Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is located 3 miles east of downtown Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. We review the best airline lounges at this airport.
Once you arrive at Phoenix, we have reviewed the best hotel executive club lounges in Phoenix.
Free Airport Lounge Access
If you have not paid for Business Class or First Class, you can still access lounges at this airport for a fee or for free if you have a Priority Pass. Get an unlimited Priority Pass with the Amex Platinum card, or you can also access most Priority Pass lounges for free using the free American Express Gold with its two free Lounge Club passes. To get extra referral points and advice on these free-lounge-access cards and more, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.
1. Phoenix Delta Sky Club, Terminal 3
The best airline lounge in Phoenix airport Terminal 3 is pictured above and is located near gate F8. I’m a big fan of Delta Airlines and you and read my Delta flight reviews. They have recently opened their new Phoenix Delta Sky Club (in 2019).
You can access any Delta Sky Club airport lounge with:
- The American Express Platinum Card, and also the Business Platinum Card from American Express, which provides complimentary Sky Club access as long as you’re flying with Delta (even if you are flying in coach)
- Delta’s top co-branded credit card, the Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express
- A Sky Club membership which costs around $495 USD per anum or around 70,000 miles
- A Business Class ticket on Delta or passengers
- Sky Team Premium class international customers can also access to this lounge
- Delta Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion members get free access to this lounge
- Sky Team partner airline elite members also get free access to Delta Sky Clubs
Interestingly, the Amex Platinum will also get you access to the new Amex Centurion “Escape Lounge” at Phoenix airport, reviewed below. Both lounges are brilliant, but the American Express lounges are in a different and separate terminal, so they are not convenient for delta flights.
Delta’s brand new Delta Sky Club at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is located near the Delta gates on the new South Concourse, Terminal 3. It offers a massive 7,500 square feet of retreat with a number of excellent features, including:
- Design inspired by the Southwest desert landscape, with earth tones and rich colors
- Fresh, locally inspired cuisine and healthy food offerings
- A full-service bar that features seasonal cocktails, the Agave Experience – an extensive selection of tequila and mezcal that can be sampled in individual pours or tasting flights – and wine selected by Delta’s Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson
- Artwork throughout, including pieces from regional artists
- Comfortable seating, high-speed Wi-Fi, and easily accessible power outlets at nearly every seat
This lounge is super smart and has peaceful music is playing. The leather seating and muted lighting make it feel more like a private members club than an airport lounge. This lounge really is super swish and has restrooms and a bar at the far end.
For drinks, there is a soda fountain with lots of cokes and sprite-type drinks on tap. There is iced water and iced tea out of big glass jugs. There are also complimentary and paid alcoholic beverages available, including beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails. I am personally disappointed with the lack of cans and bottled water. While I admit, cans and bottles are far worse for the environment, I worry about the hygiene of shared spout water and soda fountains. In addition, you can’t pick up a bottle of water for the plane from this lounge which is a disadvantage.
Food-wise, there’s an extensive and glorious salad area with lettuce and other veggies along with cold chicken, antipasti and tuna, etc., so you can make yourself a salad with sauces how you like. There are two hot dishes containing hot pasta or tomato bisque (both delicious), and there are cold cuts, cheeses, and crackers. It is an excellent food spread with fresh, quality ingredients, so you can easily fill up here.
2. The Centurion® Lounge, Terminal 4
The Centurion Lounge and Escape Lounge are both accessible to Amex premium cardmembers. Both are great airport lounges. Both are also located next door to each other and even share the same entrance across from Gate B22 on the upper level. Bear in mind that there are no airside connections between the terminals at Phoenix airport, so you will probably only want to use these lounges if you are flying from Terminal 4.
You can access this Centurion Lounge for free if you have premium American Express cards, such as The Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Holders of these cards can access Centurion Lounges free of charge with up to two guests.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card cardholders also get free access to the Centurion Lounge when flying Delta on a ticket purchased on any American Express card issued in the U.S. You can also bring in up to two guests for a fee of $50 USD each (Ouch!). Obviously, Delta flies from Terminal 3, so it would seem quite mad to travel to a different terminal to use this lounge when there’s a new, excellent, and so much more convenient Sky Club at PHX in Terminal 3.
At the entrance of this lounge is a plant-covered wall that you get at the entrance to many other Amex Centurion lounges. The look is greys and blues with a glass wall with a view to one end. There are lots of interesting light installations and ceiling paraphernalia which makes this lounge feel very classy. There are sofas, high stools, cafe-style seating, and more, and there’s a stylish bar at one end.
This lounge shares one shower suite with the Escape Lounge, which is nice, but there can be a wait to use it as there is only one.
The food is almost identical to the Escape Lounge next door and reviewed below, but the bar drinks are slightly different, with different cocktails served up by the bartender.
Breakfast includes a wide range of items, including oatmeal with cinnamon, reasons, brown sugar. Eggs & chorizo. Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup. Papas del dia. muesli, assorted dry cereal, pastries, Greek yogurt & granola.
After breakfast, a buffet is served with hot and cold items including cheese and meat charcuterie, bread, tortilla soup, paella rice, mixed grains, cortada salad, roasted cauliflower, el chino, sauteed brocollini, bistec al carbon (flat iron steak), roasted spaghetti and pollo asada.
There are also cookies, cake, and brownies. All the food is beautifully presented and a step above airline food in most airline lounges around the world. This food is chef-prepared, and it shows.
This is a great lounge that gets loads of sunshine and has great views. It is definitely one of the best airport lounges at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
3. Escape Lounge Also The British Airways Lounge, Terminal 4
The Centurion Lounge and Escape Lounge are both accessible to Amex premium cardmembers. Both are great airport lounges. Both are located next door to each other and even share the same entrance across from Gate B22 on the upper level. Bear in mind that there are no airside connections between the terminals at Phoenix airport, so you will probably only want to use these lounges if you are flying from Terminal 4.
Escape Lounges in the U.S. are part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection, so if you have premium American Express cards, such as The Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can access Escape Lounges free of charge with up to two guests.
This Escape lounge also accepts British Airways premium passengers flying, but it is not a Priority Pass lounge. It is a small lounge but is perfectly formed and offers great food.
This lounge’s look is youthful and funky with brightly colored screens, shelves, seating and lights, and a slightly Ikea feel, but in a good way. The combination of reds and yellows, and oranges may sound lurid, but these colors are framed by more demure colors, and the overall feel is classy and uplifting.
The Escape Lounge is smaller than the Centurion Lounge next door and is designed with a living room feel, although there’s also a bar and a cafeteria area too. This lounge shares a shower suite with the Centurion, which is nice, but there can be a wait to use it as there is only one.
This lounge shares a kitchen with the Centurion, so the food is similarly good, with identical offerings at breakfast and immediately after.
There are also cookies, cake, and brownies. All the food is beautifully presented and a step above airline food in most airline lounges. This food is chef-prepared, and it shows.
The spirit selection is chosen by Sarah McElroy, head mixologist of the Escape Lounge network, and there are 5 different cocktails on offer. Best of all, to one side, there are big windows letting in loads of natural light and wonderful views as the sun goes down.
4. American Airlines Admirals Club, Terminal 4
The American Airlines Admirals Club, Terminal 4, is located near Gates A6, A19, and B5. It was recently remodeled, which is a relief as the old lounge was pretty horrible, decor-wise. The new lounge is nice with lots of varied seating and a bar. A great thing about this lounge is the views of the tarmac so you can sit and look out at the planes.
You can access any American Airlines Admirals Club airport lounge with:
- A Business Class ticket on American Airlines or a Oneworld Premium class international ticket can also get passengers access this lounge
- An Admirals Club Membership and An Economy or Coach same-day boarding pass for American Airlines or one of its partners
- One credit card will give you access to Admirals Club lounges, AA’s Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®
- Mid- and upper-tier American elites (Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members) can access Admirals Clubs on qualifying long-haul international flights operated by AA or a Oneworld partner, whatever class you travel
- Oneworld Emerald or Sapphire members get free access when traveling on eligible international itineraries, plus one guest
The food is standard Admirals Club fare with soups, some light appetizers such as couscous, dips, olives, cheese, crackers, hummus, and veggies. Sweets are cookies or brownies. The food is nowhere near as good as the Delta Sky Club or the Amex club lounges.
There’s a soda machine, and cheaper beers and wines are free at the bar, while more expensive spirits and beers are chargeable. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available.
The Delta Sky Club at Phoenix is much better than this lounge but is in a separate terminal. This American lounge is pleasant and better than nothing, but if you have the appropriate American Express credit card, use one of their lounges in Terminal 4 as they are the best in this Terminal.
5. United Club, Terminal 3
The United Club at Phoenix airport in Terminal 2 closed permanently on February 4, 2020, as Terminal 2 will be demolished. United now operates Terminal 3. A new United Club is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in late 2020. It should be a good lounge as it will be a brand new lounge.
It is worth noting that there is currently no Priority Pass lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
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