A few years ago, United Airlines gave me a couple of free passes to their United Club, which is their version of a lounge that they have at numerous airports around the country. They sure sucked me in!

Being a frequent flyer, having the ability to find myself a quiet spot at the airport to sit comfortable and enjoy some food and drinks is always a goal. This is especially true when having long layovers. I honestly haven’t spent much time in airline lounges during my life traveling. We are fairly modest travelers, and we haven’t had any issues with airports in the past. We are fairly good at handling crowds, stress, and subpar gate seating. However, as I get older, I’m starting to appreciate comfort more and more. We’ve had the Priority Pass in the past, which gave us access to some mediocre lounges both in the US and Europe. Those “easy to get” Priority Pass lounges became too crowded and sloppy, that we ended up not going to them anymore. Those free United Club passes couldn’t have come at a better time.

Now, I’m not going to say that all United Clubs are superb. They do vary a lot. For example, one of the two United Club lounges at the Denver airport only hands out gas station type sandwiches and pretzels. The one at Orlando airport seems more eager to feed you candy than anything else, although the seating is very comfortable.

It used to be that we avoided the Los Angeles (LAX) airport at all costs. There were always delays when we had layovers there, and probably the most crowded airport we’ve ever visited. However, now I almost wish to have layovers there, and it’s due to the United Club. I really enjoy the United Club in Terminal 7 at LAX. It’s way spacious, never crowded, has a bar stocked with good beer and mimosas (among other thigns), and a decent buffet. And you can actually sit outdoors!!

See you there!