- United simply opened its largest-ever lounge at Denver International Airport
- The new United Club boasts digital gates for straightforward entry and loads of energy ports
- Like different golf equipment, there are additionally ample seats and free Wi-Fi
While a lot of the main focus with United Airlines’ enhancement to this point this 12 months has been inside its plane or enhancements to its app for Android or iOS, there’s additionally been a concentrate on renovating and introducing totally new lounges at airports.
Dubbed United Clubs, these lounges are accessible by one-time passes, membership, or choose tickets, which supply quieter spots and respite from the final chaos and hecticness of airports. These lounges include advantages similar to seating, cleaner loos, energy ports, Wi-Fi, drinks, and even meals.
Trust me, attempt the signature chocolate chip cookies … they’re merely unimaginable.
Earlier this week, I trekked – effectively, flew – to Denver International Airport to take a look at the most important United Club ever. At a staggering 33,000 sq. ft, it’s a large two-floor house that’s above the final concourse with loads of seating and expansive views of the tarmac.
As you’d suspect, the lounge’s entrance is on the principle ground, caught within the middle of the concourse close to Gate B32. You’ll discover an entry level, however somewhat than a traditional row of desks with screens and United Airlines representatives, you’ll discover three ‘E-Gates’ – aka digital gates – with probably two working as entrances.
Here, if you have already got your go for entry, you’ll be able to merely scan your boarding go and watch because the gate swings open to allow you to in. It’s so simple as that, and in comparison with another entry factors, this might prevent fairly a little bit of time. If you do want help, there’s a service desk off to the aspect, but it surely’s clear that the airline desires to get you in your means up the escalator as rapidly as doable.
This isn’t the primary time E-Gates have debuted at a United Club, however contemplating it is a brand-new house for the airline, the gates are within the playbook transferring ahead. It ought to pace up the entry course of significantly, and we’ll hopefully see this self-scan possibility seem at extra golf equipment, both new or being retrofitted.
Once in, you’ll take stairs, an escalator, or an elevator as much as the principle degree, the place you’re greeted by some hanging artwork, two electrical fireplaces, and loads of seating. United Airlines actually went with a large web for kinds of seats – recliners, loungers, a lot of leather-based coaches, and extra normal seating round tables and even some cubicles.
To the left is a extra normal meals buffet, additionally full with a number of tables, an all-important Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, and little work cubicles, which I believe professionals and college students will actually take pleasure in.
On the appropriate is a full bar with extra seating, a room painted inside a mural – see the photograph under, it’s superior – after which extra expansive views of the tarmac. The entire place feels fairly homey and is designed to imitate the feel and appear of a cabin in Colorado.
Compared to different lounges, there’s actually ample seating and luxury choices to select from – I might see myself taking some calls within the little work cubicles, although they’re uncovered, or choosing a desk alongside the floor-to-ceiling home windows to observe motion on the ramp. The couches, I’ll say, are fairly snug as effectively – I pulled out an iPad mini and watched some TV from there, and hey, I discovered a plug.
One factor United didn’t skimp on was energy – and that’s a essential level, as some people pays for entry to seats, clear services, and energy. Within the design, energy ports are integrated into varied surfaces, together with underneath lamps at cubicles, under rows of longer cubicles dealing with home windows, and built-in into tables or decrease ottomans. All of those characteristic two normal AC shops in addition to USB-A and USB-C ports.
And the kicker is that these particular person ports are set to cost at 15 watts – fairly good and higher than what you would possibly discover exterior. Also, contemplating the worry round juice jackers or nefarious integrations throughout the ports, it’s good to know who put in these.
All-in-all, it’s a pleasant house, elevating all the pieces you’d anticipate from a lounge. There aren’t many TVs, say for above the 2 bars, and there’s loads of lighting at various levels of hotter and cooler tones. United says the latter is finished on objective, relying on the room you’re in – for example, it could be a cooler tone while you first stroll in and a hotter tone in a extra stress-free seating atmosphere.
There is one spot on the second ground of the lounge with additional noise-canceling padding, which, in the course of the media preview when the lounge was not anyplace close to capability, was fully silent – I believe vacationers will actually respect that. You’ll additionally discover all-gender restrooms, wellness rooms, in addition to girls’s and males’s rooms. There’s additionally a recreation room full with a shuffleboard desk.
Throughout the house, there’s a non-public Wi-Fi community for the United Club with respectable speeds. Though I’d recommend you run a VPN when on it, even when it’s extra non-public than, say, the total public Wi-Fi on the Denver International Airport.
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And whereas there aren’t non-public showers, I’d nonetheless name it a really perfect spot for tech followers just because you could find a snug seat, recharge, get a quick connection, and yeah, take pleasure in a cookie. The opening additionally arrives as United Airlines is constant its rollout of Starlink for quicker, free in-flight Wi-Fi, making app updates, and ushering in redesigned cabins with high-tech upgrades.
Speaking to TechSwitch, travel influencer Zach Griff shared, “United’s tech upgrades have been apparent throughout the travel journey, from the mobile app to the updates it makes to its lounges. For instance, the new United Club in Denver offers e-gates that allow travelers to self-scan into the lounge with no need to wait in line. This helps travelers get into the lounge faster, and also frees up agents to solve more pressing travel issues, such as helping travelers when irregular operations arise.”
The new United Club at Terminal B at Denver International Airport is open from at present – July 31, 2025 – on and is close to Gate 32. Its every day working hours are 5 AM to 9 PM Mountain Time. You can entry it with a one-time go, when flying choose premium cabins, with a United Club membership, or with Star Alliance Gold standing.
United expects to open a good bigger membership in Houston at George Bush Intercontinental Airport – and sure, it is going to be bigger than simply 33,001 sq. ft – in addition to one other membership at San Francisco International Airport, and one internationally in Hong Kong.