American Airlines is investing in its premium customer experience at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with plans for a significantly expanded Admirals Club lounge in Concourse L.
American Plans New 10,000-Square-Foot Admirals Club Lounge At Chicago O’Hare
American Airlines announced that construction is underway on a new, larger Admirals Club lounge at Chicago O’Hare in Concourse L that will replace the existing facility in that concourse. The project is part of a broader push to elevate the airline’s ground experience as it fiercely battles with United for supremacy in ORD.
The new Admirals Club will span more than 10,000 square feet and feature updated design elements intended to reflect the “local character” of Chicago. It will offer increased seating, upgraded amenities, and floor-to-ceiling windows with runway views, while the existing Concourse L club remains open during construction. An exact opening date has not been announced, but AA says it will open “soon.”
American’s Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, explained the rationale behind the investment:
“We’re helping customers at ORD connect to the world with more than 500 flights daily and we want to offer a premium experience from start to finish. The new Admirals Club lounge will offer more seating and upgraded amenities and fully reflect the standards our customers expect when visiting one of our lounges.”
American currently operates three Admirals Clubs at the airport in Concourses G, H/K, and L, as well as a Flagship Lounge between Concourses H and K. The expanded Concourse L space will effectively modernize one of those facilities and align it with the airline’s latest lounge design standards.
Unlike a renovation that would require temporary closure, American has committed to keeping the existing Concourse L lounge open, pictured above, while the larger facility is built. It isn’t clear to me where in Concourse L the new lounge will be built, but I’ll check it out next time I fly through ORD.
The announcement comes amid a period of growth for American in Chicago. Over the past year, the airline says it has expanded its ORD network by more than 180 destinations. During peak travel period this year, American plans to operate more than 500 daily departures from the airport. ORD’s gate allocation policy forces carriers to “use or lose” gates and rewards those who grow: as United grows, maintaining the existing flight schedule is not enough for AA to maintain its current gate allocation. Thus, it is growing too. This new lounge is aimed at the reality that it is difficult for the existing trio of lounges to accommodate all passengers as the new flight schedule ramps up.
> Read More: United Backs Up Its Chicago Threat With Record 750 Daily Flights At O’Hare
> Read More: United Snatches Spirit’s Final O’Hare Gates In $30 Million Power Play Against American Airlines
CONCLUSION
While American has not yet disclosed an exact opening date, construction is already underway for a new Admirals Club in Concourse L, with the lounge is expected to debut later in 2026.
The new Admirals Club is part of a wider push by American to improve lounge experiences across its network, following recent or planned upgrades in other cities. Combined with the airline’s upgraded cabins and expanded route network, the larger Chicago lounge reflects American’s broader strategy to enhance both the ground and in-flight proposition for frequent flyers and premium customers and better compete with United. This is good news for the carrier and great news for Chicago travelers.
Looking forward to your review, Matt, once it’s live!
The new expanded connector after security is where the Admirals Club is built. From the looks of it, the space is already enclosed. My guess is it should be open this year.
I dont know the constraints they had to work with but I wish it was larger even 2 floors. 10,000 sq ft when United Clubs in B, C are closer to 20,000 seems like a missed opportunity. I would have thought this could have been an opportunity to have a grand club and really elevate O’Hare.
Ideally the could have over built this and would have allowed them to renovate the H/K club without drastically overcrowding.
Agreed – I have to imagine this was actual constraints and not just being penny wise / pound foolish. That old-school L lounge is never very crowded when I have visited it, but I have to imagine trying to remodel with that space and build a new lounge above would have taken too long and put too much pressure on the other two lounges.
I was there Monday at about 1PM and it was jam-packed with no seats left. I get stuck leaving from L Concourse all the time and I’m really looking forward to this new lounge.
Interesting. I’m usually there in evening and last time it was just empty at 5pm.
An impressive show of force from AA…
This isn’t exactly favorable news for UA, which considers ORD to be its hometown hub.
I doubt this is more than a blip on UA’s radar. Admittedly most of the UCs not in C are in need of a refresh, but just having the space is an advantage. In the end the fight for ORD dominance will come down to gates, not lounges.
When is it planned to open?
As I said, no opening date has been announced. AA has only said “soon” (in its press release).
“Stay tuned” suggests AA’s Facebook page.