Travelling with Alaska Airlines or American Airlines from Colorado? Play your cards right and you could enjoy access to the American Airlines Admirals Club at Denver International Airport. Far from a typical US domestic lounge, this space offers premium travellers a pre-flight retreat before jetting off from The Mile-High City.
With access available via eligible frequent flyer status, cabin class, lounge membership or even by purchase at the door, you don’t need to be a high-flyer to enjoy what’s on offer. Regardless of how you get past reception, here’s what you can expect once inside.
Location, layout and seating
Make your way through security at Denver International Airport and head towards Concourse C to find the Admirals Club. (Naturally, if you’re flying in AA First Class or have elite oneworld Alliance status, seek out the priority security line for fast-track processing. Today, it works a treat). You’ll find an escalator to the lounge near gate 32.
Even from the outside, you’ll notice that this isn’t your typical American Airlines lounge. This is instead one of AA’s nicest lounges in the United States. In my book, design-wise, it even nudges ahead of AA’s Flagship Lounge in places like Los Angeles and Chicago. Why is that, you may ask?
Well, Denver is a major hub for AA’s rival, United Airlines. While American has one lounge, United has three – along with an additional ‘United Club Fly’ offering. In fact, when United’s newest United Club opened here in 2023, it became the largest lounge in the entire United network. Clearly, competition is strong here, which encourages American Airlines to put its best foot forward on the lounge front.
As for AA’s Denver Admirals Club, it’s divided into two main zones, which I’ll dub ‘light’ and ‘dark’. You’ll begin your journey in the ‘dark’ zone. It’s a space for quiet relaxation, and even comes with a working fireplace in the corner. But if you explore further, you’ll find the ‘light’ area.
This zone gets a great amount of natural light, as well as terrific views of the airport. It also feels a little more open, and it’s where you’ll find the bar and buffet. Today, I have work to do on my laptop, so I snag one of the semi-private booths by the wall. It’s comfortable, my work is kept private, and there’s a power point conveniently nearby. Bliss.
Food and beverage in the American Airlines Admirals Club, Denver
Denver’s American Airlines Admirals Club offers a buffet spread spanning hot and cold options. Today’s afternoon visit finds cheese, fruit, salad, cookies, and hot dishes like cheddar mac. There’s also a ‘Thai coconut broth bar’ for noodles and the like.
On the beverage front, there’s a reasonable selection of complimentary beer, wine and standard spirits. Premium options, as well as any dishes ordered from an available menu, attract a charge. While I’m often one to peruse the Admirals Club’s upgraded dining offerings, today, the buffet is more than enough. After all, I’m looking forward to a proper dinner on the ground in Los Angeles after my flight, so want to conserve some appetite.
Today calls for coffee, rather than vino. I’m pleased to find an espresso machine at the ready, which makes an acceptable latte. Sure, it’s not on-par with a barista-made brew, but as far as ‘airport lounge coffee’ goes in the United States, it’s decent by comparison. It’s worth noting that the nearby American Express Centurion Lounge offers a slightly broader spread of hot food and with all beverages being complimentary. So, if you qualify for entry into both lounges, you may prefer to dine there and then relax here before your American Airlines flight.
Lounge amenities
A few final features round out the Admirals Club experience here in Denver. If you have time to relax, you could pull up a seat near the fireplace. (However, you won’t be able to toast any marshmallows, sorry!) There’s also a dedicated playroom for kids – not photographed today to respect the privacy of those already using it.
Fast and free Wi-Fi blankets the lounge. Speed tests performed during this (relatively quiet) visit find downloads averaging 47Mbps and uploads almost double that speed, at 90Mbps. That’s perfectly usable for cloud backups or downloading movies and TV shows (via your own app) for the flight ahead.
The lounge has stylish on-site restrooms, although you won’t find shower facilities here.
Accessing the American Airlines Admirals Club, Denver
Keen to visit the American Airlines Admirals Club during your next journey to or through Denver? There are plenty of ways you could qualify for entry.
- Enter via paid lounge membership:
- Qantas Club (+1 guest, before American Airlines flights only).
- Admirals Club (+2 guests, before and after American Airlines and oneworld flights).
- Alaska Lounge+ (+2 guests, when departing or arriving on Alaska Airlines or American Airlines).
- Courtesy of airline frequent flyer status:
- Qantas Gold, Platinum, Platinum One and Chairman’s Lounge (+1 guest, prior to AA and other oneworld flights only, including on domestic itineraries).
- American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum (+1 guest, when travelling on an eligible international itinerary with AA or a oneworld airline).
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K (+1 guest, when travelling on an eligible international itinerary with AA or oneworld).
- American Airlines ConciergeKey (+2 guests, regardless of domestic or international destination when travelling on AA or a oneworld airline).
- Other oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members prior to all oneworld flights (+1 guest, including on domestic-only itineraries).
- By cabin: Travellers with a same-day international Business Class or First Class flight on a oneworld airline. On American Airlines, this access applies when travelling to specific international regions only. See the AA website for the full breakdown.
- US military personnel: Must be travelling in uniform on a same-day AA flight (+2 guests).
- Using a single entry pass: If you don’t otherwise qualify for access, paid entry is available for US$79. This can be pre-paid via the American Airlines website or purchased at the door.
Today, I’m flying American Airlines Economy from Denver to Los Angeles. With my Qantas Platinum (oneworld Emerald) frequent flyer number attached, entry into the lounge is seamless.
The verdict
Compared to many other American Airlines Admirals Clubs, the facility in Denver is easily among AA’s best. The design has a real ‘premium’ feel, making it stand out against many of its Stateside counterparts. Compared to the nearby Centurion Lounge – which I visited on the same day – the Admirals Club is also noticeably quieter. When you have work to do, that’s a big plus.
Food from the buffet is adequate, but there isn’t a great amount of choice on the hot food front. If you happen to qualify for both the Centurion Lounge and the Admirals Club, here’s my recommended game plan. Start your lounging in the Centurion Lounge, where you can enjoy a bite to eat and a premium beverage. Then migrate across to the Admirals Club to settle in with some work and enjoy the airport views.
Having said that, if you’re an Aussie flying out of Denver, you’re probably taking a short hop to a destination like Los Angeles. Given the flight isn’t overly lengthy, you probably won’t be arriving hours before you depart to lounge hop. In which case, the Admirals Club is perfectly fine, and has you set for dining, working and relaxing. Safe travels!
Point Hacks pro tip: Some US lounges, like Amex Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs, don’t permit entry more than three hours before departure. However, American Airlines only requires an eligible same-day boarding pass, so you can arrive as early as you like.
All photography by Chris Chamberlin, who accessed the lounge courtesy of (earned) frequent flyer status when travelling at his own expense.
More about the topics covered in this article:
- Also reviewed: American Airlines Embraer E175 Economy Class (Denver – Los Angeles)
- The Ultimate Guide to the oneworld Alliance
- Why US domestic First Class flights rarely include lounge access – and how to get in
- American Airlines Flagship Lounge reviews: Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles
- Review: American Express Centurion Lounge, Denver
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