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Admirals Club Chicago ORD Terminal 3 Review
The Admirals Club Chicago ORD review is part of the weekend wedding in London trip report. In case you haven’t been following this trip report it was a super fun, yet hectic, trip to London. I left on a Thursday to fly to SFO, stayed overnight at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, flew on Friday night through Dusseldorf on Air Berlin, and finally made it to London on Saturday night. The wedding was the following day and then on Monday morning we routed through Dublin so that we could nab a great business class deal and fly on American’s 777-200. All in all, it was awesome!!! In order to nab that great business class deal, we had to position ourselves to Dublin, circle back to LHR only to route through Chicago before getting back to Los Angeles. While we were at ORD we had the opportunity to check out the Admirals Club Chicago ORD in Terminal 3.
The Deets:
- When: August 2016
- Where: Chicago ORD Terminal 3 – H Concourse
- Who can get in:
- Credit card holders
- Citi Prestige
- Citi Aadvantage Executive
- International biz and first class passengers on One World
- Transcon biz and first class passengers on AA
- One World Sapphire and Emerald elite members flying internationally or on a flight that is longer than 5 hours with a connection same day or before 6am the following day.
- Credit card holders
Location
The Admirals Club lounge is located in the H concourse in Terminal 3; however, you can still access the lounge down the K concourse you’ll just have to use a hallway that cuts over towards the entrance.
Check In:
Easy Peasy. The desk agent was as nice as could be and even explained the various ways one can enter the lounge. I was very sleepy and gave her my ticket with my Citi Prestige, and she informed me that because I was on an international itinerary it was unnecessary…let’s just write that one off to sleep deprivation 😉 She gave me and my girlfriend each a premium drink ticket and pointed us towards the elevators.
The Lounge is HUGE
This is the largest Admiral’s club I’ve ever been in and rivals some of the biggest I’ve been in period. The seating just goes on and on and on and on. Chicago is one of American’s hubs so it’s to be expected that they would have a large lounge, but by any measure this thing is huge. Take the elevator upstairs and just begin to wander…you’ll definitely make your Fitbit happy.
On to the bar area
Before getting to the main bar area the was a small selection of food for purchase. At this point I wasn’t that hungry and just wanted a refreshing drink and a nibble or two.
On beyond the bar/eating area I found the work center and family room
I just took you on a tour “left” from the 2nd floor reception…if we had turned right we’d see
There are also multiple shower stations. I asked for a key to check one out
The shower stations were very nicely sized. I’d say that the entire lounge is feeling a little bit dated, but the sheer size of it makes it so nice as an escape from the noisy and crowded terminals of ORD.
Overall
There is a distinct vibe in this lounge, something to me at least, that felt Chicago. Maybe it was the subtle art deco influences or the fact that everyone was really nice, but I enjoyed my time at this lounge and felt like I at least said hello to the Windy City. Even when the airport is busy I would suspect that seating wouldn’t be a huge issue as there is sooooooooooooooo much of it. In fact, I would even venture to say that this lounge has more seating than Kim Kardashian has nude selfies. WAYO!
I would say that this lounge provides something most lounge goers seek: quiet, privacy, and a snack. Lounges of this size are few and far between and it was so nice to be able to grab a drink and find a nice quiet place to talk and watch the planes come and go. It’s not going to bowl you over with luxury, but it will give you the opportunity to take a load off and chill.
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Quick Tip: Even with its size, I’ve seen lines out the door and no seats available during peak times. If you experience this head down to the regional jet terminal and visit that AC lounge. Usually a empty oasis. That one doesn’t have showers though if you need to take one after a long haul, etc.
great tip! thanks Rusty