Introduction: Whirlwind Trip to Asia
Review: American Airlines (A321) Economy Class Dallas to Charlotte
Review: American Airlines (A320) Economy Class Charlotte to Boston
Review: Holiday Inn Express and Suites – Boston Garden
Review: United Club – Logan International Airport
Review: United Airlines (777-200) Business Class Newark to Beijing
Review: Air China Business Class Lounge – Beijing International Airport
Review: BGS Premier Business Class Lounge – Beijing International Airport
Review: Singapore Airlines (777-300ER) Business Class Beijing to Singapore
Review: SilverKris Business Class Lounge – Singapore Changi Airport
Review: SilkAir (737-800) Business Class Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
Review: Renaissance Hotel – Kuala Lumpur
Out and About in Kuala Lumpur
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge – Kuala Lumpur
Review: SilkAir (A319) Economy Class Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
Review: JW Marriott Hotel – Singapore South Beach
Review: The Private Room – Singapore Changi Airport
Review: Singapore Airlines (A380-800) Suites Class Singapore to Beijing
Review: Air China First Class Lounge – Beijing International Airport
Review: United Airlines (777-300ER) Business Class Beijing to San Francisco
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge – San Francisco International Airport
Review: United Airlines (757-200) First Class San Francisco to Newark
Review: United Airlines Classified Restaurant – Newark Liberty International Airport
Review: Admirals Club – Logan International Airport
After a brief overnight stay in Boston, it was now time to continue my journey to Asia. I took a 25 minute Uber ride to Logan International Airport. I hustled to check-in where the following conversation occurred:
Agent: Will you be checking a bag?
Me: Um, I don’t really want to. Can you check it all the way to Malaysia?
Agent: I have your final destination as Beijing…
Me: That’s correct, but for United. I am flying Singapore Airlines (a Star Alliance partner) to Malaysia.
Agent: uh, sorry…can’t do it. You will have to pick up your bag in Beijing, if you check it.
This is where I made a terrible mistake. I decided to check my bag since I would be leaving the airport to explore Beijing anyway. Well, that did not work so well after my Chinese immigration ordeal.
I processed through security quickly due to my TSA Precheck. I have TSA Precheck from two sources: 1) active duty military and 2) from Global Entry (which I have thanks to the $100 credit from American Express). The United Club in Terminal B was a few minutes from the security checkpoint.
I was greeted by the agent with a warm ‘good morning’. I provided my boarding pass and was allowed to enter the lounge. On this particular occasion, I had access to the lounge because I was flying internationally in business class. If I were flying international in economy, I would still have access due to my United Platinum status. Before entering the lounge, I asked if I could take pictures. The agent responded that photos are not allowed, but with the advent of smartphones, it had become a hard policy to enforce.
The first thing that I noticed when entering the lounge was the amount of seating and overall available space.
To the left was some fairly basic food options. This is where United Clubs could stand to improve, but for whatever reasons, they do not.
Slightly past that area was complimentary newspapers and a tv.
In the center of the lounge is the bar. The bar, much like the rest of the lounge, covered a lot of space, but was pretty bare.
To the right of the bar was another food station.
I did not want to waste any more time in the lounge because it was quite boring. Before I left, I took the video below so that you can see exactly what I saw. Please draw conclusions for yourself.
I will not review the short flight to Newark because it was United’s standard regional first class product. After landing in Newark, I found my way to the pop up United Club near gate C124. All I can say is wow. The place was packed, so I headed to the gate.
Final Word
The United Clubs in Boston and Newark are severely lacking in terms of food and beverage options. This is vastly different than what I experienced at the United Polaris Lounge in Chicago a few years back. I would visit the lounge in Boston again, but only to get some work done…I will pass on the Newark pop up lounge.
