American Plans Flagship Lounge In Charlotte: Upping Their Game

Intro

American Airlines has slowly been making a comeback in certain regards over the last few years. With better service, a few additional long-haul routes (not many), and a brand new state-of-the-art business class product, the one missing piece of the puzzle has been the lounge situation.

Well, American has decided to open up its 6th Flagship Lounge, and this time it will be in a hub that desperately needs it.

The Details

American has fallen behind competitors recently in terms of its lounge situation. With Delta and United offering sit-down dining for those in business, American has taken a different approach to lounges. Less luxury, but also more accessible to passengers for those who want to enter based on status (unlike DL and UA).

Reports have come out that American is planning on opening a Flagship Lounge in Charlotte as soon as next year. With the addition of this lounge, it will make the 7th Flagship Lounge in the network after New York (JFK), Miami (new one coming soon), Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Los Angeles. At the moment, details are scarce, but we can expect the following from this new space:

• The lounge should follow the same concept as the latest Philadelphia Lounge, offering made-to-order food, an elevated bar, and an overall experience.

• The Flagship Lounge will be located between D & E, on the mezzanine level, and is said to be about 40,000 square feet total.

• While that sounds like a large space, there is no doubt that this lounge will still be packed during the evening bank to Europe throughout the summer.

American Airlines Flagship Lounge Chicago (ORD)

This Is A Huge Win For CLT Flyers

Fun fact: Americans second biggest hub in terms of passengers is, in fact, Charlotte. During the summer period, there are upwards of 10x daily flights to Europe, ranging from Dublin to London, to Athens, and additionally, Etihad is set to operate a 787-9 to Charlotte 4x weekly. All in all, that's roughly 500 ticketed passengers in business every day (status aside) that have had to settle in at the Admirals Club.

American is making a comeback...

With the likes of the Miami lounge getting a refresh and a new lounge opening up in Charlotte, perhaps American can once again compete on the lounge front. It's nice that those with OW status can access this lounge on a long-haul flight, regardless of cabin, as no other US carrier does this (AS now, but yeah)...

Final Thoughts

American Airlines is set to open up its 7th Flagship Lounge in Charlotte, after years of Redditors begging for one 😅. Honestly, from the sounds of it, it should be worth the wait, as the space will be modern, have made-to-order food, a full-on bar (with bartenders), and much more. I'm excited to see when this opens. The only thing left is for AA to add more long-haul routes.