Within Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IDA), Concourses C and D are for United Airlines flights while other airlines share Concourses A and B. We review the best airport lounge if you have a Priority Pass or relevant credit card.
None of the United Club Lounges at Washington Dulles Airport are particularly good. The best lounge is at gate C17 because it has the largest and nicest interior, but the lounge at gate C7 has better views of the planes as this lounge is situated on gate level as opposed to ground level live C17. The United Club lounge near Gate D8 should only be chosen for convenience as this is not a great lounge.
Airlines that fly out of Washington Dulles include:
- Aer Lingus
- Aeroflot
- Air China
- Air India
- Alitalia
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Delta Airlines
- EgyptAir
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Porter Airlines
- South African Airlines
- Southwest
- Volaris
- Air France
- American Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Emirates
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Saudia Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Air Canada
- Alaska Airlines
- ANA All Nippon Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Frontier Airlines
- Icelandair
- Lufthansa
- SAS
- Sun Country Airlines
- TAP Air Portugal
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
We have already reviewed the best executive or club lounges in Washington DC.
Free Airport Lounge Access
If you have not paid for Business Class or First Class, you can access airport lounges for free if you have an unlimited Priority Pass or an Amex Platinum card. To get extra bonus referral points and advice on the Platinum American Express and other free lounge access credit cards, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.
1. United Club Near Gate C7
United Airlines has four United Clubs at Dulles International. The United Clubs are exclusive to Concourses C and D. Three are found in Concourse C, at Gates C4, C7, and C17. The fourth is found in Concourse D, near Gate D8. These United Lounges are available for departing or connecting United Business Class passengers and those departing long-haul on any Star Alliance airline in Business or First Class. United Club members and Star Alliance Gold members with boarding passes for same-day travel can also access these lounges.
The United Club near Gate C7 is located on the gate level and is the best United Club at Washington Dulles if you want to watch the planes. This lounge has some limited views of the tarmac and is not on ground level like C17 and D8, which means there is a better vista of the planes.
The buffet at the United Club near Gate C7 offers breakfast and snacks and then soups and salads later in the day. The food is sufficient for a substantial snack but not for a full meal. Soft drinks, house wines, and some spirits are complimentary, while premium drinks are charged for.
Wi-Fi and a printer are available in this airport lounge, but there are no showers in this lounge. It is a fairly crowded lounge, so if you aren’t bothered about watching the planes, you might want to try the larger lounge at gate C17.
2. United Club Near Gate C17
The United Club near Gate C17 is the best United Club at Washington Dulles if you aren’t bothered about watching planes. The United Club near Gate is located at ground level and is the largest United Club, but it has almost no natural light. It has newer furniture than the other lounges at Washington Dulles, making this particular lounge look much nicer than the other United Clubs.
It is a smart lounge with workstations, plenty of power outlets, free house alcoholic and soft drinks, and a decent cold buffet that serves a good range of salads, cold cuts, snacks, and soup as the only hot dish. This lounge isn’t great, but the fact that it is larger and newer makes it a good choice.
3. United Club near Gate D8
The United Club at Gate D8 is on the ground floor, and if you are choosing between United lounges, C17 and C7 are better airport lounge choices. However, this United lounge at gate D8 may be more convenient. As none of the United lounges at Washington Dulles is particularly good, there isn’t a brilliant lounge alternative to this lounge.
This club lounge has low ceilings, which makes the lounge feel claustrophobic. There’s a small bar at the back where you can order complimentary house alcoholic drinks or pay for premium drinks. Most seats have AC outlets to charge devices. The big disadvantage of this lounge is that it can get crowded. Because this lounge offers complimentary drinks and food, it is definitely better to use this lounge than sit by the gate, but it is not a great lounge.
4. United Club near Gate C4
The United Club near Gate C4 features a small business center, with conference rooms available for reservation. Food choices include snacks, salads, and soups. House drinks are free, and premium drinks are available at a fee. Again, this is not the bests United Club lounge at Washington Dulles airport.
Copyright Luxury Travel Diary 2014 - 2024. Duplication outside of luxurytraveldiary.com is forbidden.
Note: Benefits & upgrades subject to availability. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing. Terms & conditions apply. Enquire for more information. Posts may be sponsored by the proprietor or brand being appraised. All opinions remain our own & are in no way influenced.