Terminal 4, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix Arizona

Introduction

This is my review of American Airlines Admirals Club in Concourse A of Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport, with the lounge being next to Gate A21. There is also a second Concourse A lounge, near Gate 7 – which is bigger and has much more space.

American Airlines operate all their flights from Terminal 4 of PHX, and this is the smallest in size of the three Admirals Clubs. This lounge is pretty terrible and reminds me very much of the Admirals Club in Austin.

I’ve not traveled through Phoenix that much, and I was under the impression it was a bit more of a ‘major’ hub for American than it actually is – or at least judging from its lounge quality.

Visited

May 2024 at 07:30

Opening Hours

The lounge is open daily from 04:00 to 20:00.

Entry Conditions

This is where I always get a bit confused!

OneWorld Sapphire or OneWorld Emerald members are in!

Flying ‘qualifying’ for access such as Transcontinental and Domestic, you’re in…….I think!

Admirals Club members are also in.

You may be able to pay on the door for around $79.

I am sure there are many other ways to gain access, but these are generally the ways you can get in.

How to Get There

This lounge is located in Concourse A, and next to Gate A21. Its very easy to find – but most likely you’ll see the queue from outside!

Layout

As I’ve said in posts otherwise at Phoenix, as Admirals Clubs go, and bearing in mind that Phoenix is supposed to be a Hub for American; the lounges American has to offer in Phoenix are fairly disappointing.

This lounge is by far the worst, its absolutely tiny – and the furniture put so close together, there is no room to move

There is some casual/sofa seating, in a weird U-shape, where there is then nowhere to store luggage.

There is some high and low table cafe seating, with a small bar at the end.

And there is some seating for working – and even a small business area.

Food and Drink

Drinks

At the time I visited, it was around 07:30, and I’d just landed on a red-eye, so I wasn’t too fussed about having anything more than water.

In a similar way to the Concourse B lounge, there is some self-serve water or orange juice or coffee. There is no soda fountain unlike the other A-Gates lounge!

Then then there is the smallish bar – still bigger than B Gates, but smaller than the other A-Gates lounge…….but it was 07:30!

Food

Not being a breakfast kind of person, the breakfast offering for me was neither here nor there. There were a few cereal options, some breads/bagels, a toaster, some very basic egg or sausage hot options.

Unlike the Concourse B lounge, there was no lady with any cart doing anything. But sadly, if you want a hearty breakfast, iHop may be your best option here!

Wifi

As usual in Admirals Clubs, I found the Wifi to work very well. Oddly, they’ve started some weird passwords – instead of a destination, it was a product.

Showers

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, there are no showers in this lounge. I won’t even begin to argue the case for showers in this lounge, as its barely capable of storing its furniture – let alone towels!

Conclusion

Sadly, this is the worst lounge in Phoenix – and possibly one of the worst Admirals Clubs I’ve ever visited in the United States! The decor is old and tired like the Concourse B lounge, the layout is completely ‘rammed’ , with nowhere to put a bag, etc – and people were literally tripping over each other.

It was extremely busy even at 07:30, so there must become a point in the day where the lounge just can’t take any more people – which is a huge shame.

I do hope American Airlines review their lounge situation at Phoenix, as it clearly needs addressing. But until then – my advice is this is not the lounge to be visiting – and certainly don’t even think about wasting your $79!