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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
I'd potentially see some value in spending some time here if you really needed to get a lot of work done at Heathrow's T3, though the amenities and dining are so much weaker than neighbouring Oneworld lounges at the terminal |
3.0
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In June 2025, I flew British Airways’ Club Europe from London to Stuttgart. As part of this, I had access to all of the Oneworld lounges at Heathrow’s Terminal 3. I’ve reviewed the Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways Galleries lounges at the terminal, and the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge at Heathrow T3 was my last stop.
Generally if you’re flying Oneworld and have lounge access, I’d recommend skipping this lounge for the Qantas and Cathay Pacific lounges, which have far superior amenities and catering. However, it’s worth noting that this is probably the quietest lounge in the network, and probably has the best work setup out of the lounges at the airport. So while the food and beverage selection at this lounge is dismal, it might be worth considering dropping by this lounge to get some work done, before heading to one of the neighbouring lounges to grab a drink and a bite to eat.
Do note that this is a review of the business class section of the lounge – there’s a separate first class section. There’s also an Arrivals lounge, which I’ve heard good things about.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Access and Opening Hours
The American Airlines Admirals Club at Heathrow is a Oneworld lounge, which means it’s open to:
- Oneworld first and business class passengers (including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, etc.) – first class passengers have access to a separate section with restaurant dining
- Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members – Emerald members can use the First Class lounge
Other members with access to this lounge include (the below need to be travelling on an American Airlines flight, and can’t visit other Oneworld lounges unless they have other means of entering):
- AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard holders
- ConciergeKey and AirPass members with Admirals Club privileges
- Admirals Club one-day pass holders (this costs US$79/7,900 AAdvantage miles)
- U.S. military travelling in uniform + 2 guests/immediate family
The lounge is open from 5 AM to 6:30 PM, covering all American Airlines departures from the airport.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Location
The American Airlines Admirals Club is located at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3, and is located in the Lounge H area of the terminal. Once you get through the duty free maze, follow the (poorly laid out) signage to Lounges B-H, where you’ll find most of the lounges at the terminal.
Heathrow Airport T3 Lounge Signage
Lounge H is the furthest walk from the entrance to this area, and is home to the beautiful Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, as well as the Admirals Club/American Airlines First Class lounges. As much as I would’ve loved to visit the Clubhouse, today I was headed towards the Admirals Club. Therefore, instead of heading up the stairs to the Clubhouse, I headed straight towards the Admirals Club located on the same floor as the terminal.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Entrance
My boarding pass was scanned, and I was directed towards the Admirals Club area of the lounge – not before passing a sitting area right next to the entryway, though.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Entryway
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Seating and Atmosphere
The American Airlines Admirals Club at Heathrow is one large room, with a couple of protruding areas, as well as a variety of seating configurations. While the lounge has very drab colour tones (mostly grey and dark red), I appreciate that it was well lit, and the far end of the lounge has quite a bit of natural light from the terminal. While the lounge itself spans a rectangular area, it’s designed to feel circular, especially with the centerpiece being another sitting area of sorts (as well as a fun light fixture).
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Seating
It really is armchairs galore here, and when I visited at approx 4:30 PM, the lounge was just emptying out as people left for a 5 PM flight to JFK. There’s an abundance of UK and U.S.-style power ports throughout the lounge.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Seating
Here’s one of the protrusions in the lounge – as you can see, it’s a more intimate area with more access to natural light.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow
On one corner of the lounge was a quiet area, which was deserted throughout my stay. This area featured a darker corner feeaturing chairs with ottomans, presumably for those looking for a longer stay at the lounge.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Quiet Area
By far my favourite feature, and the only one that really makes the lounge stand out for me, is that you can snag one of these four tables by the far end of the lounge right next to the quiet area. These are easily the largest tables I’ve seen in any airline lounge, and overall makes for a very good work setup. There are also six power ports (all UK-style) at each of these desks.
Since the lounge can be quite quiet most of the time (especially since it’s otherwise so lacklustre, especially compared to neighbouring Oneworld lounges), I’d recommend using this space if you had something to send off, and plenty of time to spend before your flight.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Working Desks
This lounge features tarmac views of surrounding gates. In this case, we had views of the gates 13-22 area, mostly including Virgin Atlantic planes.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Tarmac Views
As you can see, there’s nothing exciting about the seating and atmosphere at this lounge, save for the workstations. However, the lounge was very quiet throughout the course of my stay. WiFi measured a healthy 36.3 Mbps down and 53.4 Mbps up.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Food and Beverage
The American Airlines Admirals Club features a small buffet with some limited options. Hot options included rice and curry, pasta, and mixed vegetables.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Food Spread
Additionally, there was a salad bar and some cold cuts.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Cold Options
In terms of drinks and dessert, there’s a pick-n-mix food selection, and some canned drinks.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Sweets and Drinks
While the website touts that there’s a full-service bar available here, all I found was a vat of tomato juice, as well as some self-pour wines and spirits. There’s also a fridge with some beer and more soft drinks, which I forgot to photograph.
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow “Full-Service Bar”
As a food spread this isn’t anywhere near exciting, and I’d highly recommend skipping this lounge for the neighbouring Qantas and Cathay Pacific lounges for far better food and drink options (I even think that the British Airways Galleries lounge has a better food and beverage spread than this).
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Shower Rooms
The American Airlines Admirals Club at Heathrow has seven well-appointed shower suites. I didn’t take a shower this time round, though I had the opportunity to photograph one, thanks to a friendly lounge attendant. Small toiletries bottles are provided. While in my understanding this is one of the larger shower suites at the lounge, from research all shower suites are similarly sized, and feel quite large and well-designed (I appreciate that the suites include a toilet).
American Airlines Admirals Club Heathrow Admirals Club
Speaking of lounge attendants, I found everyone I interacted with at the lounge to be friendly.
Conclusion: American Airlines Admirals Club at London Heathrow
The American Airlines Admirals Club at Heathrow is unremarkable, though quiet, with good work options. In most cases I’d skip the Admirals Club entirely in favour of the neighbouring Qantas and Cathay Pacific lounges, unless I didn’t have access (e.g. if you have an Admirals Club membership/ConciergeKey member on an American Airlines flight). However, if I had a long layover and a lot of work to get done, this wouldn’t be a bad option to spend some time before popping over to another lounge for food and drinks. It may also be the case that this is a good lounge to visit if there’s a wait for a shower suite at the Qantas or Cathay Pacific lounges.
I’d still prefer this to the British Airways Galleries lounge overall, despite the fact that this lounge has easily the worst food and beverage options out of all of the terminal’s Oneworld lounges.
This is why I walk myself right down to the Cathay Lounge.
Me too.