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If you told me in 2016 that in less than 10 years, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) would not only be my number-one choice for flying out of New York but also offer one of the best airport lounges in the United States, I would’ve choked on my Auntie Anne’s pretzel. But here we are.
After receiving the honor of best new airport terminal globally by aviation rankings group Skytrax last year, LGA’s Terminal B is now home to the latest Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club, which opened on January 16 with 21,850 square feet of space where travelers can wine, dine, and relax before their flights.
The new LGA location is Chase’s third full airport lounge to open—following Hong Kong in 2022 and Boston in 2023—as well as its largest to date. (The first Chase Sapphire Terrace, a smaller lounge alternative, opened in Austin in 2023.) I got a sneak peek of the new LGA airport lounge before it opened to the public. Here’s what it’s like inside—and how to access it.
The two level lounge has more than 20,000 square feet for travelers to enjoy.
Photo by Lyndsey Matthews
Where is the lounge located inside LGA?
The Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club is located post-security in LGA’s Terminal B, which is serviced by United, JetBlue, American Airlines, Southwest, and Air Canada. (Travelers flying through Terminals A, C, or D won’t be able to access it, unfortunately.) After passing through Terminal B security, head up one floor via the escalators or elevators to the left and go through the food court with the waterfall at its center. The new Chase Lounge is located just past the American Express Centurion Lounge at the end of the corridor. (If you turn left and head toward the gates, you’ve gone too far.) The lounge is open from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
The circular bar is the centerpiece of this new airport lounge.
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
What’s it like inside?
As the sliding glass doors of the lounge opened, I was greeted by three friendly staff members at the welcome desk. From there, the two-level lounge opens up into a large main dining area with a circular cocktail bar at its center, cozier seating areas tucked away on the sides, plus a mezzanine accessible by a grand staircase or elevators.
I beelined to the left side of the dining area to check out the self-serve beverage station, where I poured a glass of cold brew from a tap. Made-to-order beverages using beans from local favorite Joe Coffee are available at the bar from an on-site barista.
Just beyond the beverage stations, I found ready-to-eat hot and cold food (in individual servings in lieu of a buffet) replenished regularly from an open kitchen. I helped myself to dishes like kale salad with smashed avocado, roasted cauliflower with tahini dressing, and a creamy salt cod brandade (dip) made with potatoes by Joseph Leonard, a local bistro in the West Village. Each table comes with a QR code that can be scanned for made-to-order food, such as brussels sprout hash with bacon and poached eggs for breakfast, from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and roast beef sandwiches with melted raclette and horseradish dressing, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The specialty cocktail menu is curated by Apotheke.
Photo by Lyndsey Matthews
The bar serves an array of beer, wine, and spirits, plus a specialty cocktail menu curated by Manhattan’s Apotheke. Though I didn’t partake during this visit, when I return I look forward to ordering a Blackburn’s Sour, a mix of Zaya Rum, rhum agricole, blackberry, raspberry, açaí, ginger, lime, and golden pea shoots. (Or, for a pick-me-up, I’ll try the Red Eye with Crop artisanal vodka, Joe Coffee espresso, black cherry, lime, pearl dust, and marjoram.)
Beyond the robust food and drink offerings, the most striking feature of the lounge is its comfortable yet modern design, which eschews hard edges and plain white spaces for undulating walls, textured wood and velvet surfaces, and contemporary art and photography. Chase’s design team purposefully decorated the lounge to feel like a private hideaway from the rest of the airport, with luxe yet comfortable furniture from Italian brands including Cappellini, Poliform, Moroso, and DePadova. The art throughout the lounge is curated from the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection and features work from the likes of Matthew Kirk, a Navajo artist born in Arizona who now lives in Queens, and Jeffrey Gibson, a Hudson Valley–based artist who draws inspiration from quilting and beadwork designs from his Choctaw-Cherokee heritage.
This lounge features a hidden game room behind a photo booth.
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
Off the main open dining area are several smaller spaces dedicated to cozy lounging in front of a fireplace, taking phone calls in private booths, or sending an email or two before your vacation. Parents can watch their little kids burn off the last bit of energy before their flights in a small playroom with a limited number of toys, while older kids (or kids at heart) can find an arcade with a pinball machine, a shuffleboard table, and a jukebox hidden behind a photo booth in the same area.
On the mezzanine level upstairs there’s an open lounge that presents like a tree house thanks to undulating wooden pillars and plants dripping over the edges. There are no windows in this lounge, but with its high ceilings and abundant greenery, it doesn’t feel claustrophobic.
Sitting at the mezzanine at the Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club at LaGuardia Airport is like sitting inside a tree house.
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
Also located upstairs are three private Reserve Suites by Chase—a first for these branded lounges—that have to be booked at least 72 hours in advance on the Chase mobile app in the Benefits and Travel section and start at $2,200 per three-hour visit. Each suite comes with comfortable seating, television, and desk space as well as an en suite bathroom with a full shower. In addition to a signature caviar service and access to a reserve wine list from New York wine bar Parcelle, guests here can order unlimited food off a special menu from Jeffrey’s Grocery, another local New York favorite.
Inside one of the private Reserve Suites in the LaGuardia lounge
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
Those looking to freshen up for less can head to the Wellness Area downstairs, which has two meditation pods (free, but must be reserved in advance) and two treatment rooms that offer five different 30-minute skincare treatments from Face Haus, a woman-owned facial bar founded in Los Angeles. These treatments are complimentary and can be booked on-site on a first-come, first-served basis.
How to access the LGA lounge
The most direct way to access the new LGA Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club is with a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which provides cardholders with Priority Pass Select membership. Typically, Priority Pass members can enter lounges on their flight date, regardless of airline or class flown, and bring two guests, free of charge. At the new LGA lounge, this holds true for Priority Pass holders with a Chase Sapphire Reserve.
However, Priority Pass members through other credit cards—including the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee), the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card ($650 annual fee, see rates and fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee, see rates and fees)—or outright paid membership will be able to enter a Sapphire Lounge by the Club location only once per calendar year at no cost (with no guests). Any subsequent visit (or guest) will be charged an entry fee of $75 per person.
As in other Priority Pass lounges, a credit card alone is not enough for entry; a Priority Pass needs to be shown. Note that Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders do not have access to the lounge.
Upcoming Chase Sapphire Lounges by the Club at other U.S. airports
On the heels of the LGA opening, Chase will open its next airport lounge on January 23 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Terminal 4 above gate A2. The JFK lounge will offer the full Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club experience and will be partnered with Etihad Airways, which previously operated the lounge in that space.
Though dates have yet to be announced, future Chase lounges are planned for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), San Diego International Airport (SAN), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).
Paul Rubio contributed to reporting. While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.