The United Club in New York LaGuardia has friendly staff and a nice selection of food and drink.
United Club New York LaGuardia Review (LGA)
This review of the United Club in New York LaGuardia (LGA) highlights my recent visit to the lounge ahead of a flight to Denver. I accessed the lounge via my Chase-United co-branded Club card (Need one or any other credit card? Apply here and support Live And Let’s Fly)
Access + Hours + Location
The lounge is located in Terminal B, Level 3, near the entrance of Gates 40-59. It is open daily from 5:00 am to 8:30 pm, except on Saturday when it closes at 7:30pm. It is a bit of a walk from the security checkpoint to the lounge.
Access is reserved for United Club members, Chase United Club Visa holders, Star Alliance Gold travelers, and international business or first class passengers traveling on any Star Alliance flight.
Furthermore, one-time passes are accepted (unless the lounge is very crowded). These are distributed to Chase MileagePlus Explorer credit card holders or can be purchased at the door for $59. Note that if you hold a Star Alliance Gold card from United Airlines (Premier Gold or higher), you can only access the lounge when traveling in conjunction with an international itinerary.
Tip: United Star Gold members traveling on a domestic itinerary can access the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge located next door.
Those who have a Star Gold card from other programs can use the lounge when traveling on any Star Alliance flight in any class of service. Also note that from LGA, United does not give premium cabin passengers access on domestic flights without status.
Global Services passengers are also allowed complimentary entrance.
Seating
The shape of this lounge is very irregular, with edges and curves that reflect that it sits like a terrace overlooking the gate area below. You will find plenty of chairs flanked by end tables (all with power ports easily within reach) and large bar-style seating on both sides of the lounge.
Right outside the reception desk is a trio of chairs without backs, wide enough and long enough to sleep on, though I think that would be frowned upon (especially considering their placement).
Food + Drink
A large bar offers alcoholic beverages (both a limited complimentary of beer, wine, and spirts and a premium menu), cold brew coffee from illy (request it at the bar…it is free), and a pair of self-serve beverage stations with a Coke Freestyle machine, espressos machine, filtered coffee, and a selection of teas.
Food choices include a salad bar (I enjoyed a salad of mixed greens with sliced almonds, beets, carrots, and cucumbers), soup, stir-fried chicken with broccoli, carrot, and chili sauce, cheese tortellini, jasmine rice, tomato soup, pre-made salads like an Asian slaw salad or Greek salad, a charcuterie board, BBQ chicken sliders with pickles, and artichoke dip with crudités. Not bad at all for a lounge.
Restrooms
Restrooms are available and were clean. No showers are available.
Bonus – Blast From The Bast
New York LaGuardia has gone from one of the worst airports in the country to one of the best. I still do have a fond place in my heart for the old landside (pre-security) lounge in the old terminal. Anyone else remember it?
CONCLUSION
New York LGA offers another nice outstation United Club. While the lounge is now of the “old style” it is modern and comfortable with a great selection of food and drink. As I boarded my economy class flight to Denver, I was quite happy I had enjoyed a nice salad in the lounge prior to the flight.
I haven’t yet been to this club but did visit the Admirals Club a few months back. Nice and airy. I too have some sort of sentimental connection to that old LGA UC. I frequented it during the pre-merger and post-merger dark days when delays out of LGA were even worse because of UA’s terrible operation. But the folks there were amazing, it felt cozy, and took me back to a time I didn’t experience but felt, which was the 90’s NYC business traveler. I remember they had the newspaper rolls, great ramp views, would stay open late, the “security checkpoint camera”, the nice big working desks (pictured), and overall felt like a nice part of what at the time was miserable LGA.
I’ve done the across-the-hall graze at LGA, starting off at the United Club and gravitating toward the Maple Leaf Lounge in search of different options (UC member, *A Gold, so I had access to both). Both of them are very, very good for the airport that they’re in. My expectations are lower when I’m not at a United or AC hub, and sometimes they’re not met (the United Clubs in Dallas and Seattle come to mind). Both LGA lounges met them quite well. I hate having to go through LGA, but the cross-border clubs make it bearable.
Visited this club several times since it oepened and one of favorites because so much light comes in and is airy. Good food, too.
There is a third option – if you hold the amex plat card the centurion lounge is located right before you walk along elevated pathway over to the united gates. Better food and drink selection compared to the united lounge
I lived in NYC, and moved out in the summer of 2019, just as the first part of Terminal B had opened. I was an AA flyer though so I didn’t get to experience it then. I just traveled through the new Terminal B earlier this month and I was in awe. It is so beautiful, and definetly a huge upgrade over the old LGA. But I still have some old memories with the old LGA Terminal B, including the leaking ceilings.
How does United Club compare to AC Maple Leaf Club at LGA?
If one only has time to visit one lounge, which is better for food and quiet place to work?
Depends upon what you are looking for. I actually preferred the United Club (thought the salad bar was great), but I loved the mixed nuts at the AC Maple Leaf Lounge. I don’t generally drink in lounges so the alcohol selection is not something I factored in. Internet fast in both lounges, restrooms clean in both lounges, plenty of seats and power outlets in both lounges.
You really should do an updated Top 10 United Lounges in the US post.