Trip Report & Review – American Airlines Flagship Lounge LAX Terminal 4

I purposely redeemed with American for my return flight from Maui (OGG) to New York so that I could fly in first on one of their new Airbus A321 transcontinental flights from LAX to JFK (see – Disappointing American First Class Experience on the A321 LAX-JFK). The first class flight also granted me access to the AA Flagship Lounge at LAX located in Terminal 4.

This is part four of a five part trip report from my recent travels to Maui.

• United Club – Newark Terminal C near Gate 120
• United BusinessFirst – Newark (EWR) – Honolulu (HNL), United’s longest non-stop domestic flight
• Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort – Diamond Suite Upgrade
• American Airlines Flagship Lounge – LAX Terminal 4
• American Airlines Airbus A321 Transcontinental First Class – LAX – JFK

The lounge is located across from gate 40 and shares an entrance with the Admirals Club. Once your credentials are checked, you are given a special keycard to access the Flagship Lounge. Flagship Lounge access is granted if you are:

• A First Class customer with a same-day (or before 6 a.m. the following day) itinerary that includes a qualifying international or 3-class transcontinental flight marketed and operated by American or a oneworld airline
• An AAdvantage Executive Platinum member (regardless of cabin flown) departing or connecting to a qualifying international flight marketed and operated by American or a oneworld airline
• A oneworld Emerald customer (regardless of cabin flown) departing or connecting to any flight marketed and operated by American or a oneworld airline (besides American’s own Emerald members who must be flying internationally).

Through the Flagship doors…

There’s another desk staffed with agents, though you won’t need to show your boarding pass again.

The lounge was absolutely empty at 9PM at night.  There was a family of four and 3 single travelers, that was it.  Plenty of seating everywhere!

Seating was comfortable and there were many different seat choices to choose from, though I found them (and the lounge overall) to be a little reminiscent of the ’90s and a bit stodgy. It surely didn’t have a new and modern feel to it.

Hot food choices included grilled chicken with dried cherries, olives, & chiles, teriyaki sesame roasted salmon, rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable soup.

Cold choices and desserts included quinoa, mixed greens, deli meat, cheeses, and sandwiches (lemon tuna salad / sun-dried tomato baby kale ricotta / Moroccan spiced chicken salad).

The grab-and-go snack area included fruit, Kashi and Nature Valley bars, and Milano cookies.

My dinner…

There’s also a top-shelf bar and a variety of soda and juices to choose from…

Showers and workstations are also available in the Flagship Lounge

These massage chairs also reminded me of the ’90s hah!

The lounge officially closes at 11:15PM, but the staff started shutting down around 10:45PM. I was asked how many drink coupons I wanted for the regular Admirals Club where I would need to relocate as they would remain open until 12:30AM.

Overall, the lounge was definitely nicer than a standard Admirals Club and I appreciated the hot chicken and salmon dishes. However, I think the fairest comparison in terms of offerings would be to an international carrier’s business class lounge (though that’s being generous with the food). This lounge just feels old (standard outlets, no USB chargers, ancient fax machines) and it certainly doesn’t give off the more modern feel of Delta’s newish LAX SkyClub offering (see – Trip Report & Review – Delta’s Updated LAX Sky Club).

Need assistance with your next award trip? Consider the Juicy Miles award booking service for all your redemption needs.