I worked at Dulles Airport for 10 years, was there before the inner trains where put in. Was all moving walkways and as we called them People Crushers.
The all time best lounge I've ever been in was Turkish Airlines in Istanbul. Three levels of food and fun. That was in summer, 2014. Wonder what it's like now.
I use my AX Plat privileges at IAD all the time, they include Priority Pass Select membership. Caveat that the AF and BA lounges have limited hours for Priority Pass holders, and they don't put on a full spread during those hours. Great summary Jeb!
Denver just added onto the B concourse and I got off the plane yesterday and thought I was at the wrong airport. It is so oooo nice with a patio overlooking 2 runways. You should check it out!
Jeb please do a ferry trip in the San Juan Islands in Washington state. It would make great content. They also have sea planes ; ) Kenmore air I believe.
I have never been in an airport lounge before. One day I will make it happen! Thanks for giving us all a peek inside! You are one of the best RU-vidrs out there
I had a lot of fun Cathay lounge hopping in Hong Kong. One of my happy places used to be sitting at the long bar at "The Bridge" not ever having to ask for a refill as I worked and watched all the heavies taking off on their way around the world. Everything in that lounge was exceptionally nice, from the bar, to the food, the restrooms to the full service barista on the extreme opposite end. There was nothing better than a long, warm shower in that lounge after a 15 hour flight before jumping onto another flight up into mainland or likewise in reverse after catching a hydrofoil back from Guangzhou. I think my dream lounge hopping experience would likely be in Singapore or perhaps if I had the opportunity to hit up the new flagship lounges for Etihad, Emirates, Turkish Airlines or Qatar.
for "some" see: most, practically all. I think they are managing to keep about 30 worldwide for now. It's a major detraction from making PP attractive at all imho.
@@meatytraveller I have OW( BA) status so tbh I rarely struggle to find at least one lounge but I appreciate you offering tips & hopefully the info will help others 🙂
@@videosfromelsewhere926 You're talking to a BA FF here buddy. My airlines been in a race to the bottom for decades now 😂 . Hopefully the new bloke, whose made a point of saying he wants to bring back some class, will arrest the decline. That said my beloved BA have some of the best crews going and the lounges are pretty decent and ( normally) free pour. I've been saying since all this began that the airline that fails to adjust to the premium leisure travel market is the one that is doomed because THAT is where airlines money is coming from in the short-medium term at least and those customers want the bells & whistles. They expect a lounge and for it to have good, free and unlimited, F&B. Any carrier stupid enough to think business travel is coming back anytime soon or anything like it used to be deserves to fail. The money now is getting those with medium-high disposable income in the pointy end seats and encouraging all pax to consider Premium Economy on LH flights. Airlines also need to take a good long look at their new lead demographic & realise none of us have big multi year contracts tying us to an airline and that we will walk in a heartbeat if the price point isn't right or 'worth it' in our eyes and poor service just once could lose a FF. Right now I've taken advantage of all the airlines scrambling to status match and I have top/ high level with every alliance going and several non aligned carriers. Of course I can't afford to maintain them all as I pay for my own travel but right now I've got the choice and i'm gonna make use of them all as things start up.
My dream is to lounge hop through AMS!! But I will be at IAD a week from the posting of this comment so I'll have to check out these lounges!! Thanks for the amazing videos!!
As I write this, I've been flying commercial for one day shy of 56 years. Yes, my first flight was on a TWA 707, IAD-LHR on 5/17/1965. In that time, I've learned that their best U.S. airports are like U.S. airlines: A means to an end. Or, an experience to be endured. From 1965 until about 1978, flying in the U.S. was something truly special. Indeed, it still is. But, no longer in a positive way.
I've only been in one airport lounge in Atlanta, GA. I don't remember how old I was, but I was very young. We were killing time while waiting for a flight to Utah or Colorado. I can't remember, and I was too impatient to enjoy said lounge. But I remember being impressed by the fact that one of the employees would come by every few minutes and take away our empty glasses.
Jeb, I flew the 12-hour Cathay nonstop 777 route from LAX to HKG and it was marvelous. I was in premium economy just to see what it was like, and it passed. However, I'm doing all-business now internationally after flying back to Hong Kong from Shanghai in business (because the aircraft didn't offer premium economy; my good luck upgrade.) Point is, flying Cathay Pacific is a good bet. Go do it, and send us a postcard. With a dragon on it, please.
Another great Jeb Brooks production! I have lounge hopped at Dulles many times, and also enjoy doing it at JFK and LAX (although it is more work to leave security to change terminals)
Whenever I see anything about Dulles I can't help but think of Airport 1975 and Gloria Swanson riding in a mobile lounge with Mr. Roper and Frank Costanza.
When I transited through IAD from ORF-EWR back in February, I did exactly what you did, but with a twist; I arrived in Terminal D, hopped on a mobile lounge to Terminal A to hit up the Lufthansa Senator lounge and the Turkish Airlines lounge, then went on the train back to Terminal D and went to the United Club closest to my connection gate, and they let me in, even as a Platinum United Mileageplus member flying on an 737-800 (courtesy upgrade to business). Miami is another great place to go hopping. Check out their Turkish Airlines lounge if you haven't already; it's fantastic, with great bar service and food options, even in pandemic times.
I work at Dulles, I am excited to see the airport busy again and am anxiously waiting for all restrictive rules to be gone and we get back to full service.
Zurich, I've been to that airport so often that I know it's entire layout like it was my high school. I'd love to go lounge hopping there, and I already love it's general public areas.
My then-girlfriend and I skipped our prom in 1970 and instead had dinner at a restaurant in the then-new Dulles airport. As I recall, it was very shi-shi (at least for a high school senior and his girlfriend) with panoramic views of the airfield. We enjoyed it way more than the prom.
Hi Jeb! I’ve been watching your videos for a while now, and they’re so entertaining! One of the best aviation channels on the platform. Keep up the great work!
Another fun thing for me when I travel is doing at least one or two complete circuits on the tram, people mover or train at the airport that goes through all of the terminals. Just to see the views and take photos.
I am m flying First Class on United from San Diego to Portland, Maine this coming Wednesday, with a stop in IAD. I haven't flown in a very long time so booked First/Business. I inquired about using the lounge at IAD, but was told I had to buy a membership. I guess paying for a full First Class ticket isn't good enough for United. So lounge access does not appear to be as simple as you are implying in your video. I also checked out your United review of the Business Class flight from SFO to JFK. While that looked amazing and you get an actual meal service, it turns out my flight from SAN to IAD only provides a "snack". With your high status with the airlines, your experiences with them are far superior than what an average traveler will have. Interesting videos, just not realistic expectations for the rest of us.
Punta Cana, DR has a priority pass lounge with an outdoor pool on the tarmac. Headed there on Tuesday, but I believe it is temporarily closed due to current situation.
Priority Pass is how we accessed the Turkish lounge in 2017 when connected at Dulles from Paris to Atlanta. We were flying business from Paris and really enjoyed the Air France lounge at CDG but we were in economy on a separate itinerary from IAD-ATL so we didn’t have any lounge access from our flight. I was really impressed with the Turkish lounge and would love to check out the Lufthansa lounge!
After all my traveling I have to say that the RJ200 what the most uncomfortable planes to fly on. Cant wait for those to be phased out. Glad to see you're still making videos though!
I know many people think the CRJ200 is a terrible airplane, but it’s useful for short, domestic flights. Even the Dash-8 Q400 is suitable for this task since it’s a turboprop while the CRJ planes are jets with short flight ranges
If you get the chance you should review Paine Field in Everett, WA. The whole terminal is basically a lounge. Plus we know how much you like flying Alaska and they're huge there, well huge by PAE standards.
Next month I'm connecting in IAD on UA's flight to Munich in their Polaris business class. I've visited the Turkish lounge before and suspect that's the best one I'll have access to while I'm there. Mind you I only have 1hr 45min layover so maybe an hour in the lounge. Long enough for me at least but not long enough to lounge hop.
A great video. I often try and transfer through Dulles. Like you, I have Star Alliance Gold in addition to Priority Pass. My favorite airport for lounge crawls is Bangkok with Bangkok Airways, Miracle, Oman, Air France/KLM, Singapore, Thai, EVA, and Turkish. JFK is a hassle with the different terminals, but it is also excellent, especially with the new American Express Centurion Lounge.
IAD is probably the best airport in the U.S. for such lounge hopping since all the decent lounges are very close to each other. I also (pre-covid) enjoy lounge hopping at LAX, although the best lounges are in the Tom Bradley terminal, a pretty long hike from terminal 7 that I usually fly out of. Internationally, Singapore is the clear winner for lounge hopping, with Hong Kong in second place.
Definitely LHR T3 for lounge hopping, if you are flying J on any Oneworld airline. Start off in the AA lounge, especially if at breakfast time, then head to the CX lounge for the dim sum, ending in the QF lounge for cocktails at the bar overlooking the apron. Avoid the BA lounge, nothing to see there when you have these other great lounges to choose from. For those not travelling J/F or without status the choice is a bit more limited now that No1 is no longer accepting Priority Pass. But looking forward to the Centurion Lounge opening for AMEX Platinum and Centurion card holders. HKG is also a great place to lounge hop, from one CX lounge to the other. All of them have exceptional food, drink and service!
Awesome job Jeb. I would have to say that Hong Kong airport is my dream lounge hopper. Using a combination of my AMEX Platinum card and my Oneworld Sapphire status to go to all of the Cathay Pacific business class lounges, the AMEX Centurion lounge and the plaza Premium lounges
I love your videos. Here in Vegas you can get under the planes. Head east of the airport. There are office buildings east of the airport off of Eastern Ave and Sunset Road.
Agree heavily on Credit Cards. As a non-travel CC user (I do cash back cards) and if you pay it off monthly, and you really shop for the right rewards for you you can easily make back any annual membership fees (if your card even has one) and can make enough to really make it worth it. But if you won't pay it off monthly (I Pay it off as soon as I make the purchase) then you shouldn't get one.
Jeb, I flew the 12-hour Cathay nonstop 777 route from LAX to HKG and it was marvelous. I was in premium economy just to see what it was like, and it passed. However, I'm doing all-business now internationally after flying back to Hong Kong from Shanghai in business (because the aircraft didn't offer premium economy; my good luck upgrade.) Point is, flying Cathay Pacific is a good bet. Go do it, and send us a postcard. With a dragon on it, please.
When is the big wedding? That would be an awesome video about the awesome dude and the awesome future Mrs. B. I just want an uncrowded lounge with food. Love the vids...
Air Wisconsin? Worked in the ground handling/customer service operation at HXD for about a year after I retired. Good company. Sadly a CRJ 200 can't get in there with no leading edge slats on the short runway. They are now starting to be overrun with E170/75s that can. Was all Dash-8 when I was there. I was a frequent traveler out of the DC area for years, that was probably my least favorite of the three airports. A lot had to do with location. I hated the buses mostly because of the way the people acted getting on and off, kind of a SWA vibe, LOL.
Great video. We were flying through IAD DEC 2019 and saw all the lounges but we couldn't go into any of them because if the limited hours for PP users. The only good thing about flying during the pandemic is that they are more lenient with the rules for PP users. I was able to visit the AF lounge at SFO this past April which was virtually impossible pre covid.
that is sol cool, to visit all those lounges before flying domestic, that is genius.!!! How many hours before your departure flight did you check in? thanks. keep posting.!!!
Did the same thing a week ago when I was traveling from Greensboro NC. To Buffalo NY. I have visited the Turkish lounge a couple of years ago and I always wanted to come back. Do you live in GSO? Great review and right on point 👍🏽
LHR T3. You have BA, AA, QF & CX all within a few hundred yards and the QF & CX are amazing places. HKG may have some better lounges but they are seriously spaced out and often suffer capacity issues.
I think the only time I have ever been in an airport lounge was many years ago when I got into an Ansett Airlines Golden Wing Lounge (anyone else remember Ansett?) as a guest of someone who was a member.
