Before boarding my Lufthansa First Class flight to Frankfurt I made sure to arrive at Chicago O’Hare International extremely early. Although my flight didn’t depart until 10PM I ended up getting to the airport around 6PM. That gave me about 4 hours to visit several Star Alliance lounges in Chicago O’Hare.
I know getting to the airport 4 hours early to visit lounges sounds a bit ridiculous, but this has been my only chance to do so over the past few years. For that reason I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity.
After clearing security I decided to the first visit the United Club near gate B6. I specifically visited this lounge because I remember reading about it when it reopened in late 2016. When United renovated the lounge it was regarded as one of the nicest lounges in the United network. I’m happy to say that after my visit it’s easy to say why that is the case.
Entering The Chicago O’Hare B6 United Club
As you walk through the B Concourse the entrance of the United Club isn’t exactly obvious. I’d bet if you didn’t know what you were looking for you’d happily walk right past it.
Before going inside I tried to get a picture of the facade of the lounge with the sliding doors shut, but that was impossible thanks to the endless parade of guests entering and exiting the lounge.
Once inside the rather unassuming entrance you’ll find a few check-in counters. The check-in process to United Clubs surprised me. All you have to do is scan your boarding card or mobile pass on the scanner and you can then proceed inside. Several “regulars” walked by, scanned their phone, and proceeded upstairs without saying a word to the check-in agent. This is a big difference when compared to Admirals Clubs for example where you must show your boarding card and government issued ID.
When I scanned my boarding card the check-in agent promptly informed me that I had plenty of time before my flight and that I could instead proceed to the much nicer United Polaris Lounge. I appreciated her saying something as I’m guessing many who aren’t familiar with O’Hare wouldn’t have known about the better lounge option. As I wanted to visit this lounge specifically I politely declined her offer and proceeded up the escalators.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Sitting Area
Immediately after stepping off of the escalator you enter the first of many sitting areas found within the lounge. The first room is a large open area with a ton of large lounge chairs.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Sitting Area
In between each chair was a side-table with a reading lamp and built-in power outlets.
What I liked most about this first room of the lounge were the high ceilings and elegant light fixtures. Aesthetically speaking this is one of the nicest looking domestic airline lounges I’ve ever visited.
Overall, this first room of the lounge is quite impressive. United has done an incredible job with the 2016 renovation of this lounge.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Guest Services
After looking around the first room of the lounge I decided to explore other areas of the lounge. One thing I quickly realized when walking around was just how big this lounge is. The footprint of the lounge is massive. As I proceeded toward the rear of the lounge I first passed a Guest Services counter where United agents can assist with reservations.
While I’m not sure that paying $50 for a day pass is worth it (unless you plan on eating a lot of pub mix and drinking many bottled domestic beers) I’ve long maintained that paying the $50 is well worth it when dealing with a flight delay or cancellation. In those situations I’ve found the Lounge Agents are your best bet to get on the next available flight quickly.
When I used to have Admirals Club access I can’t tell you the number of times a lounge agent was able to get me to where I needed to be. Whenever I found myself in a difficult situation I would typically first go to the lounge to get help even before calling American. Keep that in mind if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Buffet
As I didn’t need any assistant with my reservation on this particular trip I instead proceeded the first buffet area of the lounge. This section of the lounge is located toward the back of the first sitting room after you ascend the escalators. When you arrive you’ll find a lengthy buffet line with the typical domestic airport lounge offerings.
There was a selection of fresh vegetables some cheeses, and a very cheesy pasta dish. At the far end of the buffet line was a drink station complete with two coffee makers, two illy coffee carafes, and a Coke Freestyle machine.
After grabbing your food you can opt to sit at one of the many counters located in this section of the lounge. Similar to the first room of the lounge, power outlets in the buffet area are plentiful.
One thing that I thought was odd about this section of the lounge was the wall of Phone Rooms located just behind the buffet line. While I’m always happy when lounges offer phone rooms if found the location of these particular phone rooms peculiar.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Productivity Area
After sampling a few items from the buffet line I proceeded to the very back of the lounge. Just behind a large blue glass wall in the first room is a second sitting area. This area utilizes 4-top cafeteria style seating opposed to the large comfortable chairs found in the forward room.
Although the seating options were less comfortable this area was much more crowded than the forward sitting area during my visit. I suppose these seats are more conducive for working on a laptop which would explain why more customers opted to sit here than in the front room.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Hallway
Now, don’t let the title of this next section mislead you, this area was much more than just a hallway. That being said, it is the hallway you must pass down if you with to visit the bar area of the lounge. As you walk toward the back room of the lounge you’ll walk down this hallway which features several of the fantastic United Airlines prints of planes from years past.
There was also this “magazine rack” which essentially just served as an advertisement for United’s magazine stand feature of their mobile app.
Another thing you’ll notice as you pass down this hallway is that there is even more seating available. Along this walk you’ll find the same counter style seating options as those offered in the first buffet area of the lounge.
I say first buffet because as you exit the Hall of United you’ll stumble upon the Second Buffet Area of the lounge.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Second Buffet Area
The food/drink offerings in this section of the lounge were identical to those offered in the first buffet area. The only discernible difference was that this area also had a small dessert offering.
As you can see, it’s the same exact buffet line and beverage stations as those found in the first buffet area.
This area of the lounge was however much more open than the first buffet area. The low-top tables and lack of walls made this section of the lounge feel quite spacious.
Off to the side in this area was a satellite beverage area which offered still and fruit infused water options in the same plastic United cups found on board United aircraft.
United Club Chicago O’Hare B6 Full-Service Bar
Finally, toward the very back of this lounge is the full-service bar. I guess United figures if they put the bar as far away from the entrance as possible guests may not want to make the walk for a free drink.
The bar looked quite nice and was very large. The only downside to this setup was that only bartender was working when I stopped by so it took some time to get a drink. That’s not to say the service I received was bad, it just took a little while longer than it would have with two people working the bar.
Also in this area of the lounge is yet another sitting area. This time however the area offers a generous mix of both low-top tables and large leather lounge chairs.
After snacking on some vegetables desserts and polishing off a nice cold glass of domestic draft beer I was ready to leave this lounge and visit the infamous United Polaris Lounge.
Final Thoughts
United (and American) is mixing things up with their network of airline lounges. In years past all lounges around the world were simply known as United Clubs. However, going forward United is going to operate both United Clubs and Polaris Lounges. United Clubs are marketed toward the frequent domestic business traveler while Polaris is intended for the premium cabin international flyer. United Clubs come with vegetable buffets and draft beers while Polaris Lounges come with sit-down dining, shower suites, and premium alcoholic options. It’s important to keep that in mind in regards to this review.
I say that because as far as a world-class international airline lounge is concerned this lounge is awful. BUT for a domestic airline lounge it’s fantastic. United did a great job renovating the space. The finishes of the lounge look great (even two years later) and the snacks/beverage options are perfect for those with a 1-2 hour layover in between flights to/from Tucson. This lounge is definitely much nicer than many of the Admirals Clubs I used to frequent back when I had Admirals Club membership.
Also, one thing I didn’t mention until now is that the WiFi in this lounge was INSANELY fast. I did a quick speedtest on my computer and got well over 100m/s download speed and well above 10m/s upload. The fast WiFi and ample power outlets further shows that United caters these United Club locations for the road warrior.
