Over the Thanksgiving weekend, M and I were travelling from New York to Cancun for our week long Mexican vacation! Our flight was through the Newark Airport as we managed to snag relatively cheap United flights.
Anyone familiar with flying through Newark Airport will know that it’s not famous for its variety of airport lounges. As a United hub, it only has United lounges across its various terminals. Members of priority pass will be disappointed to find that there are no accessible lounges to them through this airport.
Lucky for us, we had a couple of United Club passes as cardholders of the United Explorer Card. We therefore decided to head to the airport early to check out the United Club lounge there.
Location
The United Club lounge is located in Terminal C of the Newark Airport, beside gate C74. Do not be confused with the other United Lounge (Polaris) in this terminal which is only available for passengers flying in premium cabins.
Access into the United Club Lounge
There are multiple ways to access the United Club Lounge in Newark Airport.
If you have a United Club credit card by Chase or a United Club lounge membership, you would have automatic access into the lounge as part of your entitlements. Alternatively, you can gain access into the lounge if you’re flying premium cabin on a United or Star Alliance flight (though we’d recommend going for the more upscale Polaris lounges instead).
Lastly, you have the option of purchasing a one-time lounge pass for US$59 during walk-up or through United’s mobile application.
Amenities
The United Club lounge can be described as a utilitarian and basic lounge. There are plenty of seats available for guests all around the lounge and some computer terminals for guests to settle their last minute travel needs.
There are private booths available should you need a place to catch up on work before flight. In the booths, there are enough wall plugs and USB ports to juice up all your devices.
The lounge circles around the terminal atrium.
There are 3 small bathrooms spread across the lounge and we think it’s insufficient for the lounge’s capacity. They were all very small and the stalls were constantly occupied (at least in the gents).
Food Options
Food is primarily self-service at the food bar, located at the eastern corner of the lounge. General food options available are yoghurt, fruits and bread. The food are all single-packed for hygiene purposes.
Unfortunately, there are no full service meals available here. This is unfortunate for guests expecting to have a full meal here unlike what we’ve experienced at the amazing ANA Lounge in Narita Airport Tokyo.
They have Chobani yoghurt here which is a good surprise! I really enjoy Chobani yoghurts and appreciate the fact that they served it during our visit.
I got myself a warm sandwich bun and a cup of black coffee to fill my stomach before the flight.
There is a bar right beside the food area which serves alcoholic drinks. A complementary selection of basic wines and beers are available.
If that’s not enough, there’s also a wide selection of premium alcoholic drinks available.
Final Thoughts on the United Club Lounge
Unlike the lounges in Asia that we absolutely enjoyed, the United Club Lounge is relatively simpler and basic. There aren’t many amenities available here for guests to use and the food options aren’t that great.
If you’re thinking of spending US$59 for a single pass here, we’d say forget it. You can better spend your money at any of the airport restaurants outside. However if for any reason you’ve got yourself complementary access to the lounge and your departure gate is nearby, then it might be good to check it out just to grab a drink or snack.
