| Update: This post now reflects that there’s a 20,000 square foot Chase Sapphire Lounge coming to Philadelphia Airport (PHL), which was recently revealed. |
In June 2021 we learned how Chase will be getting into the airport lounge game, which was previously dominated by American Express with its Centurion Lounges (and for that matter, Capital One is also getting into the airport lounge business).
We’ve known that Chase will open lounges at a minimum of nine airports, though so far only the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong has opened, making it the first Chase Sapphire Lounge in the world. Let’s cover everything we know about the upcoming network Chase Sapphire Lounges.
In this post:
Basics of Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club
JPMorgan Chase is opening airport lounges, known as Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. Chase describes these lounges as offering a “fresh approach to the lounge experience.” Chase’s entry into the lounge space is being done in collaboration with Airport Dimensions, which operates existing airport lounge group “The Club” (which are perfectly fine, but aren’t particularly remarkable).
Let’s cover where the lounges will be located, when they’ll open, and who gets access.
Chase Sapphire Lounge locations & sizes
Chase has formally announced that it has plans to open nine airport lounges. The first eight Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations have been revealed, with seven being in the United States, and one being outside the United States. Specifically, there will be lounges in:
- Boston (BOS), in the connector between Terminal B & Terminal C
- Hong Kong (HKG), in Terminal 1
- Las Vegas (LAS), in Terminal C
- New York (LGA), in Terminal B
- Philadelphia (PHL), in the connector between Terminal D & Terminal E
- Phoenix (PHX), in Terminal 4 South 1
- San Diego (SAN), in Terminal 2 West
- Washington (IAD), in Terminal A
We don’t yet know where the last planned lounge will be located, though I’m sure we’ll find out soon, based on filings with airports, if nothing else.
The roughly 12,000 square foot Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong opened as of October 2022, and it’s expected that the next lounges will be opening in 2023. Boston and Phoenix seem the most likely to open next, based on what we know so far. So I’d expect those to open in early 2023.
In terms of the sizes of upcoming lounge openings, here’s what we know about the size of six upcoming openings:
- The BOS Chase Sapphire Lounge is expected to be 12,000 square feet
- The IAD Chase Sapphire Lounge is expected to be 5,200 square feet
- The LAS Chase Sapphire Lounge is expected to be 4,500 square feet
- The PHL Chase Sapphire Lounge is expected to be 20,000 square feet
- The PHX Chase Sapphire Lounge is expected to be 3,500 square feet
- The SAN Chase Sapphire Lounge is expected to be 11,000 square feet
Interestingly Hong Kong, Las Vegas, New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix, already have Centurion Lounges, while Boston, San Diego, and Washington don’t (though Washington has a Capital One Lounge coming in 2023).
Chase Sapphire Lounge entry requirements
The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club will primarily be Priority Pass lounges. That means those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) can access the lounges by presenting their Priority Pass card.
On top of that, the Priority Pass memberships issued with other premium credit cards, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) and The Platinum Card® from American Express (review), also get you access.
Unfortunately those with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) don’t get access to these lounges.
What should we expect from Chase Sapphire Lounges?
With the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong now open, and everything Chase has shared so far about the concept, what exactly should we expect from these lounges? The way I view it:
- It doesn’t sound like Chase is going as premium as Amex or Capital One with airport lounges
- Since these lounges have “The Club” in the branding, it sounds like these might just be slightly elevated versions of existing “The Club” locations
- This almost seems like more of a mutual marketing opportunity of sorts between Chase and Airport Dimensions, intended to be a competitive response to what American Express and Capital One are doing
- Since these lounges will be open to everyone with a Priority Pass membership, that more or less opens the floodgates, and I imagine these lounges will get busy; I wonder if any capacity controls will be put in place, especially for the 3,500-5,200 square foot lounges in the United States
It’s awesome to see Chase get into the airport lounge game, though at the end of the day I think you can only get so excited about credit card lounges in the United States, given how many people have access. The broad access requirements — and opening them up to all Priority Pass members — realistically limits how nice these will be.
Personally I think the only really exceptional credit card lounge in the United States is the Capital One Lounge DFW, which has some pretty awesome amenities.
Bottom line
Chase is getting into the airport lounge game, with the introduction of Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club. The first lounge has already opened in Hong Kong, and we can expect these lounges to start to open in 2023 in the United States. These lounges are coming to at least eight more airports, including in BOS, IAD, LAS, LGA, PHL, PHX, and SAN.
Chase Sapphire Lounges are open to all Priority Pass members, so these lounges have pretty broad access requirements. As a result, I’d also expect crowding to be a concern, at least at the locations in the United States.
What do you make of Chase’s new airport lounge concept?
Absurd that LAX requires either airline status or a transcon or international business ticket for lounge access. Would kill for my CSR/PP to have any benefits flying from there.
PHX and LGA do not have PP lounges, so this is a great addition. I am in both airports monthly.
Oh cool. They got the worst NYC airport, and the more irrelevant CA airport.
I love how clear it is Chase tries to get maximum return for minimal investment. "Well, if we put it in LAX/SFO or EWR/JFK, someone would use it. That costs money!"
New LGA is awesome! I have been to the new AC, UA, and AA lounges there this Fall.
sEWeR (EWR) is an outdated dump and has finally acknowleged it is not a NYC airport.
When were you last there.
Not sure I agree. LGA new terminal is awesome for obvious reasons but outside of that Terminal C at EWR is perhaps the best in the ‘legacy NYC area’ airport. That’s not to say it’s Changi. It’s just the first among equals bc JFK is all out trash. Not to forget LGA has the worst public transportation connectivity into the city of the 3.
The additional priority pass lounges will be nice. The Chase branding just seems to be a bank advertisement like you'll see at the restaurant.
A large lounge at BOS will be great. there is a lack of priority pass options in BOS in the main domestic terminals of B and C. The international terminals had options, but that's a long hike but thankfully mostly connected airside. A small lounge in C that is generally at...
The additional priority pass lounges will be nice. The Chase branding just seems to be a bank advertisement like you'll see at the restaurant.
A large lounge at BOS will be great. there is a lack of priority pass options in BOS in the main domestic terminals of B and C. The international terminals had options, but that's a long hike but thankfully mostly connected airside. A small lounge in C that is generally at capacity plus a priority pass restaurant.
LGA is also well appreciated. Amex has a great centurion lounge, but options for priority pass are limited. Hopefully this will be a spacious lounge.
IAD is a bit surprising, there are a number of priority pass lounges already, i wonder if this will just be a rebrand of an existing lounge.
LAS is appreciated, one priority pass lounge plus a centurian lounge, an a United Club. Could certainly use a lot more.. even US/HP had their club landside when they had a hub at LAS which seemed really odd, but shows the lack of space historically.
PHX seems small and could certainly use priority pass options.
If those lounges are open to Priority Pass it really devalues the Sapphire brand by attaching their name to it. This is a real mistake.
"Mistakes at scale" is Chase's whole brand image.
They let the UR portfolio die on the vine while adding band-aids to stave losses. Now from what I am reading, they want to destroy credit cards as an industry because they don't like that Visa and Mastercard make money.
Agree it's basically a non announcement. The other interesting thing is that The Chase Club is going to places that have a Platinum Amex lounge. I would have thought it would make sense for them to focus on places that do not have a premium lounge like a Platinum Amex lounge.
Regarding your Hong Kong comment as Hong Kong is now open, not sure why you question this.
Bless your heart.
They should have limited it to CSR members similar to Amex. The problem is with PP and with other ways to enter then the lounge will be full.
"It’s awesome to see Chase get into the airport lounge game, though at the end of the day I think you can only get so excited about credit card lounges in the United States, given how many people have access." - seems you mean to say can't because the lounge will be crowded, etc.
english is not your first language, it seems...
I don’t know that I have been to any The Club location where I haven’t been pretty grossed out by the quality of the food and cleanliness / finish quality of the space. This is definitely a disappointment, unless they specifically renovate these Club locations and give them better food and booze offering. I’m not hopeful.
So newcomer Capital One will beat Chase in terms of lounge quality, while Chase will have a slight edge in quantity (although Capital One Venture X cardholders will be able to access the Chase lounges anyway via Priority Pass).
Would be ironic/funny if these Chase Sapphire/The Club lounges are perpetually overcrowded with Amex and Capital One PP cardholders, while Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders have no access and are left outside in the cold.
I suspect that Chase is going to be disappointed with the reception of people at the Boston lounge. Between Terminals B & C is a long, narrow connector corridor that just feels inconvenient. You're not in either Terminal B or C, and you certainly aren't behind the security checkpoints. BOS is my home airport and as a Chase cardholder, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit. I'd rather get past TSA and THEN relax in a lounge somewhere.
The new BOS lounge is absolutely behind security. They're creating a post-security walkway (moving walkway in some places). Go to the Massport site to see a video about it.
What I don't get is when it's opening. It was supposed to be "early 2022" but I haven't heard any updates.
This is open. It actually looks great! I'm not sure where the lounge itself will go tbh, but probably behind some wall or whatever
I also walked the B-C connector two weeks ago. I'm 90% sure the lounge is up the side elevators to the 2nd floor. Crazy there hasn't been any update on opening though.
One thing I saw was that they (mistakenly) added the Chase Lounge to the online ordering restaurants at Logan last month. Assuming everything is free at the lounge, they at least had higher-quality alcohol (Buffalo Trace & Titos I remember seeing) and also...
I also walked the B-C connector two weeks ago. I'm 90% sure the lounge is up the side elevators to the 2nd floor. Crazy there hasn't been any update on opening though.
One thing I saw was that they (mistakenly) added the Chase Lounge to the online ordering restaurants at Logan last month. Assuming everything is free at the lounge, they at least had higher-quality alcohol (Buffalo Trace & Titos I remember seeing) and also legit appetizers (I think chicken fingers & a slider/burger....although maybe there's an upcharge for this?)
The Club (run by same group) in terminal c is a dump with mostly generic alcohol and basically no snacks. Hopefully they hire better staff & upgrade the offerings since Chase's name is attached.
See comment below. I recently flew out of a new gate at the new connector between B and C; it just opened, and it's a very nice space with said new gates, large windows, etcetera. It's also a post-security connector. I'm very happy to see a company taking advantage of this space
Interesting if Chase Private clients are not allowed. Any word if they are or not?
CPC died years ago. Come to Citigold. They will spot you a Costco membership and Amazon prime every year for free, and give you a discount on the AA Exec card.
@ Andrew
They told me as a citi gold no more credit card discounts and I never heard of a free Costco or amazon membership in all the years I was a citigold
Now that it costs 200 k and up to be a citigold one is losing so much interest they should do even more!
Way back when, my law firm gave me a Citi private banking account, which was occasionally branded as citigold in subsequent years. Eventually the bank realized I had left the firm and also did not have $5m in cash just sitting in their minimal-interest-bearing savings account, and they politely gave me the boot. Other than people who want the orange (is it still orange?) debit card and apparently a costco and amazon prime membership, I...
Way back when, my law firm gave me a Citi private banking account, which was occasionally branded as citigold in subsequent years. Eventually the bank realized I had left the firm and also did not have $5m in cash just sitting in their minimal-interest-bearing savings account, and they politely gave me the boot. Other than people who want the orange (is it still orange?) debit card and apparently a costco and amazon prime membership, I can't figure out the benefit of citigold besides tons of lost interest/opportunity cost of lost investment.
Lucky, I'm curious why you say 8 lounges when Skift's screenshot from the Chase investor deck says 9 Sapphire lounges awarded.
Wow, way to reach, Chase. Premium markets like LAX, SFO or JFK? Nah, we though "SAN" and "LAS" would be a good call. And HKG, which still has a checkered record of allowing transit while anyone with resources flees... yeah, that's the one for us! It feels like they got this opportunity through a wholesaler or something.
Anyways, that's why I'm in the long process of divesting everything from their ecosystem. It's all marketing, no substance.
I’m guessing in the short term they had to take the intersection of locations they wanted, and locations with near term space available.
There's already an Aspire lounge at SAN. It and the airline clubs are busy but not Centurion busy. Adding 11,000 SF will make them all pleasant.
HKG is a curious choice. It's not improbable that HKG will never see its pre-2019 days as a huge hub of business travel.
Do they serve Butter Chicken Masala in these lounges and can you fill your bags with free booze and toiletries like Amex lounges? This is my criteria for a good lounge.
At some point in the not so distant past I would have been excited about this announcement but I just feel like these will come up many dollars short and many days too late. HKG in particular is a surprise for me given what the current geopolitical picture looks like there. I have to imagine of all places they will likely be among the hardest hit long term by COVID and the resulting other changes that have happened in the world.
If I had to list uninspiring lounges I would start with Club and move to PP. what on earth will this accomplish for Chase?
If one of the unnamed lounges is The Club @ ATL there's nothing Chase could bring to the table to make it better.
An absolutely horrid lounge at the "World's Bussiest Airport", but hey, we've got 627 SkyClubs!!
Chase better step up its game. They wouldn't want to be seen as inferior to Capitol One if they are trying to compete with Amex Centurion and charge a 495$ annual fee.
Presumably the BOS lounge will have to wait for the B-C connector to exist.
https://www.massport.com/logan-forward/initiatives/terminal-c-optimization-and-b-to-c-connector/
Ugh, I was hoping this lounge would be there in time for my layover this summer. Clearly the 1st quarter 2022 dates are misinformation. Disappointing.
IIRC The Club network is another part of Collinson so operate Priority pass so it does seem like a co-brand opportunity and Would t be surprised if the objective was most likely was a reduced Visit swipe rate for chase based on volume
Before I got the Amex Business Platinum, I used The Club at ATL fairly regularly. It's fine, but hardly anything special. Certainly better than sitting at the gate. But I have not been since I can now get into Delta SkyClubs. If the Chase lounges are no better than the Club, I doubt many people who have other options will be visiting the Chase Club locations.
To confirm, I can get access using my AMEX HH Surpass card as well, since I have a PP membership (10 PP free passes per year)?
Lucky, why do you think lounges don’t have more comfortable chairs where one can take a power nap? Is it by design where they don’t want guests to sleep in their lounges?
Suprisingly Chase open lounge in HKG since Chase is not a retail bank in HK
Most US banks are divesting their international retail operations (Citi is in the long, slow spiral.)
HK, and not London or Tokyo or even Singapore, Chase must be living in 2019. No one wants to go to HK anymore given that its now just another small city of 7.5 million in China.
The HK government just announced that starting May 1, non-residents will finally be allowed to travel into HKG, though still subject to vaccine, PCR testing, and hotel quarantine requirements.
...and subject to limits on free speech, free expression, and just freedom in general.
@Lucky, on the topic of lounges, do u have any info if United will ever open the United Club in PHX? They had one in T2, and they planned one in the renovated T3 when United moved from in there in early 2020, but they never opened due to the pandemic. Do u know if it will ever open?
It is possible that only priority pass for Chase issued cards will get access or if you have the Reserve card. If they opened it to all priority pass members it would be a zoo - overcrowded and would be unfair for those that got their pass through a Chase card.
HKG? Hmm, interesting. I'm not expecting Hong Kong to reopen to global visitors before 2025, and the airport is currently running at 2% of 2019 capacity with tons of flight bans, 21 day quarantine and closed borders.
Must be The Club had an opportunity to pick up a lounge that just had their lease expired. I'm guessing either Thai or United.
Chase isn't getting into the lounge business anymore than Allegiant is in the football business. They are doing a marketing deal with The Club. Given anyone with PP gets in, unlike C1 and Amex lounges, this is no more a Chase lounge than any other PP lounge. Oh and I would bet HKG never happens, HKG is dead at this point and will never be the APAC hub it was before.
According to TPG, it is slated to open sometime in 2022, so wait and see. It still may open on time or be delayed.
Ryan- Don't ever say never.
This is BS - there is already a Club at PHX. Is Chase just going to add their name to the signage? Also as a CSR holder I am offended they are letting anyone with Priority Pass in. All the “Club” lounges already admit Priority Pass members so no change.
IMHO this is a disaster on the part of Chase. My CSR is renewing in August and likely to downgrade to CSP since the...
This is BS - there is already a Club at PHX. Is Chase just going to add their name to the signage? Also as a CSR holder I am offended they are letting anyone with Priority Pass in. All the “Club” lounges already admit Priority Pass members so no change.
IMHO this is a disaster on the part of Chase. My CSR is renewing in August and likely to downgrade to CSP since the “upgrades” last year did nothing for me and no way I can justify keeping this card. I love my Amex Platinum and will definitely keep it but Chase seems hell bent to destroy the CSR. Sad
There’s a club at PHX? I thought it shut down and became the escape/centurion lounge?
Austin needs a lounge, any lounge...cap1 will be awesome.
Isn't San Diego a stange choice given all the other bigger airports?
Chase could be a little exclusive or have Sapphire only and Private client only Perks.
At least when I fly swa out of phx i don't have to walk a mile to the centurian club or its crappy twin
Well that was kind of underwhelming. For starters there is an avalanche of priority pass members out there nevermind their guests. 2nd of these are the same lounges as "the club" lounges that current PP members have access to they are pretty sad lounges. Granted lga and San currently have pitiful lounges. But that's like moving up to economy plus from basic economy. CSR needs to do more to justify that $550/year.
The real question is whether these lounges will be superior to the lounges of the legacy carriers (e.g., Delta Sky Club, United Club, Admirals Club).
United Club, a superior lounge??
I'm a little embarrassed to be a CSR member, because if Chase thinks this at all competes with the Centurion Lounges then they need some new management. Centurion Lounges are a luxury experience, these new Chase lounges sound more like a Walmart experience.
I feel like we already knew all this from Flyertalk.
I wonder if HKG will actually come to fruition since who knows when, if ever, it will become a global hub again.
Thanks for the personal hat tip, Ben!
I’m still waiting for the day for ORD to get a lounge by AmEx, Chase, or Cap1.
Waiting for Polaris lounges to open - the best!
For a minute, I thought Chase Sapphire members were going to have an exclusive club. LOL
Curious to see how these flesh out. If my recent visits at the Centurion in Denver are any indication of the future of the airport lounge experience, the future looks bleak. They have significantly degraded their food. Gone are the individually prepared cast iron skillet entrees designed by the James Beard Award winning chef of Boulder’s Frasca. Instead, you get a Hampton Inn-style buffet with reconstituted powdered egg product, and vats of precooked reheated hash...
Curious to see how these flesh out. If my recent visits at the Centurion in Denver are any indication of the future of the airport lounge experience, the future looks bleak. They have significantly degraded their food. Gone are the individually prepared cast iron skillet entrees designed by the James Beard Award winning chef of Boulder’s Frasca. Instead, you get a Hampton Inn-style buffet with reconstituted powdered egg product, and vats of precooked reheated hash browns. Couple that with the guest restrictions and the increased annual fee, and you have a clear path to a member exodus.
No LAX ?? Hopefully in time.
Which terminal? Hard to put a lounge like this in an airport designed like LAX, JFK, etc.
Agree. Basically says nothing. Hopefully Reserve members will have some priority and they will not overstuff the lounge.
Why are we assuming that the existing Priority Pass relationship with Chase, Amex, and “The Club” locations will remain status quo? Hint: see how Amex has already dropped access to restaurants in PP? There’s no reason to think at all that the powerful players in this relationship - the credit cards - can strongarm PP into basically whatever deal they want… or eliminate them altogether.
Seems obvious that eventually, “The Club” locations will be...
Why are we assuming that the existing Priority Pass relationship with Chase, Amex, and “The Club” locations will remain status quo? Hint: see how Amex has already dropped access to restaurants in PP? There’s no reason to think at all that the powerful players in this relationship - the credit cards - can strongarm PP into basically whatever deal they want… or eliminate them altogether.
Seems obvious that eventually, “The Club” locations will be converted into Chase-exclusive lounges, to compete directly with Amex Centurion locations. Third parties will be cut out of this scheme entirely (what service do they provide anyway)?
We’re looking at a future where airport lounge access is pretty segregated by brand loyalty:
-Airline-operated lounges will continue to exist, with access basically tied to annual spend, corporate contracts, and premium ticket classes. Delta SkyClubs, Admirals Clubs (which will cross-populate with Alaska lounges and customers), etc.
-Alliance operated megalounges in international hubs like LAX, Chicago, New York, etc. (Star Alliance Lounges, SkyTeam lounges). [we’ll be seeing a lot of route consolidation over the next several years of the pandemic, making this much easier to pull off in fewer locations]
-Credit card company lounges scattered across second-tier airports, exclusively for the use of their premium cardholders and customers (Amex, Chase, CapitalOne, and I’m sure eventually Citi).
-A handful of pay-per-use lounges will probably remain too, but at some point, they will basically revert to the mean and become “food and drink buffets with cushy seats” that cost $40 an hour to enter.
Why not Denver? We have nothing now for Priority Pass
Didn't DEN just get a restaurant added to PP in Terminal B? of course, that doesn't matter if your PP is through AMEX but still.
Ate at that restaurant last week and it was okay. We got one of the last tables. When we left there was a line waiting to get in. Way crowded and at the very end of Terminal B. Unfortunately, our flight was at the opposite end so we got some exercise in!
For US domestic flying, the most useful and practical club access seems to be Delta SkyClub. If you can make Centurion Lounges work, that is great too. Most other stuff is a hassle. Some Admirals Clubs are OK, United domestic clubs seem weak.
If the Chase 'Club' at BOS is anything like either of the existing lounges run by The Club at BOS, it does not bode well. I find them sub-par even by PP standards
Priority Pass is changing so much, I wouldn't be surprised if they lose access to The Club, or Amex drops Priority Pass from the Platinum Benefits, or Amex buys Priority Pass and strikes Chase/Club lounges from their list. I just doubt that the way it looks now is the way it unfolds. Not buying stock in Priority Pass right now.
@DenB
How do you buy Priority Pass stocks?
Marry into the Collinson family.
This seems way out of touch. I'm surprised that Chase is aligning themselves with a brand like The Club - it seems this would be an appropriate move for Discover. Amex was much more strategic by aligning with the far superior Escape Lounges. What's next, the Capital One Minute Suites?
Ben,
How can credit card/priority pass lounges be so much nicer outside the US? Do fewer non Americans have credit cards with priority pass memberships? Are the costs of running a lounge lower?
This is basically a non-announcement. LGA and BOS are getting a "Club," and Chase is going to tie its name to what will most likely be the second worst lounge at HKG.
This is so disappointing and I feel like Chase should feel a little embarrassed about this. Great, you're opening Chase lounges but if there is no exclusivity, then who cares? Amex lounges are great because they are really nice, usually have pretty good food and drinks, and best of all, not everyone and their brother can access them. We don't need more bland run of the mill PP lounges with bad food and crowding issues.
May not be the most exciting thing, but I love the BOS love! Especially since the lounges in BOS tend to be mediocre… Also, the Terminal B-C connector??? I sure hope they’re talking about the future one that’s post security!!!
@Aaron Yes, which other one? Also there is space in E as well as more coming online in the E expansion.
I think it's great that Chase is finally trying to keep up with Capital One.
Maybe Chase isn't doing this as a benefit, but as a business diversification or cost savings.
Chase might see this as profit center not cost. Or at least keeping their cost for PP usage down at certain locations. Don't forget, they have all the info of CSR PP usages and paying themselves back might be cheaper too.
The only winners here are the travel experience websites. Lucky gets a new topic / lounge to review. We get to distract ourselves from the never ending emails at work. Heck, I can't wait until FlyerTalk Forum starts a sub on overcrowding at the Chase Lounges. Perhaps we can even have a free for all forum where each premium credit card compares their respective lounges.
Perhaps we can even have a free for all forum where each premium credit card compares their respective lounges.
This exists now as LoungeBuddy and Trip Advisor reviews.
HKG does need lounge access after Plaza Premium stopped accepting Priority Pass.
Amex Plat card retained access to Plaza Premium.