While details are extremely limited as of now, here’s an update that I’m absolutely delighted to see.
American plans major lounge changes in Miami
Miami International Airport (MIA) is my home airport (unfortunately), and American is the largest carrier there. As it currently stands, American’s lounge situation at the airport is pretty underwhelming:
- There’s the D30 lounge setup, which includes an Admirals Club and a Flagship Lounge, and is the carrier’s main lounge complex at the airport
- There’s the D15 Admirals Club, which is the smaller lounge facility of the carrier at the airport
With that in mind, American has announced an exciting update to its lounges at the airport. American plans to open an all-new Flagship Lounge in Miami. Details about the new facility are extremely limited — construction details and timing will only be revealed at a later date.
Once this new facility opens, the plan is for the Flagship Lounge near gate D30 (which initially opened in 2017) to instead become part of the existing Admirals Club, meaning the Admirals Club will be expanded by around 29,000 square feet.
While we don’t know how big the new Flagship Lounge will be, American claims that these developments will nearly double the amount of lounge space that the airline offers at the airport. Here’s how Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer, describes this:
“We’re excited to expand and elevate the premium experience for our Flagship customers and also provide a more spacious and calming environment in our Admirals Club lounges. Our strong partnership with airport leaders and county officials has allowed us to identify solutions that will make our customers’ experience even better, and we’re eager to work with them in building out this enhanced space.”
I can’t wait for these airport lounge updates!
As a Miami-based flyer, I am thrilled to see these lounge updates from American. American has grown a ton in Miami over the years, but lounge capacity hasn’t been added to keep up with demand:
- The Flagship Lounge is actually relatively decent, though dedicated international business class lounges have come a long way over the past decade, and at this point, it feels like a glorified cafeteria
- The two Admirals Clubs at Miami are consistently slammed, so are not very pleasant to spend time in; that says nothing of how outdated and sterile they are
So massively expanded lounge capacity, plus a general refresh of these lounges, is exciting. I’d expect the new Flagship Lounge to follow American’s new design motif, similar to what you’ll find at the Flagship Lounge Philadelphia.
For oneworld flyers, there’s more good news in general, as a British Airways Lounge Miami is expected to open this year, and that should also help alleviate traffic in American’s existing lounges.
I’m curious, can any sleuths figure out the details of where American’s new Flagship Lounge will be located? After all, the details of airport authority meetings are public, so presumably this plan must have been approved.
Bottom line
American has big lounge plans for Miami Airport. The airline will be opening up a brand new Flagship Lounge in a new location, which should reflect the carrier’s new design concept. Once that happens, the existing Flagship Lounge near gate D30 will become part of the Admirals Club, meaning the lounge will be expanded by 29,000 square feet.
This is great news, though there’s still a big question mark about the timing of all this. I’ll be sure to provide an update when we learn more.
What do you make of American’s Miami lounge updates?
