them.
    Rules for entering the LATAM VIP lounges
  • LATAM Pass or LATAM Fidelidade program members with the Black Signature category can access the LATAM VIP Lounges with their immediate family (spouse, parents, and children) plus one travel companion when they travel with LATAM Airlines or any of the oneworld alliance partner airlines. oneworld VIP Lounges can be accessed by the ticket holder plus one travel companion.
  • The members of the Platinum and Black category can access the lounge with a companion if they are traveling with LATAM or on another airline belonging to the oneworld Alliance.
  • LATAM passengers traveling in Business or Premium Economy categories
  • Santander World Member customers can access only the LATAM VIP lounge at the Santiago (SCL) airport.
  • There’s no limit to the number of companions when the companion is a baby under 2 years of age. Companions older than 2 years of age follow the aforementioned conditions.
  • Service animals are allowed when traveling with people with special needs.
  • LATAM Vip Lounge Day Pass Holders
  • Priority Pass Card Holders (limited times of entry: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday & Tuesday. 04:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday)
Amenities
  • Showers
  • Business Center
  • complimentary Wi-Fi
  • national and international reading material
  • Meeting Room
Hours of Operation

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 5:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m.
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 4:00 a.m. – 1:30 a.m.

Priority Pass Members Hours of Operation:

Monday & Tuesday: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday – Sunday  4:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

I walked down the corridor and entered the lounge to my left. I did a short walk around in the lounge to see where what is and where a good seat is available. I sat down close to the main buffet and next to a departure monitor. There are two spots for the buffet. One right to your left when you enter the lounge, and the main buffet is basically in the center of the lounge. The main buffet serves all alcoholic beverages as well. Everything from beer, wine, and other spirits.

Buffet to the left after you enter the lounge.

Main Buffet

Food-wise they offered little snacks. Small mini “sandwiches”, cookies, cereals, and yogurt. Soft drinks, coffee, wine, and spirits are up for self-service while you had to ask the bartender for beers. Everything is of course complementary. The snacks and food items were continuously restocked and had a “fresh” taste.

There is quite a lot of space for seating with comfortable chairs. However, if you want to work, you had better chosen the business center at the far-left end of the lounge. The only spot with real tables to work. Next to the business center was an area with tables and seats, none of them were used but all were reserved. Power outlets are rare and only available at seats around the walls and in the business center. Seating areas in the middle of the room had no access to power outlets.

The lounge layout is U-shaped and one of the walls gives you a view of the J Concourse while the other windows give you a limited view of the tarmac and an obstructed view of downtown Miami. Between the two-window section is a wall with no windows and dimmed lighting for passengers who want to take a nap.

Tarmac Views

If you want to fresh yourself up, you can take a shower at one of the shower suites next to the main buffet. Overall, it’s a pretty decent lounge and much better than the usual domestic lounges.

Overall, the LATAM VIP Lounge is not bad and if you can use it and fly out of this concourse use it. If you can access both lounges go with the Avianca VIP lounge next door. It is the better lounge especially if it comes to food. However, they limit the access to Priority Pass members during their peak times when they serve their own customers. On the other hand, Priority Pass access is also limited at this lounge. I recommend you to try anyway and they might let you in if the lounge is not overcrowded.

LATAM, LATAM VIP Lounge, Lounge Review, Miami International Airport (MIA), Oneworld, Priority Pass, Priority Pass Lounge
Lounge Review: Avianca VIP Lounge Miami – South Terminal Concourse J
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