Part of the benefit of flying as a passenger on an international itinerary in the business class cabin aboard an airplane operated by American Airlines is access to Admirals Club lounges — and my first stop once I arrived at the international airport which serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area for an early morning flight to my first stop in Miami was the Admirals Club lounge.
My First Time in an Admirals Club Lounge — and The Verdict Is…
Upon walking through the doors of the Admirals Club — which is located in Concourse T across from Gate T11 in the North Terminal…
…I approached the desk and checked in effortlessly with my boarding pass.
The main area of the Admirals Club seems spacious when not too many people are in it — but I can easily imagine it getting crowded.
The chairs were reasonably comfortable — certainly more so than sitting in the standard chairs at a typical gate — and plenty of electrical outlets and USB ports are available throughout the lounge.
While in the lounge awaiting a flight, passengers can watch what is on the flat screen television, have a choice of magazines, drink orange juice and other beverages, and eat a limited selection of food.
Among the choices of cold beverages are plain water, water infused with citrus fruit, iced tea and orange juice.
Choices of food includes cubes of honeydew and cantaloupe, grapes, hard boiled eggs, assorted bagels, a variety of sliced breads, and cold Greek yogurt. Condiments include Cholula hot sauce, Tabasco sauce, butter and cheese.
The lounge is equipped with a full service bar, which has a selection of alcoholic beverages. The bartender is not in the photograph because she saw me taking pictures and decided to have a friendly chat with me with a huge smile on her face. Talking to her was a real pleasure of mine, as she knows how to brighten up the morning for anyone.
To the left of the full service bar is a self service area where patrons can indulge in assorted cold carbonated beverages — as well as hot beverages such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Syrup, cream and a variety of tea bags are among the items located on the left.
I had some honeydew and cantaloupe, a hard boiled egg which was somewhat difficult to peel, and orange juice — and I decided to try a cup of blueberry Greek yogurt.
I honestly could not understand all of the buzz pertaining to Greek yogurt. It was quite thick.
It tasted all right, I suppose; and I did finish it.
I think I prefer regular yogurt.
The Washroom
I entered the washroom for men. It was nice and clean — but then again, the lounge had basically just opened for the morning.
The washroom is equipped with three sinks with mirrors, two enclosed areas with toilets, and a paper towel dispenser — and in addition to liquid soap, two containers of lime and coriander hand lotion by C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries were mounted on the wall between each sink.
The Business Center
The business center has three partially enclosed desk cubicles equipped with computers with flat screen monitors and access to the Internet…
…as well as two multiple purpose printers which are also capable of copying, faxing, scanning, and other functions. They can be accessed with complimentary Wi-Fi, which is available throughout the lounge and works rather well — at least, when the lounge is not crowded.
Summary
I have been to the airport lounges of numerous other airlines; but oddly enough, I have never been to an Admirals Club lounge — until this year…
…and while it is certainly significantly better than awaiting a flight out at the gate, nothing stood out as extraordinary at this Admirals Club lounge — except for the aforementioned bartender. It is a nice benefit for anyone who has complimentary access to it — but even though I would visit an Admirals Club airport lounge again if the opportunity arose, I would not pay to use it.
Revenue rates increased for annual membership in the American Airlines Admirals Club by $100.00 per year for individual annual memberships and by $325.00 per year for household annual memberships fffective as of Friday, February 1, 2019; and household membership discounts will be discontinued, as an additional fee of $600.00 or 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles will apply to add a spouse — and a single initiation fee is now charged.
This Admirals Club lounge is located past the security checkpoint on the left and across from Gate T11 on Concourse T in the North Terminal at the international airport which serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
Opening at 4:00 in the morning every day, this Admirals Club lounge closes at 8:15 in the evening Sundays through Fridays, and at 7:45 in the evening on Saturdays.
All photographs ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
