Review: Star Alliance Lounge (LAX) Los Angeles International Airport
Intro
Well well, now that we are done with the trip down to Nicaragua, we can finally crack on with a trip that I have been dying to share with you guys. The first article about this trip will contain the Star Alliance Lounge at LAX. Having been here several times before this blog started, I knew what to expect. However, I am excited to share with you all about just how amazing this lounge is. Perhaps better than the American Airlines Flagship Lounge in Miami??!
Let's get into it!
Location
The Star Alliance lounge is located to the right once you pass security in Terminal 4 Bradley. If you see the Gucci store, you are in the right place😉.
Once you head straight past the stores, take the elevator up to PF Chang's.
That's not it... Follow the signs back to the second escalator as the Star Alliance Lounge is on the third floor.
I like to walk wherever I can, meaning I decided on taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
There is an agent waiting at the door, who will happily let you in if you have access!
Access+Hours
According to the Star Alliance website, the lounge is open daily from 8:30 am until 1 am. However, I will touch on that 1 am closing time later.
The access rules is as follows for this specific lounge:
As an International Business Class Customer, you have access to any Star Alliance member carrier’s owned Business Class lounge at the airport where your flight departs if the following conditions are met:
You present a boarding pass in International Business Class on a Star Alliance member airline-operated flight
Your flight departs on the same day of your visit or latest by 05:00 AM the next morning
The lounge shows the Star Alliance Gold logo at the entrance
You are not entitled to bring any guests.
Gold Guests are allowed to bring in up to one guest on the same flight as of May 3rd; terms and conditions apply
However, if you are a gold member of United, you may only access this lounge if you are flying internationally, regardless of the class of service... I had access due to the fact that Copa Airlines passengers are given access when flying in Business Class.
Seating
Upon entering the lounge, you can tell just how spacious it really is. There is a little Air New Zealand storage off to the side...
And of course, in front of you, the main area!
Due to my early arrival at LAX, I decided to take a look around and explore the lounge (my inner Jack Sparrow coming out).
First up, the patio area located through the glass doors.
Then there is the big main area which spans from the entrance to outdoor terrace (more on that later).
There are plenty of different seating options, from comfortable chairs to more dining-ish chairs to chairs arranged for families.
There are multiple small sectioned-off places throughout the lounge if you want to be in a more private area.
Then there is the dining room featuring dining tables where you can eat if you would like. It's not quite as fancy as the Polaris Lounge here at LAX🥴.
Lastly, there is a cinema room, which is one of my favorite areas to hang out because it is usually quiet.
The Outdoor Terrace
This might be up there with the best part of any lounge in the US (perhaps even better than the Chelsea Lounge in New York).
There is an outdoor bar area with a fireplace (although it wasn't lit at this time).
The outdoor terrace features plenty of space to sit. Throughout my 3 hours there, I only encountered 4 other people out there.
Of course, I spent almost all of my time here, eating lots of food and drinking plenty of champagne🥰.
So, this is where the issue occurs. Even if the lounge closes at 1 am, they informed me that I had to move inside around 12:15 am... I'm not a fan of this but it is what is is I guess.
At least I got beautiful views of the same exact American Airlines 787 that flew me to Miami two weeks prior😅.
One of my fondest memories of flying was back in 2019 when I took a Lufthansa A380 from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, and I saw the inbound landing.
Food
As mentioned above, there is a dining room that also features an extensive buffet selection. Usually, I am not a fan of buffets, but this one was extraordinarily good.
There were two main options: chicken and some sort of Pasta (I didn't want to hold up the line). The chicken was simply delicious and put inside a warm bread roll!!
A dessert bar and a salad bar were at the end, with some of the best cupcakes I've had in a minute (to be fair, I rarely eat sugar anymore). Not today for me, oops😳.
Drinks
Reading online beforehand, I heard that there wasn't any champagne or sparkling wine on offer. I was pleased to see three different options and a full self-service bar.
Yes, these aren't the most luxurious options. However, with the amount of people this lounge serves, I think it's respectable and adequate.
There are two fridges under the bar in case you need a fresh bottle of beer or champagne. If cocktails are your thing, there is a full-service bar (with a bartender) located right next to the self-service area.
There are soda fountains and water if you are a non-drinker as well. I imagine that juices are offered in the mornings as well.
Bathrooms
From what I gathered, there is a single bathroom for all passengers located right by the dining room (the other side of this thing).
The bathrooms are fresh and spacious, constantly remaining clean during my time there.
Showers are available in the lounge, but for some reason, I wasn't able to get in. Apparently, it was too busy. All is well. I showered just before getting to the airport. I promise next time to review it!!!
Leaving The Lounge
Promptly at 1 am, I was instructed by the staff to leave. It wasn't the end of the world as my Copa Airlines flight was due to board in 15 minutes anyways.
I said my farewell and embarked towards the gate.
Just like that, it was time to board this Copa Airlines 737 Max down to Panama (review coming tomorrow).
Final Thoughts
The Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport is nothing short of perfection. With fantastic seating including the outdoor fireplace, a decent selection of drinks, food that was delicious, cupcakes that were divine, and friendly staff, this is the perfect place to kill even more than a couple of hours. The only caveat is the outdoor fireplace closing earlier than 1 am, but with how empty the lounge was, it's quite frankly not the end of the world.
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