After a long weekend in Denver visiting friends it was time for us to head back to Austin. Prior to our flight, Mrs. ATX, ATX Jr., and myself stopped by the United Club in Denver International Airport’s (DEN) Concourse A.
United Club Denver Concourse A West Location
United has expanded rapidly at Denver International Airport in recent years and has outgrown their traditional home in Concourse B. The carrier now operates flights from multiple gates in Concourse A, including many of their international flights.
Due to the expansion, United has opened a brand new United Club which is located in Concourse A West. Once you arrive in Concourse A via the train or walkway, follow the signage towards gates A1-A39. The lounge can be accessed via an escalator or elevator near Gate A25.
United Club Denver Concourse A West Hours of Operation
This United Club is open between 6:30a-8:00p daily, covering most of the carrier’s departures from the airport.
United Club Denver Concourse A West Entry Requirements
There are a few different ways to access United Clubs. The most common is via a United Club membership. These annual memberships can be purchased directly and range in cost from $650 for general Mileage Plus members along with Silver and Gold elites, $600 for Platinum, and $550 for Premier 1K. Chase also has a United Club card that comes with access for a $525 annual fee.
In addition to a membership, select premium passengers can access the United Club. Of the big 3 US airlines, United is the most lenient when it comes to club access on premium tickets.
United Polaris Business Class passengers, Business Class passengers on an international or transcontinental flight, and First Class passengers heading to Canada can access the United Club. First and Business Class passengers on a Star Alliance airline and Star Alliance Gold members also have access. Finally, you can purchase a day pass for $59 and prices are discounted for those flying in Premium Plus.
United also offers bundles after booking such as a United Club trip pass & Wi-Fi which is how we accessed the club. The full list of access requirements and terms and conditions can be found here.
Layout
The United Club in Concourse A is spread across two levels. The main level is located above the concourse and is where the check-in desks are located. Stairs and an elevator will take you up to the second level, which surrounds a center atrium.
Upon entering the lounge, there are restrooms and a wellness room along with a secondary check-in/customer service desk for passengers using the elevator. Most guests will head off to the right to access the majority of the lounge. Behind the check-in area is a darker, quieter space with a mixture of seating. Glass windows overlook the concourse below.
Across the walkway from the seats by the windows, is an almost identical seating area accented by a wall comprised of stones. This is the back side of the check-in desks.
While this was one of the quieter spaces in the lounge, strangely enough this is also where the foosball and shuffleboard tables are located.
Some high top workstations are also located near the shuffleboard table. Honestly, this area of the lounge was a strange mix between relaxing lounge space and arcade. Nobody was playing either game during our visit but I could see it being a distraction.
Adjacent to this space, near the lounge entrance, is a small group of high top tables and lounge chairs separated by a small wall.
The first of two bars is situated in front of this area, adjacent to the entrance.
In the rear of the lounge, opposite the entrance, is the downstairs and primary dining area which had a number of booths. However, an entire row of these were roped off haphazardly with a yellow chain.
Also on the lower level are restrooms and a wellness/mothers room which provides a calm, quiet space for moms and babies. It’s also stocked with necessary baby items and has a comfy chair. Keys to this space can be obtained from the Customer Service desk.
Back near the bar and entrance desk is a stairwell that takes guests to the roughly equal sized second floor, two levels up from the concourse.
The second level of the lounge has roughly the same layout as the first. The key difference being there is no walkway on the north side, forming a U shape instead of a circle. At the top of the stairs is a secondary bar area.
On the west side of the second floor is a secondary buffet and dining space along with a large seating area featuring a large fireplace and windows overlooking the concourse below.
Food and Beverage
While I find the new design elements of the United Clubs to be fantastic, the food and beverage department is a space that they are clearly behind the eight ball. While the lounge has two bar areas, they don’t offer a very expansive complimentary beverage selection.
For instance, the only complimentary draft beers on offer are Coors Light and Bud Light. I ordered a tequila soda for Mrs. ATX and was told that they don’t have any complimentary tequila on offer. Though minor in the grand scheme of things, its a smaller complimentary selection than you’ll find in Delta Sky Clubs or American Airlines Admirals Clubs.
On the food front, the two buffet areas featured the exact same items so I only took photos of one of the buffet areas. While the food offerings didn’t look amazing, people sure seemed to like it as there were many occasions where I walked by and saw empty dishes. Lounge staff worked hard to keep items restocked.
First, there is a salad bar with a variety of greens, dressings, and toppings and, directly adjacent to this is a tray of sandwiches.
For the hot dishes, the mains on offer included roasted potatoes, rice, pulled pork, chicken, and macaroni and cheese.
On the dessert front, there were trays of (or at least signs for) chocolate chip cookies, chocolate eclairs, and lemon bars.
Separate from the bars and buffets, drink stations were located on both floors that offered brewed coffee, coffee machines, tea, and water.
Finally, on a small table near the entrance, are small jars filled with snacks. While these aren’t grab and go options, they do offer small cups to hold your snacks while enjoying the lounge. Based on the signage, I assume that the selection of snacks rotates throughout the day.
Atmosphere
As you can probably tell from the photos, the lounge was extremely busy during our visit. Typically when visiting or flying through Denver, I head for the American Express Centurion Lounge. However, when I saw our flight was departing from the gate adjacent to this lounge, the convenience factor made me choose the United Club.
While the lounge was very nice and the staff extremely friendly, the whole place seemed somewhat chaotic. For instance, the upstairs bar couldn’t serve anything in the coolers as the manager hadn’t unlocked them yet. We visited at 4:00 in the afternoon. Also, the staff seemed to be struggling to keep up with demand on the food front. One of the bartenders did tell me that there were quite a few employees call out sick on the day of our visit.
Summary
The United Club in Concourse A West at Denver International Airport is a beautiful space but can become quite crowded, especially as United expands its operation into Concourse A further.
Concourse A is where most of the United, and its Star Alliance partners’ international flights depart from. Denver has historically been a domestic connecting hub but is receiving more service in recent years. This leads to crowding during the international departure bank though, with the size of the Denver Airport and the limited number of clubs, it wouldn’t surprise me if this lounge stayed busy throughout the day.
Assuming you have access to both and you’ve got time to spare, I’d head for the American Express Centurion Lounge instead of the United Club. However, if your flight is departing from the A gates, this lounge still provides a good experience even with its drawbacks.