As part of the first impromptu trip ’22 hours in Washington DC’ I recently wrote about, to Washington DC, we had the opportunity to enter the American Airlines Admirals Club at Washington DC Reagan Natl. Airport. I previously wrote about the Admirals Club that we visited on our outbound leg, at New York-JFK’s Terminal 8. We booked our inbound leg with cash, at an exorbitant price of $153.50 per person in basic economy. BUT, there is a twist. My husband got the Citibank Strata Elite recently, which includes a $200 ‘splurge’ credit: you pick two of five merchants, and then you use your card at that merchant and will be automatically reimbursed up to $200. One of these merchants is American Airlines, so we were able to get $200 back: as such we ended up paying only $53.50 per person.
Note that DCA has three Admirals Clubs, at the C, D and E concourses. I will specifically review the one at the E concourse, since it’s the newest one.
Briefly, compared to the Admirals Club at New York-JFK’s Terminal 8, this club is a stunner. The decor is modern and elegant with heavy use of various wood tones, and is in line with the kind of style you’ll find at current-day Sapphire and Capital One lounges. The seating boasts newer, comfortable loungers of various kinds and sizes, as well as bar and restaurant seating. The food is still a weak point, though the buffet was more extensive with a variety of salads. Overall, I’d be very happy to return to this Admirals Club!
Access requirements
There are various ways to enter the Admirals Club. These requirements should be the same across all Admirals Clubs, but in reality I do know that there are some exceptions, which I will highlight. To get into an Admirals Club, you have the following options:
- Admirals Club Members: you can buy a membership straight-up or receive one through various means, including by getting the Citibank AAdvantage Executive Mastercard.
- Travel in business or first class on transcontinental or international itineraries with American Airlines or OneWorld partners.
- With American AAdvantage elite status, Platinum Pro and up. However, this will only get you on international itineraries.
- OneWorld Sapphire or Emerald members, obtained through a loyalty program other than American AAdvantage, can get access on both domestic and international itineraries.
- By buying an Admirals Club Day Pass. However, capacity controls can restrict access to day pass holders, so this can be a bit tricky.
- Holders of the Citibank Strata Elite Mastercard will get 4 Admirals club passes, which, unlike buying a day pass, are not subject to capacity controls. This is how we entered this lounge: we redeemed two passes, one for my husband and one for myself.
Note that at this particular lounge the purchase or use of not-yet-activated day passes were suspended, due to capacity controls. We were allowed in because (1) our day pass had already been activated back when we entered the JFK Admirals Club, and these passes are active for 24 hours; and (2) our day pass was provided by the Citibank Strata Elite, and I was told that with such a day pass you can always enter any Admirals Club regardless of whether the pass is already active or not.
I want emphasize that last point: an Admirals Club day pass is active for 24 hours and in that time you can visit as many Admirals Clubs as you’d like. Because our trip to DC lasted 22 hours, we were able to enter both the JFK and DCA Admirals Clubs with just one pass active per person.
Location and hours
The Admirals Club at the E concourse is opened from 4:45am to 10:15pm Sunday through Friday, and on Saturday from 5:15am through 8:15pm.
As I mentioned in the intro, DCA has Admirals Clubs at the D, C and E concourses. Our flight departed from gate C5, but I wanted to see the E concourse Admirals Club since it’s one of the newest ones in the network and boasts American’s updated decor. To get here you have to turn left after you come down from the security checkpoint, and walk essentially to the very end of the terminal. The signage is not specific about which Admirals Club you’re heading towards, but you can assume you’re going to the correct one by looking at the gates you’re heading towards.
As you exit the long hallway connecting E concourse to the rest of the terminal you can look up and to the elft to see where the actual Admirals Club is. The entrance will then be just a little bit further, and should be fairly easy to recognize, as it sort of juts out at an angle from wall. As you enter the anteroom you can take the stairs up or an elevator.
I thought this space was already very elegant and just such a gigantic contrast with the JFK Admirals Club we visited just the evening before! This definitely seemed like a good first sign of what was to come.
We elected to take the elevator up, which had a lovely, brightly backlit picture of DC’s cherry blossom in it. Then, the elevator opens up into a spacious lobby with a truly elevated design compared to what you’ll find at older Admirals Club locations.
Obviously, the sign announcing capacity controls is a bummer, but as I mentioned earlier we were able to enter because (1) our day pass had already been activated back when we entered the JFK Admirals Club, and these passes are active for 24 hours; and (2) our day pass was provided by the Citibank Strata Elite, and I was told that with such a day pass you can always enter any Admirals Club regardless of whether the pass is already active or not.
Seating at the Admirals Club
Once you pass the lobby and gain entry to the lounge proper, you find yourself on a corridor that extends to the left and right, and straight ahead are windows that provide a nice view onto the terminal. To the right you’ll find the bar and main buffet, while to the left is predominantly more seating. To area to the left is definitely quieter so if you’d like to work, I would suggest to go there. Overall you can already see that the palette includes a lot of woods, stone greys and granite blacks, which provides an almost cabin-like feeling, but in a high-end way. It’s quite the glow-up from the comparatively super drab Admirals Club JFK Terminal 8.
Turning left, the corridor will open up into a larger, multifaceted area. To the back of this space and to the right is prominently different kinds of lounge seating. To the left you’ll find a buffet that predominantly has drinks, and there is a communal table where I mostly saw people working. There is also a large family restroom (pictures later) and there is a customer service help desk.
As you can see there are also variations semi-partitions, designed as a kind of lattice of wooden planks that demarcate and enclose various spaces within the room. I like the design, as it keeps things ‘organized’ without making the space feel small and enclosed.
Staying to the right and middle part of the lounge, there’s different kinds of lounge chairs here, arranged in a ‘living room’ configuration surrounding some sort of coffee table. In the center of this space is also what almost feels like an actual living room, with a larger TV, and various couches and ottomans positioned around it.
Going beyond the first latticed wall you enter another part of the lounge with more seating. There is a fairly impressive center piece here that feels like a fireplace, though there’s no actual fire. In front of it are more couches, coffee tables and some relaxing lounge chairs, and surrounding are a variety of of more lounge chairs organized side-by-side with side tables and lamps. All the way to the right, along windows overlooking the terminal is further lounge-style seating.
And then all the way on the left of the space are relaxation chairs with high walls, to add a little bit extra privacy. I mostly saw people take a nap or rets their eyes here, though windows with all the bright light flooding in may not be the easiest place for a nap. and then along the back is further seating with large, comfortable swivel chairs, and a lovely view of the most northern part of DCA. it was great to sit here and see aircraft coming in for landing!
Over by the drink station were also two phone booths, which had a nice wooden paneling inside and out. Inside was a small shelf and a comfy chair.
If we now go to the other side of the lounge, going back through the corridor and passed the lobby, we get to the main bar of the lounge, which will appear on your right. Like the rest of the lounge, I thought this was a very nice design, a modern chic with a lot of wood and grey and black stone. The bar stretches out along the entire front face of the space, with seating for 6 or 7 people.
The bar had a good selection of drinks available with various wines, beers and liquors, all clearly displayed and menus were available as well. I ordered a local beer of… well, I forgot them name. Regardless, I like that local products are available, as it adds some uniqueness to the lounge among the others in the network.
Then along the bar, and over in the center of the space, are a collection of dining tables along a banquette. The majority of tables here are setup for 2 people, but along the banquette are also various tables setup for 4 people each. Those are definitely in the minority, though, so if you come with a large party, you may need to spread out a bit
It is among one of these tables that we sat down initially, grabbed some food and had a beer. The chairs are comfortable, but note that most of the free-standing tables have no outlets. The ones along the banquette do.
The main dining portion of the space is physically separated by more of those latticed wooden walls, as seen in the other part of the lounge, with an area that has several booths and a more lounge-style setup down the middle of it. These booths are nice because each booth is separated from the others through high walls that extend from the backrest. We later sat here a bit to do some work.
Along the back of the space are tall windows, along which is a counter with high-top chairs. This was a fairly functional place to sit and work, with on the left an iMac and a small room with a printer.
So, I guess this is supposed to be the lounge’s office setup, which is not particularly impressive, I have to say. it would have made more sense to place these amenities in the other space rather than here, where it is a comparatively louder, with people walking around, eating and talking.
Finally, if you’d continued walking down the corridor, not going into the bar and dining portion of the space, you would ultimately get to the restrooms. In front of the restrooms, along the wall, are a variety of these sorts of phone booths. Every ‘cubicle’ has a small shelf with a power outlet, but no chairs or stools. I don’t think standing here for a phone call would be particularly comfortable, especially given that there are private phone booths on the other end of the lounge. I did like the fabric, textured walls, though.
Overall, the design and decor of this lounge is quite beautiful. I was impressed by the warm color palette, featuring a lot of wood in thoughtful patterns and designs, with lovely details throughout the lounge. The stone motifs in darker colors complemented the wood very well for an elegant design that felt inviting and relaxing. Every space had a logical layout with interesting center pieces. The bar and design area had a functional layout with comfortable seating, though I wish every table would have had power outlets. I’d also think that the ‘business center’ of the lounge is not very well thought-out, and feels like a bit of an afterthought.
It’s absolutely clear that this lounge is a huge step up from the older Admirals Club design, which seems drab and uninviting in comparison. Let me be clear though: It’s currently only the club at the E-gates that has this design: the C and D Admirals Club still feature the older design.
Food and drinks
The food in the JFK terminal 8 Admirals club was not very good. I’d even say it was quite mediocre – not because it tasted bad, but because it was a rather bland offering for a lounge. Would the DCA E-gates lounge have better food?
Well, yes, I do believe the food in this lounge was better. Broadly the number of options were about the same. That is: two hot, a spread of salad, cheeses and cold cuts, and some breads. However, I think the hot options were higher quality and the spread of salads was more interesting.
The hot options consisted of a ‘smothered chicken and Andouille’ sort of stew, which ws quite tasty. The chicken consisted of chicken strips, which seemed rather processed, unfortunately. The other option was cheese grits, which I didn’t try.
The better part here was a spread of salads. The hummus was of good quality, and I liked the fresh vegetables and salads. The cold cuts were quite nice too, though the bred wasn’t particularly fresh or anything. Then, for dessert, the options were essentially identical as at the JFK terminal Admirals Club: an option of cookies and red velvet cake, the latter of which was surprisingly moist and delicious!
But, I do ask: paper plates? I was a little shocked to see that a lot of the cutlery and tableware were disposable.
For drinks, the buffet included a soda fountain, which also served water and ice, and an espresso machine that made all sorts of coffee and hot water. A variety of teas were placed next to the machine. Again there were msotly disposable paper cups available, but this sort o =f makes sense to me if you want to take this on the go, on the way to the plane.
As I ahd mentioned before, the space at the other end of the lounge also had a drink station. Here there was also a fridge with a variety of fruits, such as apples and oranges, and yoghurts. For drinks there were the same espresso machines, but also two large reservoirs with unsweetened ice tea and water.
All in all, the food at this Admirals Club was better than what we found at the JFK Terminal 8 location, but not by much. The chicken was tasty enough, but did taste rather processed. I did very much like the larger spread of vegetables and salads, and the dessert was quite delicious. That said, I wouldn’t come to this lounge with the specific intention of having a meal.
Restrooms
Note that there don’t appear to be showers at the Concourse E Admirals Club.
Restrooms cna be found in two separate locations. The larger set of restrooms is on the side of the club that has the bar. Rather than turning right towards the bar or seating areas, simply continue heading straight from the main corridor to where the booths are locates, and the restrooms will be on the right.
I loved the details on these entrances. Look at the Mens/Women sign on the top of the devider that juts out of the wall. i think it was an elegant and playful way of creating the restroom signage, as opposed to a regular sign hanging off the wall. And then when you approach the door, I very much liked how the American Airlines logo is playfully incorporated into the door handle.
The restrooms are quite lovely, and look elegant. On the left is a row of large sinks set ina. white counter with a dark granite backdrop and tall mirrors, while the actual urinals and stalls have wooden accents that contrast nciely with the dark granite and white back wall.
The urinals are divided by something of a glass screen which ins’t as translucent as it might look, for privacy. I loved how the stalls have almost floor-to-ceiling walls and doors, and inside there is a multitude of hand holds for those need it.
There is a second restroom on the other end of the lounge. This restroom is essentially a single family restroom that is accessible and provides a variety of amenities for all that may need to use this restroom. Immediately to the right is a larger sink and mirror, and to the left of that you will find the toilet. There are plenty hand holds. And on the opposite wall (not photographed) is a changing able that can be pulled down from the wall to provide care for a child, if necessary.
Overall, I did note that there was already some wear and tear at the urinals, which was disappointing given that this club is only about two years old. But otherwise, these restrooms are pretty chique and a big improvement over the ones in the older clubs. I really like the color palettes and choice of materials, which mix well to give a more sophisticated feel than what the older clubs could muster.
Summary
Overall, this is a beautiful lounge with comfortable seating, that is quite pleasurable to sit and relax before your flight. I really liked the decor and felt it was a big step up from the previous generation of Admirals Club decors. Despite the suspension of day pass purchases, it was still quite busy, but if you stick to the northern part of the lounge (the non-dining portion) you should be fine to find a quiet spot to sit. I will say that the food would not be a reason for you to visit the lounge, unfortunately. It’s not bad, but it does feel rather processed, akin to cafeteria food. That said, I appreciated the selection of drinks at the bar, and I liked local products were available. Concluding, if you’re looking for a place to spend some time, have a beer, relax or do some work before your flight, this is a lovely lounge to do just that.
Points to Seats 
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