American Airlines has opened a new Flagship Lounge in Philadelphia and it looks wonderful…the sort of lounge that demonstrates AA is finally trying to compete for the premium market segment again.

New American Airlines Flagship Lounge Opens In Philadelphia (PHL) – A First Look

This week, American Airlines opened it long-awaited new Flagship Lounge (and Admirals Club) in the A-West Terminal of its Philadelphia (PHL) hub:

Open daily between 4:30 am and 10:30 pm
Located between gates A15 and A16
13,750 square feet
seating for 200 guests
six shower suites
AAdvantage members with Platinum status or higher and non-AAdvantage oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members on qualifying itineraries can access the lounge
Single visit passes are also available for $150 or 15,000 AAdvantage miles

Chef Randy Rucker brings “refined flavors to the lounge, and at the heart of the culinary program will be the cauliflower vichyssoise, a chilled, velvety soup, featuring smoked trout roe.” Other food highlights will include:

Salted caramel budino, whipped ricotta and blistered tomato toast and Maryland-style crab soup
Grab-and-go snacks like Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels and Alter Eco Sea Salt Truffles
Reading Terminal-inspired Candy Bar with saltwater taffy, butterscotch candies, peppermint puffs, and more
Morning omelet bar with add-ons including local Amish cheddar and Kennet Square cremini mushrooms
Build-your-own roast pork sandwich, featuring slow-roasted pork, provolone, and broccoli rabe
Boardwalk Water Ice and Gelati bar in nostalgic flavors like Very Cherry, Rainbow Jimmies and Salted Caramel, with boozy pour-over options

a bowl of soup with red caviar and dried herbs — cauliflower vichyssoise in AA Flagship Lounge

Signature drinks will include:

The Broad Street Old Fashioned and The Schuylkill Sunset, a nod to the sunset found at Philly’s Boathouse Row
Seasonal mocktails like the Berry Coconito and Dream of ’76

All alcohol is complimentary in this lounge.

The style of the lounges resembles AA’s newest Admirals Clubs in Denver (DEN), Newark (EWR), and Washington National (DCA):

a room with couches and a fire

a bar with chairs and a counter

a bar with chairs and a tv

a table with chairs and a table with chairs in front of a window with airplanes in the background

A Blast From The Past

I’m old enough to remember the old US Airways Envoy Lounge (premium lounge for longhaul business class) at Philadelphia:

a row of chairs in a building

a window with airplanes in the background

a bowl of soup and a bowl of pretzels on a table

a group of airplanes at an airport

While I have nostalgic memories of that lounge, we’ve come a long way from those days…this lounge looks far better than snacks or soup.

Another Step Toward Return To Premium American Airlines

Time will tell whether AA can turn premium again…time is the advantage that Delta and United have even as American tries to make a “great leap forward” in catching up. It will take time and extra effort, lest the bifurcation grow even wider between the industry leaders and AA.

But this lounge is a step in the right direction. Sure, AA could have leapfrogged Delta or United by somehow topping the Delta One Lounges with amenities like a full-service spa or actual sleeping rooms, but this lounge adds top-shelf liquor and a la carte dining elements and places it in a very beautiful space.

CONCLUSION

AA’s luxe new lounge in Philadelphia comes at the perfect time as summer travel heats up. I’m confident the lounge will be well-received by guests and make local flyers more “sticky” to AA. We need to see more innovation from AA both onboard and on the ground like this…but this lounge shows that innovation is possible and finally happening.