These days it’s almost impossible to visit an airport in any reasonably sized city or tourist destination that does not have an airport lounge. With this in mind, we decided to take a look and see how the concept of airport lounges came about and why they are still so popular today.
Initially designed to be a place where business people could grab a drink and relax before or after their flight having a special club for its elite flyers was the idea of American Airlines Chairman C. R. Smith. The Texas native wanted to create a place where American Airlines could invite celebrities, politicians, and elite customers to go while they waited for their flights.
Only invited guests could use the Admirals Club
Initially only available to invited guests, Smith came up with a nautical theme reminiscent of traveling first class on a luxury liner. Smith wanted his important customers to feel like Admirals of the American Airlines fleet. At the time of its opening in 1939, New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) was one of the airline’s top destinations. In keeping with the nautical theme, the club was called the “Admirals Lounge.” The receptionists were called skippers and bar staff stewards.
Buoyed by the reception of the Admiral’s Club at LaGuardia, American Airlines opened its second member’s lounge in Washington National Airport (DCA) later the same year. Ironically, DCA was located in a “dry area” (a place where alcohol could not be sold). Members were allowed to bring their own bottle and store it at the club for a minimal fee to overcome this hurdle. At one point, it was reported that the club had over 9,000 bottles, some labeled with the names of influential politicians. The Admirals Club changed its policy of storing bottles for members once the Virginia liquor law changed in 1970. The opening of lounges soon caught on with other airlines and airline alliances opening up airport lounges for their customers.
The Concorde Room
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