During my recent international connection in Washington, DC I had time between flights to go lounge hopping. This review focuses on the C7 United Club at Washington Dulles.
United Club Washington Dulles Review (C7)
If you are making an international to domestic connection in the midfield terminal, this lounge greets you at the top of the escalator after clearing immigration and customs and then proceeding through a TSA checkpoint.
If you’re coming from the main terminal, take the train to the C Gates, walk the immense distance from the train station to the “temporary” terminal, head up the escalator, then turn right and walk till you get to C7.
Location + Hours + Access
Located next to Gate C7, this lounge is currently open from 9:00am to 6:00pm.
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 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 from IAD, United does not give premium cabin passengers access on domestic flights without status.
Global Services passengers are also allowed complimentary entrance.
Seating
As you enter the lounge, you’ll check in at a small desk just to the right of the entrance. If you need any flight help, there is another desk in the lobby usually staffed by 2-3 agents.
Head into the lounge, which includes a large seat area with a food and bar area in the middle followed by more seating.
All the way in the back is a work area with six desks and chairs.
Food + Drink
Currently, United is only offering pre-packaged food in the lounge. Nevertheless, I thought the selection was decent and included:
- instant noodle soup
- pita chips
- hummus
- pretzels
- popcorn
- carrots
- cheese-wrapped prosciutto
- apples
- Rice Krispie treats
- trail mix
- chocolate-covered pretzels
More breakfast-oriented options are available until 11am.
Coffee, soft drinks, juice, and water are self-serve. Alcoholic beverages are available at the bar.
Restrooms
Restrooms are available and were clean, with instructions to social distance. No showers are available.
Luggage Storage
If you do not want to lug your hand baggage through the lounge, there is a luggage storage area near the restrooms. This is not secure, but I’ve left my bags here many times when running errands (or lounge hopping) at the airport.
CONCLUSION
This is not my favorite United Club, even at Washington Dulles, but it offers clean restrooms, flight help, a decent selection of packaged snacks, and fast internet. If you are traveling to Europe or Africa, chances are this will be the lounge closest to your gate.
This is pretty pathetic for a lounge at one of United’s hubs; to say nothing of the fact that this is the international airport for our nation’s capital. Wow. It’s also remarkable how identical this is, even design and colors, to the most generic Delta lounge. What is the complimentary wine selection, including brands?
No menu, but from the photo, these were on the shelf:
Crown Royal
Maker’s Mark
The Glenlivet
Bailey’s
Campari
Cointreau
Blue Moon
Budweiser
O’Douls
Sam Adams
Stella Artois
Eight Point
Corona Light
Probably only the beer and wine are free. (See below)
When I returned from Frankfurt in early January I saw Paris Hilton in this lounge. She was escorted by a UA manager who carried a binder with big cover letter “P, Hilton” which only added to everyone gawking in the lounge. No idea why they would do this if the person in question wants privacy…perhaps she didn’t. Regarding the lounge itself, they had served pre-wrapped cheese cake “bowls” next to the noodle station — very tasty but oh so terrible for the waistline.
Matthew – no way The Glenlivet, Makers, etc. are complimentary…Budweiser, drink your heart out on the house!
Fair enough. I’d never pay for liquor in a lounge, so I have no idea what is for sale and what is not.
Here’s a menu photo I took from another lounge:
Sorry ass lounge, but so are all the UA IAD ones. When is the Polaris one opening?
Wow. $5 chardonnay.
The UA lounges at IAD were always an embarrassment for international business class. The Polaris was to fix that, but now who knows.
Is that the underground one or the one next to polaris? I can’t tell since they all look identical, even to DL apparently! The underground one is cool!
C17 and D8 are underground (well, ground level to be precise – you enter and take stairs down). This one has no stairs.
For a domestic lounge, it isn’t so bad.
For an international lounge, it isn’t so good.
The IAD Polaris lounge appears to be mostly complete based on flyertalk discussion/pictures, Maybe at a point where interior buildout is a month or two away from completion.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1965883-iad-polaris-lounge-202x-11.html
Personal guess is that this will open probably spring 2022. This lounge is almost exclusively aimed at J passengers departing to Europe, and that market really won’t start back in earnest until spring/summer 2022.
Agreed. I think Spring 2022 is when it will re-open.
This lounge simply looks and feels “Plain, Boring, & Ugly & Un-inspiring”. Comparing to the Asian or Middle East Airlines Lounges (Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Eva Air, Qatar, Turkey Airlines, Emirates, etc…), these American lounges are just “shameful”…. Couldn’t they learn from the Asian or Middle East Airlines and put some “life” on their lounges??? That’s why I always prefer Asian airlines in international routes between N.America & Asia. Their lounges, and Business classes and their food and their services, are simply a few level above….
Whenever I flew United to Europe, and I was a Gold MileagePlus Gold or higher, I would take the shuttle to the International Terminal and use the Lufthansa business lounge instead of the United one (Lufthansa is part of the Star Alliance and allows UAL Premier Gold & higher status members to use their lounges). It only takes about 5-10 minutes to get there via the shuttle (or subway), and it was much nicer. They have showers, and hot food prepared, not to mention wine & beer. I haven’t flown international through Dulles since the Pandemic started, but before the pandemic it was worth the effort for the more comfortable lounge, extra and better food selection, drinks & showers like you get in Europe & Asia (even though you are in the good old USA!).
I used to do the same thing as Michael. I might visit the Turkish lounge, too. Back when UA had global first, I might also drop by the old UA C4 global first lounge, which converted to a regular lounge and has not reopened so far. It was tatty and the food not as good as the LH or TK business lounges (or BA or AF, for that matter), but it had good champagne (I remember Veuve). It was also where the celebrities went, so good for spotting.
By the way, I also miss the free newspapers and magazines in the lounges. Not only was it nice to pick up reading material for the plane, but at $3 a pop or so, if you visited lounges 40 times a year, as I probably did, that was worth over a hundred dollars a year right there.
For Priority Pass cardholders, the Turkish lounge at IAD has had (or at least used to have) the best hot foods and desserts. Because of PP members, however, it was often packed and access was restricted at times.
One-time pass to the United lounge for $59 is hilariously funny and sad at the same time. To kill 5-6 hours of time between connecting flights might be the only justification.