Review: LAX Terminal 5 Admirals Club

In some ways, business travel has spoiled me.

Once you’ve had a taste of airport lounges, you’ll want to keep coming back every time you fly. Not even a year ago, I used to fly almost twice a month LA to Boston for work. I made out like a bandit with the Citi Prestige Card, which used to have American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge Access included – no longer as of July 2017.

Today, I almost can’t imagine all that travel without lounge access, and now I dread flying without it! I figured I’m still flying a lot with American, so I bought their membership. For Executive Platinum members, the fee is $450. I could have signed up for the AAdvantage Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard to get membership too with a comparable $450 annual fee, but I was working on another card at the time.

In hindsight, I probably should have waited to buy membership. The LAX Terminal 4 Admirals Club has been undergoing a huge renovation for what seems like forever. I even got an email advising me that the club was completely shut down during my recent LAX-JFK flight with my wife. Fortunately, this flight came out of Terminal 5 this time. It turns out there’s a fully-fledged Admirals Club there too, which I didn’t even know existed!

LAX Terminal 5 Admirals Club Review:

The Admirals Club Elevator is tucked away into a small corner on the right after the security checkpoint. However, the entrance opens up to a sizable lounge where you are greeted with a domed space. It has that same modern theme that the Terminal 4 club is going for, but without construction zones in sight!

I’ve been to plenty of Admirals Club locations before, and they’re all relatively different-looking from one another. In general, most of them have large panoramic windows to bathe the club in sunlight. You don’t have large, tall windows in this LAX Terminal 5 club. So, I was very impressed by how well the bright, modern theme kept the club feeling spacious and open. I am also a fan of red chair accents and colorful wall pictures. As sharp as some of the seats look, they’re surprisingly comfy in a supporting kind of way.

The attendants at the front desk were very courteous. Right around the corner are showers that you can request a key for, as well as the restrooms, which are very clean.

There are various spaces throughout the club which have their own distinct feel, some cozier-looking than others.

I wanted to find a space in the back with some outlets to charge my devices. Pretty much the whole back window is a large desk with outlets for those business travelers who need to pop a few emails off before their flight. My wife and I settled for a nice pair of armchairs.

There’s a nice section with some magazines and newspapers to read, and also some computer and printers in case you need them.

On the way to the back, you pass through the Hors d’oeurves and bar which I went back to for a drink and to relax. A Yankee game was playing on the TVs.

House alcohol is, well, on the house, and as such, the selection is limited. Instead of a rum and coke, I went for a house draft beer instead. I’m a ‘baby face’, so I always get carded either at the bar, on the plane, at a restaurant, but it’s no big deal – free beer is free beer!

The Hors d’oeurves selection was pretty extensive – could have your choice of cheeses, pestos, veggies, soups, cookies, brownies, etc.

The Coca-Cola machine is one of those fancy flavor customizable touch screen cola dispensers that you find at a Five Guys. They had options for tea and coffee, but their espresso machine is my favorite! It gives you the option to have a cold foamed milk! Perfect with those brownies.

Ultimately, we spent a little over two hours at the club, but they really seemed to fly by! The Admirals Club in Terminal 4 opened up part of their renovated spaces for a few months. Part of me hopes the rest of their renovations come out as good as their Terminal 5 location!