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Review: Star Alliance Lounge LAX
I’m headed to Europe this weekend and am DOUBLY excited: 1) I’ve never reviewed the Star Alliance Lounge LAX and 2) I’ve never flown on Swiss Air Business Class. Can I just throw in a 3rd? I’m flying in a throne seat that I was able to book 2 days before departure without being an elite. Lots of reasons to celebrate. On to the Star Alliance Lounge. It’s located on the 6th floor of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. I’ve been to the Sky Team/Korean Air lounge and the One World lounge. I’d say the Korean Air lounge is one of the best Priority Pass lounges bar-none, and the One World is INCREDIBLY nice. With that being said…The Star Alliance Lounge LAX may beat it.
Star Alliance is celebrating their 20th Anniversary by giving away See’s Candy at the door. I LOVE SEE’S. Ironic they’re giving one away free…
See’s Candy is native to LA and if you’ve never been…they will give you a free chocolate just for entering the shop. So if you live in LA or are familiar with how the brand works…it’s kinda funny that Star Alliance giving away a free See’s Chocolate. Maybe two or three? But 1 free chocolate? YOU GET ONE FREE ANYWAYS lol.
The Deets:
- When: May 2017
- Where: Star Alliance Lounge LAX
- How: Access via Swiss Air Business Class Flight
- Star Alliance Gold
- Star Alliance First and Business Class passengers
- Open from 9:15am to 12:30am
The biggest complaint of the lounge is its size. It’s not terribly small, but I had to search for seating.
It’s essentially one large area that is segregated by sheers and small nooks for more privacy. I love the overall aesthetic and feel of the lounge though, certainly one of the best in the states.
The coolest thing about the lounge is the outdoor space. Not only do they have an outdoor terrace overlooking the terminal, but they have an LA VIBE lounge outside where you can watch planes land and take off.
I know I just complained about the size and there is obviously a lot of “outdoor” seating. But, once the weather cools, you won’t want to eat or hang outside.
Food options are OK, but they do offer a Vietnamese soup choice which is distinct.
Was the food tasty? Yes. But in all honesty there wasn’t a whole lot of selection for those of us who only eat veggies or fish. The Vietnamese Soup is distinct and I saw a lot of people indulging, but I mainly had rice and dessert. The cookies were excellent.
The Shower suites are also very nice. The setup reminds me of a spa entrance.
The shower suites alone are very well done. Are they as nice as the ones in the SkyTeam/Korean Air lounge? Debatable. What they do an excellent job at is creating a VIBE before you enter.
There is also a media room.
And a couple of bars…one on the terrace, one inside.
Overall:
Definitely worth visiting and I would even recommend going early to your flight to visit the lounge. I know I have special dietary needs so I was left a bit short, but most other people could use the lounge as a replacement for a meal. There’s MUMM champagne, tons of other liquids, and the shower suites are GORGEOUS. They do an excellent job of creating an LA feel throughout the lounge, terrace, and certainly the outside space to the rear of the lounge. There is also a small First Class section that serves A La Carte food and more privacy ( I’d guess higher end booze too), but without top tier status or a 1st class ticket you won’t make it in. Regardless, I was left a happy camper.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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