United Unveils Opening Date for New Club at Phoenix Sky Harbor

United’s ground experience at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is about to get a glow-up.

The Chicago-based airline will be opening a plush new United Club lounge on September 27, 2022.

The opening of the lounge follows the grand opening of the show-stopping new United Club at its Newark hub earlier in the year.

Here’s what passengers can expect from United’s hottest new airport lounge.

New United Club Opens in Phoenix in September

At 6,080 square feet, United’s soon-to-be-opened new United Club space will have room for almost twice as many guests as Phoenix’s previous United Club in Terminal 2, which closed when that terminal closed in February 2020.

Located in the airport’s Terminal 3, the lounge will be the airline’s 21st non-hub airport United Club.

There will be enough space for up to 122 passengers to comfortably dine, lounge, relax, and, if it’s absolutely essential, work.

Similar to United’s brand-new Newark United Club, fixtures and furnishings of Phoenix’s new United Club have also been locally sourced. Watch out in particular for some artwork created by local artists, including a gorgeous hand-painted mural by Blaise Daino and 2 eye-catching paintings by Carolina Caples.

Additional amenities to write home about include a wellness room, baby changing facilities, and unisex bathrooms (rather than the usual male/female split).

Access to the New United Club at Phoenix

To gain access to the new United Club at Phoenix, you’ll need to fall into at least 1 of the following categories:

• Be traveling internationally on a same-day United business class ticket
• Be traveling in first or business class on a Star Alliance member airline (at departure airport only)
• Have United MileagePlus Premier Gold or higher status with an international ticket, or Star Alliance Gold status with any ticket
• Be in possession of a United Club membership
• Be a United MileagePlus credit cardholder

Alternatively, passengers can pay a one-time entry fee of $59.

Hot Tip: For everything you need to know about United Club lounge access, check out our in-depth guide. 

As Phoenix is an American Airlines stronghold and hub, United only operates nonstop services to 8 U.S. cities: Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Washington (IAD).

So, why invest in a brand new swanky lounge in a city where you’re not dominant? It’s likely because other than Seattle, United’s routes from Phoenix are to United hub airports. This means there’s a high chance plenty of passengers will only be flying to these destinations to connect on to both domestic and long-haul international destinations.

As such, opening a brand new United Club at Phoenix shows that the airline is investing in its customer experience as passengers get to spend time in the best of the United Club lounges at the start of their journey rather than having to wait until they arrive at a United hub.

Final Thoughts

United is opening a brand new United Club lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on September 27, 2022. This lounge will be the eighth lounge that eligible passengers can access at PHX.

The lounge will provide passengers with enhanced ground experience before boarding their flights to a possible 8 U.S. destinations.