The newest United Club at Gate 123 opened today at Newark Liberty International Airport. I had the chance to visit and am very pleased to report that this represents the finest United Club ever built, particularly in terms of amenities. It’s a great leap forward for the United lounge experience.
Very Impressive: New United Airlines Newark Lounge
At 30,000 square feet, this new lounge represents the largest club in the system, with over 480 seats. That’s a good thing, because the C74 club is closing as of today for renovation. There will be high-demand for this new lounge.
After pivoting away from showers in United Clubs (even removing them in United Clubs in both Houston and Newark), six shower suites mark a new commitment to providing the sort of amenities that customers have most clamored for (and are also offered by other airlines). These shower suites will be quite important to guests arriving after a redeye and are styled like the nearby Polaris Lounge.
My favorite part of the lounge–and this will require a separate post–is that barista-made coffee is available. Coffee is a central part of my day and frankly the automatic espresso machines simply do not cut it. Not only I am excited about this feature (a first among The Big-3 U.S. airlines in their hub clubs), but I can personally testify that the coffee is delicious and the staff lovely.
This lounge is also a new design, very different in appearance than the new generation of United Clubs we have seen pop up since the United – Continental merger a decade ago. United’s latest color scheme, including its proprietary “premium purple,” makes a more prominent appearance and there are two murals from local artists, as well as locally-sourced furniture and decor.
A more substantial menu of food will be offered here, arguably approaching that of the buffet in an American Airlines Flagship Lounge. That will include sandwiches (heated on demand), pasta, a taco bar, soup, and salad. Only time will tell how fast gluttonous passengers break the food budget, but the spread will be quite an upgrade from what you are used to in other United Clubs, particularly at hub airports.
There’s also excitement in the air. The staff are happy to serve in this new lounge. I saw a flight attendant stop by to take a look because she was so excited. In my experience, staff who are excited about the product tend to offer better service. There is great potential here.
CONCLUSION
I am impressed the new United Club in Newark and am so happy about the potential it represents in terms of an upgraded lounge offering to passengers with more food options, shower suites, space to spread out, and barista-made coffee.
Tomorrow, I’ll offer a detailed review of this lounge which will provide more picture and a deeper look at food and beverage offerings.
Well done, United.
United has been improving so much, this is only the start! So exciting
This is the story of an airline when good leads the way
Great leading soft product to see here!
The design what’s with all the greys and blacks so depressing though – not just United but other places too
I give it 4 months before they are back to cheese cubes and pretzels. They sent me a text this week at 9:30 am telling me my 8:15 am departure was late. Yeah, no kidding.
Agreed. Kirby Kuts are Koming. Just another phony and lying CEO. I used to believe in him (cue the drama music) but he’s just your average gangster type CEO. I give it 6 months!
Looks beautiful!
Matthew, how does this compare to Delta’s new Skyclub in LAX?
I will compare them.
The ‘new’ United Club LGA is also surprisingly nice since the terminal renovation
Just worry about how deep the line for coffee will be…
I was FIRED up about barista coffee until I read your comment because you’re right. I feel like AS lounges take forever and there’s rarely much of a line for their awesome coffee.
The Alaska Airlines lounges really annoy me because it feels like it is always an inconvenience when you ask to make a coffee. At JFK I was even directed to the coffee machine, where I shook my head and insisted they use the “real” coffee machine.
I think this lounge will be different because the barista will be dedicated to being the barista – it won’t just be a bartender or other staff member filling in.
The lounge might be nice but EWR airport is a disgrace. I avoid that place like the plague.
“Finest United club ever built”. Aka tallest midget, nicest dictator, skinniest morbidly obese person…I could go on.
Well, I love United Clubs in LAX, SFO, HNL, and LHR so there are some very nice ones. This one is objectively good and if the food stays the same, it will be an objectively, not just a comparatively, high-quality lounge.
@Matthew: which United club in SFO in particular? Flying through there Saturday on the way to Tahiti with my wife and have a few passes I need to use. Cheers
I like the F gates lounge – classic design with a beautiful rotunda with mosaic of stellar constellations on ceiling. But a warning – food selection is pretty bad in all of them.
https://liveandletsfly.com/united-club-sfo-f-gates-review/
However, if you have Priority Pass through Chase, Capital One, or Citi, you will have access to four restaurants on the secure side.
It’s this the best in the system or best in the United States? Does it actually beat LHR?
I would say it beats LHR because coffee is so important to me. Food spread is still probably a bit better at LHR – I love the English breakfast!
From pictures, seems physically like LHR in that it is a large, spacious and well-lit. But it is the food and the wide array of nonalcoholic drinks and cocktails at LHR and its long bar that really sets LHR apart. I look forward to comparing the EWR lounge (except for the part about connecting through EWR).
EWR used to be by far the worst, so an amazing improvement.
How long will it take for this to get overcrowded? Or is it actually big enough to handle the crowds? I’m not too concerned once they complete the old lounge renovations, but for now while moving traffic from old to new seems like it’s a possibility, but I hope it’s big enough to avoid that. I actually changed a flight just yesterday to go through EWR with a longer connection so I can check it out.
I am so lost why United is not putting a better United Club in Denver? Express clubs? Really. What a waste. Every time I use the United club that is there now it seems like an express. No real food or drink. Sure there is a bar but it is super small. United you ran out everyone from Denver to be the hub there, not act like it.
United is putting in a much better club in Denver East and then remodel Denver West – both will resemble the new Newark lounge. The express club will be additional.
Ok, so this keeps getting more and more confusing for me as time and ideas are literally flying by. Can someone please clarify, is it true UA is Actually building from scratch a NEW United Club at Denver Airport in terminal A?? There is nothing about this on the UA official website. Can somebody please set this straight! Thanks.
Yes, the current club situation in Denver is as follows:
-new club under construction in A West, no idea when it opens but UA is getting 20 or so more gates later this year on A west, 3 of which will be widebody gates so they might start having the Europe flights depart from here
-B East is currently closed for remodel, no idea when it reopens but it will be 2 floors and much bigger
-B West is currently open, will be remodeled once B east is complete
-new “express” club coming to east end of B sometime this year, very small, grab and go
-temporary pop up club open now on east side of B, very small space and limited amenities
I believe Matthew has reported before about a Polaris flex lounge, essentially a Polaris section within a club. Not sure if this would be in the new A one or one of the B ones.
Finally! So that explains everything! Thanks so much Jared for clarifying everything. It finally makes sense. I really appreciate it!
When will The United Club in PHX be ready to open
Not sure, but I am looking forward to it!
Facilities are meaningless if the overall service is terrible. This past weekend, United was the only airline that canceled all flights into EWR, leaving passengers without options. I was horrified to see them ignore the needs of a family with a special needs child.
Recent trip to Vegas had United calling for gate check of bags because they said overhead bins were full as group3 boarded. I waxx as group 5. When I boarded with my group the bins were less than 50% full.
Benn flying United for decades. My wife has flown well over a million miles with them. We have agreed, NEVER again!
I’ll be in EWR next week and am looking forward to experiencing this lounge. If all the lounges in the system were this nice I wouldn’t think twice about buying an annual membership. Of course, that won’t happen anytime soon so it’s star gold access for me.
Who can use this lounge and what does it cost?
That info is in the post above…
Brilliant! I transit through EWR often on my way to ultra longhaul flights. The addition of showers really helps! Missed the times when the old lounge had showers and I could take one on the way back home. Great job United!
Hello folks,
I’m flying from EDI to EWR next week then down to RSW. I arrive into Terminal B and depart from Terminal C. I have a 7 hr layover. I’m being offered club access via the United Club trip pass for $50. I have a couple of United newbie questions if you don’t mind.
Am I correct in saying Gate 123 and this new lounge are in Terminal C? Does the trip pass give me access to this new club? And could I also check out the one in Terminal B if I had the opportunity there?
Thanks in advance.
Correct – the new lounge is Terminal C near gate 123 and you will have access.
There is not a Terminal B United Club (there is a Lufthansa and SAS lounge, neither of which you have access to unless you have Star Gold status)
Terminal A has a (vastly inferior) United Club and there is a pop-up Untied Club in one of the other C-gate tiers.
Stick to the C123 lounge.
Thanks for the response Matthew. Final question if I may – I’ve seen some other reviews saying this new lounge has been turning away “day passes”. Is that effectively what this United trip pass is? i.e. no guarantee getting in if I purchased it?