This lounge is now closed for remodeling. It will re-open in 2023. In the meantime, you can visit the C123 lounge.
While not much has structurally changed since my last review of this lounge in 2018, I thought a pandemic update was in order for the United Club in Newark near gate C74.
United Club Newark Review
Currently, this is the only United Club open at Newark Airport. Another permanent club in Terminal C is under construction, but the pandemic has delayed its completion.
Location + Hours + Access
The United Club at EWR is located in Terminal C, near gate C74. During the pandemic, it is open daily from 5:45AM to 8:15PM.
Access is reserved for United Club members, Chase United Club Visa holders, Star Alliance Gold travelers, business class travelers flying to Los Angeles or San Francisco on United’s premium transcontinental service, and international business or first class passengers traveling on any Star Alliance flight.
Furthermore, one-time passes from Chase are accepted or can be purchased 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.
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 United does not give premium cabin passengers access on domestic flights, with the exception of the premium transcontinental route noted above.
Global Services passengers are also allowed complimentary entrance.
Seating
The lounge is hexagonal in shape, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a food court atrium one level below lounge. While this lounge was routinely packed prior to the pandemic, I spent seven hours here (lucky me…) on a recent visit and it never got very crowded.
Plugs are readily available, wi-fi is fast, and I stayed very productive after finding a desk to work in.
Food + Drink
Perhaps I’m too easy to please or set my expectations too low, but I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of food in the lounge. All of it was pre-packaged, but there was a decent selection of things to nibble on.
Breakfast
Breakfast choices included:
- Muffins
- Bagels
- Sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits (served warm)
- Fruit cups
- Oranges
- Apples
- Hardboiled eggs
- Yogurt
- Cereal + milk
- Oatmeal
Breakfast of champions? No, but that’s really not a bad selection at all and if you only have a few minutes you can just take a few items with you.
I love buttermilk biscuits, sausage, eggs, and cheese, but I have to warn you the nutrition facts on the breakfast sandwiches are not pretty:
Lunch/Dinner
Around 11:00am the food was rotated to a PM variety and included:
- Ramen noodles
- Oranges
- Apples
- Gummy bears
- Trail mix
- Baby carrots
- Hummus
- String cheese
- Beef jerky
- Appetaggio (Hard Salami, Cranberry, and Mozzarella)
- Chickpea puff chips
- Doritos
- Green bean chips
- Fruit cups
- Ritz Bitz crackers
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Lorna Doone shortbread cookies
- Chocolate chip cookies
- White chocolate-covered pretzels
Again, I prefer the pre-pandemic soup and salad, but this was a nice selection of packaged food.
Bar
The bar in the rear of the lounge was operational and staffed even earlier in the morning. Bottom shelf beer, wine, and spirits are available for free while cocktails and better beer and wine do incur charges.
There’s also a Coke Freestyle machine and a couple illy espresso machines and coffee pots.
I had a few cappuccinos during my visit and found them quite acceptable.
Restrooms
Confession: I love these old marble bathrooms. Totally old school, yet just my style. This lounge does not have showers and never had showers (some former Continental President Club’s did, but not this one).
Service
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. The lounge dragons (male and female) in this club used to be so surly and rude after the United-Continental merger. But quite honestly, the staff has been kind and accommodating over the last few years. I’m usually here a few times per year and the staff has been cheerful and friendly when checking me in, extremely accommodating when I ran into irregular-operations, and even helped me once with a voluntary change to get home early.
Showing Its Age
The lounge is showing its age. For example, the ceiling was flaking in more than one area:
And the “no smoking” signs throughout the lounge are a reminder that this lounge was built in a different era.
But most of the furniture is new and the lounge is functional in its present form.
CONCLUSION
I enjoyed an extremely productive seven hours in this lounge and it has grown on me for two reasons. One, the coffee is good and the snacks are acceptable (and a nice way to augment limited meal service on most flights). Two, the service has greatly improved.
While I look forward to the Polaris Lounge re-opening, this lounge is serviceable now and has improved.
Hey Matthew, thanks for the review. Based on your UA contacts, do you have any idea when Polaris lounges will reopen? I’m flying UA Polaris to Frankfurt out of IAH this summer and that would be a very nice upgrade over other lounge options I have.
Hi Tom,
I’ve asked UA and they are extremely tight-lipped on this. Sadly, I do not expect the Polaris Lounges to open again this year. But that is just my gut feeling.
I would plan to use the Centurion Lounge or if you don’t have access, the KLM Lounge.
IMO the brand new restroom outside the club in the terminal is much nicer than these dank old one urinal/one rickety stall options
The EWR clubs in Terminal C are some of the worst I’ve experienced. The crowding after making one location to a Polaris lounge made it worse. I’d fly in and out of EWR weekly for work and wouldn’t even use the club. I rather go to Garden State Diner which beat UA/OTG to stick around.
Light crowd in the lounge but food offerings look OK for pandemic times. What looks bad is the leaking / flaking ceiling.
I cannot believe that they did not renovate the restrooms. So I guess the nasty black toilets (so 1970s!) are still there. Gross. And a queue for that grossness. They also forgot to remove the CO wood paneling holding the display monitors.
Where can I purchase the passes on sale for $39. I went to the app and they are listed at $59? Thank you
Was there in July. The selection was somewhat better in your review but EWR still a total dump. Among the three mismanaged port authority airports, EWR is the most pathetic.
Seriously? LENDERS BAGELS? In EWR? I mean, can they not get real bagels and simply have them wrapped? Talk about the pandemic making excuses for poor service. It would be better to not have bagels at all.
In general UA is worst airline in many ways. The foods offered by lounge are substandard compared to any major competitors. EWR is even worse than other UA lounges.
“business class travelers flying to Newark or Boston on United’s premium transcontinental service”
Lazy writing. Pretty hard to fly premium transcontinental service from EWR to either EWR or BOS. And you omitted the fact GS can access the club when departing on a United flight.
Fully agree – can only put so much lipstick on a pig. Mildly better in recent years w/Clear, new terminal bathrooms, and joining the 21st century with filtered water filling stations. New UClub should help (if/when ever completed).
I always find the EWR black toilets/urinals interesting
Flying to Ft Meyers after Christmas, first class but with friends who booked late and are travellig coach; can they accompany us in the lounge, Best regards, Mike Moore
Only if you have passes for them or you and your companion each have lounge membership.
Given the choice between the United Clubs at IAD and the United Club at EWR, which would you recommend?
Ugh, they are both bad. I’d say I prefer IAD slightly.