Shortly after my first visit to this lounge back in January 2017, the lounge got closed for renovation. American Airlines invested a lot of money to update their lounges and I am very impressed with what they did. The lounge looked like it needed an overhaul and had an outdated look. The freshly renovated Admirals Club in Terminal A reopened in April of 2018. American Airlines and its design team did a really good job. The space looks bright and welcoming. Some people think the new look is to “clean” and looks like a hospital waiting room. Well, I can’t make that comparison as I have never been in a hospital waiting room and I hope I don’t have to go there anytime soon.
But back to the lounge. As I signed up for an Admirals Club membership I was able to check this lounge out during my long overlay at DFW. Because of a delayed inbound flight, I missed my connection. Luckily I talked to AA on Twitter and they already had me backed up on another flight, which I just had to confirm with an agent. Therefore I went to the Admirals Club and talked to an agent there to have my flight rebooked. After checking in downstairs, I had the choice between an elevator ride up to the lounge or taking the stairs. A little exercise doesn’t hurt and I took the stairs.
Location
The entrance to the Admirals Club is located accross from gate A24. Follow the overhead signs towards the Admirals Club. When you read the sign, don’t worry about the gate number behind it. Just walk to gate A24.
Hours of Operation
daily from 5 a.m. – 10:15 p.m.
While there are different opening hours for all the Admiral Clubs at DFW, they all close at 10:15 p.m.
Access
- First and Business Class passengers traveling to Asia, Australia, Central America, Europe, Mexico City (MEX), New Zealand, South America (First Class Passengers are allowed one guest) marketed and operated by American Airlines or a oneworld® airline.
- AAdvantage® Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum elites traveling to Asia, Australia, Central America, Europe, Mexico City (MEX), New Zealand, South America (one guest permitted) marketed and operated by American Airlines or a oneworld® airline (regardless of cabin).
- ConciergeKey members departing on or connecting to any flight marketed and operated by American Airlines or a oneworld® airline (regardless of cabin). Immediate family (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18) or up to 2 guests.
- oneworld® Emerald and Sapphire elites departing on or connecting to any flight marketed and operated by American Airlines or a oneworld® airline (regardless of cabin). One guest permitted.
- Admirals Club Membership: Requires same day departing or arriving flight marketed or operated by American Airlines, marketed and operated by any oneworld® partner carrier, or marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines. A membership can be bought with money or miles and discounts are available depending on your Frequent Flier Status with American Airlines. Check the Admirals Club website.
- Admirals Club Day Pass: A day pass can be purchased directly on-site.
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive Card Holders
- Military: U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform traveling on a same-day flight operated by American.
Admirals Club Dallas/Fort Worth Terminal A
The new entry foyer of the Admirals Club is stunning. I really love the design. On either side of the foyer were customer service desks to help you out with flight information and re-accommodations. As mentioned I had to use their service and it was the first thing I did after entering the lounge. My agent was super helpful and tried to get everything taken care of as quickly as possible. She also tried to do her best to make sure, my bags will get on the same flight. Even tho she tried her best, the didn’t make it on the same flight. But that’s another story and not related to the lounge.
One of their design elements here are the see-through wooden separator panels. As you guessed, the separate different areas fo the lounge while still giving an open and spacious feeling. This is the better solution than just putting a solid wall there. There are quite a few seats in the entry foyer of the lounge.
The lounge itself is longer than wide and I started out heading down to the right towards the business center. American Airlines completely re-did the business center area and it looks way better than the old one. Many cubicles are available to get set up in and get some work done. Every cubicle has a set of power outlets and USB ports to keep your devices charged. I set up my laptop to get some work done as well. Inside the business center, you also find a couple of copy, fax, printer combinations and a stand with charging ports for your device. If you don’t have your own laptop, you can use one of the three workstations at the very end of the business center.
While walking down towards the business center, I passed a quiet area, also separated with the wooden see-through separators, another space with seating and a kid’s play area. I have to admit the kid’s zone turned out amazing. I love the painting on the walls. One of the seating areas has a sign out front, saying refrain from making calls. This is the area I call the quiet area. It’s nice to have nobody sitting in this area while arguing on the cellphone. Unfortunately due to the open design of the separator walls, you can hear conversations taken outside in the hallway as well.
Right behind the huge world map in the entry foyer is a buffet with snacks, drinks and a coffee machine. My personal highlight was that they served Mac&Cheese as their warm food choice that evening. Usually, it’s some kind of soup. On either side of the buffet and behind the buffet area are plenty of more seating options.
Speaking of seating. There seems to be a lesser-known area of the lounge. Once you enter the lounge foyer hang a hard left and keep your eyes open for another small hallway leading down to your left, just in front of the customer service desks. While the rest of the lounge was pretty crowded, there were only a few people in here. The best spot is when you walk down all the way and around the corner. There are more seats and you are away from the rest of the lounge. The area here used to be the bar area during a short period of time while remodeling was going on. On your way there you will pass one of two conference rooms and one of three restrooms in the lounge.
Besides this restroom, there is another one near the business center and the last one is down the hallway towards the bar and main buffet area. This place was the most crowded place of all inside the lounge. People were sitting at the bar and the various tables throughout the area. This area has a lot of smaller dining tables and a big long shared table. The highlight here was the guacamole bar, where a lounge attendant would make guacamole on request right in front of you. There is only one sacrifice you have to make in the bar area. There are only very few power outlets and that is a good thing. This will drive people to come here have a bite and then spread out through the rest of the lounge making tables available for new guests. Everywhere else in the lounge, there are plenty of power outlets at all the seats, desks and counters.
Another great amenity of this lounge are the shower suites. They also got remodeled and updated but they were all in use during my visit. Offering showers is just such a great benefit and is very helpful. It’s better than having a small fitness center in the lounge. Yes, there was a fitness center here, with a treadmill. Who works out during a lounge visit? Most people want to sit down and relax. I assume the fitness center did see that much usage from lounge guests and that’s why it got left out in the new design. The old lounge with the fitness center was the only lounge I know so far who actually has a fitness center.
Conclusion
I love the new lounge and American Airlines did well by renovating this one and all the other lounges. This way they bring all lounges to the same level and you know what you can expect from the lounges. Unfortunately, it was dark during my visit and I can’t tell you if the lounge has any good views. The location of the lounge is also great, as it located centrally in Terminal A. Did you know that there is now an Admirals Club in every terminal at this airport? I do like tha art work (photos) they have hanging throughout the lounge. But they need some Peter Reinold Originals as well, don’t you think so?
How do you guys like the new Admirals Club sytle?
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.
