First Look: The Club MDW Is Now Open at Chicago’s Midway Airport

Updated: September 24, 2025, 10:08am CDT

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Table of Contents

The Club MDW [Amenities, Location, and Hours]
Amenities
Food and Beverage
How To Access The Club MDW
Final Thoughts

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Travelers, rejoice! Chicago’s Midway Airport finally has a lounge. The Club MDW is now open, and Upgraded Points was invited to get a first look at this new airport lounge prior to opening day.

The new 3,265-square-foot lounge celebrates Chicago’s vibrant architectural and cultural history through local art, food, and beverages. Art deco and mid-century modern design elements are evident as soon as you step into the fresh and inviting space. This vibrant, modern lounge features neutral tones and curved lines accented with marble and metallics.

While not a massive lounge, this new addition to Chicago’s Midway Airport will be a wonderful place for travelers to relax before their flight.

Here are the details about The Club MDW, including amenities, hours, and, most importantly, how to get in.

The Club MDW [Amenities, Location, and Hours]

The Club MDW at Chicago’s Midway International Airport opened to the public on September 26, 2024.

The Club MDW at Midway Airport exterior — The Club MDW is centrally located in Midway Airport.

Location: Next to gate B1, across from the food court
Hours: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Access: Via Priority Pass or a day pass

The opening of The Club at MDW is exciting news because it’s the first lounge in the airport’s 96-year history to be open to the general public (there is currently a USO Lounge reserved for military members).

Hot Tip:

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) serves 85 destinations on over 200 flights daily. Seven airlines operate at Midway, and Southwest Airlines carries a bulk of these passengers

Location of The Club MDW at Midway Airport

The Club MDW is in Midway Airport’s Central Market at the intersection of Concourses A, B, and C. It’s right next to gate B1, across from the food court.

The Club MDW at Midway location — The Club MDW is located at the entrance to Concourse B.

Hours of Operation

The Club MDW is open daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Club MDW front desk — The front desk at The Club MDW.

Amenities

The first thing you’ll notice when you enter The Club MDW is large black and white photographs just inside the front doors. These photos (and others throughout the lounge), by local artists Mark Hersch and Angie McMonigal, celebrate Chicago’s architecture and landscapes.

The Club MDW entrance — The lounge’s entrance is beautiful and modern.

There are 76 seats throughout the lounge.

Lounge seating at The Club MDW Midway — There were multiple seating options.

The seating areas have tables and plenty of outlets.

Seating and outlets at The Club MDW at Midway — There were lots of outlets available.

All of the seats, food, and beverage are located in a single open space.

Chicago Midway Airport Lounge — The open-concept lounge isn’t huge, but it’s bright and modern.

Large windows across the back wall provide lots of natural light and close-up views of the tarmac.

Views from The Club MDW at Midway Airport — Seating all along the windows has views of the tarmac.

A large work table is near the windows.

Midway Airport lounge seating — The conference table provides workspace and runway views.

Bathrooms

Two all-gender bathrooms are located at the back of the lounge. Each one is spacious, with a single sink, a baby changing area, and a backsplash done in marble with gold accents.

Food and Beverage

The Club at MDW offers a buffet with both hot and cold items. Beverages (coffee, tea, water, canned soda) and snacks were on one side of the buffet.

This area included cookies and a selection of snacks, including trail mix and candies.

Snacks at Midway Airport Lounge — Snacks and candy were displayed in large glass jars.

There was a selection of teas along with local honey.

Tea and honey at The Club MDW — Local honey is served next to the selection of teas.

A coffee machine was available for espresso and cappuccino. Regular drip coffee and a selection of milk (2%, half and half, soy) were also available.

Coffee machine at Midway Airport lounge — There’s a great coffee machine to make espresso drinks.

Hot and cold food items were located on a separate buffet. Each item clearly displayed allergen information.

Hot and cold buffet at Midway Airport lounge — The buffet includes hot and cold items, neatly displayed on a stunning marble buffet.

Items included pasta salad, fruit, couscous, soy-glazed tempeh, andouille sausage with chili lime rice, and strawberry shortcake.

Lunch at Midway Airport lounge — I grabbed some lunch before catching my flight.

The Bar

The beautiful bar area is the focal point of the lounge.

The Club MDW Midway Airport bar — The beautiful marble bar is the centerpiece of the lounge.

A combination of black and white marble with gold accents creates a contemporary feel. In addition to traditional bar seating, there’s accessible bar seating.

Accessible bar at The Club MDW Midway Airport — There’s wheelchair-accessible seating at the bar.

The menu of wine, beer, and cocktails includes nods to Chicago, including craft beers from Revolutionary Brewing and Two Brothers Brewing, as well as spirits from Chicago-based KOVAL Distillery.

The Club MDW bar menu — The bar menu includes local brands.

Next to the bar is another small seating area along with the flight information display screens.

flight information display board at The Club MDW — Flight information is displayed on 2 screens near the bar.

How To Access The Club MDW

Any passenger, regardless of class of service or airline, can access The Club MDW with a same-day boarding pass. Access is limited to 3 hours before departure.

Passengers can purchase a day pass to The Club MDW for $50. Alternatively, you can get access through a Priority Pass membership. Priority Pass is an airport lounge membership program that offers access to over 1,500 lounges worldwide. Memberships can be purchased for $99 to $469 per year.

Thankfully, many credit cards include a Priority Pass membership as a benefit, including some of our favorites:

Priority Pass at The Club MDW — You can access The Club MDW through Priority Pass.

Bottom Line:

Any passenger with a same-day boarding pass can access the new lounge at Chicago’s Midway Airport. The Club MDW is open to Priority Pass members and day pass holders.

Final Thoughts

There’s great news for travelers who frequent Chicago’s Midway International Airport. The Club at MDW, the airport’s first lounge, is now open. Located near gate B1 across from the food court, it’s accessible through a Priority Pass membership or a day pass.