After we arrived to Newark airport via Revel and checked-in for our trip to Europe, we thought it would be nice to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of Newark’s Terminal C and experience United’s new lounge.
The Looooong Walk
When we decided to go to this lounge, we thought it was be a quick trip from the security checkpoint. Instead, it was a long one. After following the signs to the United Club lounge, we realized that we walked a good 10 minutes to get to this lounge. While 10 minutes doesn’t sound that long, it is a bit of long walk for a tentpole lounge.
Check-in Process
Since we were not traveling in premium cabin or had appropriate Star Alliance status, we decided to pay the day pass fee of $59 each to access the lounge. While we were helped by a friendly agent, we would have enjoyed the ability to purchase this pass in the United app upon arrival to the airport to expedite our journey into the lounge.
The Lounge Itself
Once we stepped into the lounge, we were quickly greeted by a sparking modern design. In the first part of the lounge, there was a table that greeted us upon entry with flavored beverages and a small cafe area to the side. Once we walked past this area, we walked down a long hallway with the bathrooms to one side and a large seating area to the other. This space looked like a fantastic area to sit down to do some work if you want to stay away from the busy dining and bar areas. Past this area, you enter the dining area and bar.
In the dining area, you will find a gigantic self-service buffet and the entrance to the club’s shower facilities. On our day of travel, the buffet was offering quarter-sized sandwiches, pasta salad, and make-your-own tacos with chicken and pork. Additionally, they had some brownies and chocolate chip cookies to satisfy your sweet tooth.
On the other side of the lounge, there was a bar, barista station, foosball table, customer support agents, and plenty of seats overlooking the floor-to-ceiling views of the tarmac.
Bigger Lounge = More People
While this lounge was a very nice space, it did seem that United had some capacity control issues. While we were able to find a seat, it was a challenge to find one overlooking the tarmac. We had to do multiple laps around the area before deciding on a long table to sit at with other guests.
Because of this experience, I hope that United does a better job of allocating the lounge’s capacity. Granted they did have a sign up limiting day pass holders from the accessing the lounge when we left, the lounge still felt full with not enough chairs for all of the groups of travelers. I hope as time goes on, United does a better job of managing the capacity of this lounge.
Overall
While the lounge did have some capacity issues, this lounge is a great addition to Newark airport. While JFK still remains my favorite NYC-area airport to fly out of, we did enjoy having a nice space to sit before boarding our flight and would recommend this lounge to other travelers who want to have beautiful views and a calm start to their trip!
Kyle’s Tip
Kyle’s Tip: If you are planning to fly out of Newark’s Terminal C and spend time at a lounge, I would recommend evaluating all of your lounge choices around your gate. For us, this lounge was a far walk to our gate as our gate was a good 15 minutes minutes away from this lounge and there might be better lounge options closer to your gate depending on the lounge access you have. Thus, I would recommend deciding on what you are looking for in a lounge before arriving at the airport. For us, it was experiencing a brand new lounge but for others it might be gate accessibility.
