United Club at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport [Review]

I visited the United Club at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in June 2025. It was my first visit to a United Club and also my first time using a United Club pass from The New United℠ Business Card.

It was more of a functional than luxurious lounge visit, but I had no complaints. While I wouldn’t go out of my way for this lounge, it was a perfect stop while flying out of a United gate practically next door.

Let’s look at what you can expect if you visit this lounge, from checking in to food, amenities, and surprisingly fast Wi-Fi.

What Are United Clubs?

United Clubs are airport lounges operated by United Airlines that offer eligible travelers a quiet place to relax. The lounges typically feature complimentary food and drinks, Wi-Fi, and workstations. Though United Clubs don’t offer the luxurious amenities of the more exclusive United Polaris lounges, you can expect a comfortable place to grab a bite to eat, take a load off, or get some work done.

There are nearly 50 United Club locations, including clubs in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. The United Club at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is among the smallest United Clubs, but it still has helpful amenities, including a hot and cold buffet, a full-service bar, Wi-Fi, and power at every seat.

United Club Location

The FLL United Club is in Terminal 1 next to the escalators and near gate C1. It’s one of only 3 lounges at FLL and the only lounge in Terminal 1.

Terminal 1 is separate from terminals 2, 3, and 4. Getting between the terminals using courtesy shuttles or walking trails is possible. However, all interterminal transportation is before security checkpoints. If you’re flying United, you’ll likely depart from Terminal 1, which offers easy access to the lounge.

The lounge is open daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Location was the main reason I visited, because it could not have been more convenient. My flight departed from gate C1, the closest gate to the lounge. I could see the gate from the lounge entrance, so it was easy to hang out until right before boarding time.

Hot Tip:

If you have a United Club one-time pass, it might be worth using it at this club for a layover or flight departing from Terminal 1, as it offers convenient access. However, pass access is subject to availability, so have a backup plan if the lounge is full.

Gaining Entry

The lounge entrance was clearly marked and easy to find, with blue sliding glass doors featuring the club logo, a display with hours of operation, and a banner with one-time pass updates.

United Club access is open to:

• United Club members with a same-day boarding pass for travel on a United, Star Alliance, or contracted partner-operated flight. Guest access isn’t available for individual members, but All Access members can bring up to 2 adult guests or 1 adult and dependents under 18.
• The New United Club℠ Card and United Club Business card members with a same-day boarding pass for travel on a United, Star Alliance, or contracted partner-operated flight. You can bring 1 adult guest and dependents under 18. Cardholders with All Access membership benefits from Premier Gold status or $50,000 in spending within a calendar year can bring 2 adult guests.
• United Club one-time passholders with a same-day boarding pass for travel on a United, Star Alliance, or a contracted partner-operated flight. Access is subject to availability, and guests aren’t included.
• Passengers with same-day boarding passes for premium cabins on United Polaris business class, United Business international and transcontinental flights, first class on a Star Alliance member airline, or business class on a Star Alliance member airline.
• Star Alliance Gold members with a same-day boarding pass for flights operated by a Star Alliance member airline.

I have the United Business card, which offers 2 United Club passes annually. I used one of my passes for this lounge visit. There was no wait at the door, and I walked right up to the front desk, where the attendants were happy to show me how to pull up my club pass in the United app. It took just a moment to scan my club pass and boarding pass. Once I was checked in, I was directed to the dining room around the corner.

First Impressions

I read a few reviews ahead of my visit to gauge whether it would be worth using one of my United Club passes. One said this is a decent lounge, but not worth getting to the airport early to visit. That’s a fair assessment, and it was easy to see upon entering the lounge.

I liked that the lounge had a separate dining area and some style, with fireworks-style lighting above the bar and aviation art in the main seating area. It wasn’t busy, and guests were very quiet. It was a nice place to take a break before boarding.

Seating

There was dining seating in the buffet room, several seats at the bar, and varied seating in the main lounge area. Dining tables with benches were along the walkway into the seating area, with various pods of armchairs and a long shared workstation table.

I flew out midday on a Saturday, and the lounge wasn’t crowded at all during my visit. It was mostly filled with couples and solo travelers. There was hardly any noise, as most guests quietly used devices. They mostly stuck to the dining tables and armchairs, and we all had plenty of space to spread out.

The dining tables were combined with booth seating and were convenient to the bar.

A large table in the middle had several seats and a few outlets on top — great for working on a laptop in the lounge.

There were 2 sides to every outlet pod, each with 3 regular outlets and 2 USB-A outlets.

Around the corner from the booths were armchairs with lamps. This area also had 2 high-top tables and bar seating along the wall.

Most of the seats were vinyl-upholstered armchairs with small tables that featured power outlets and USB-A charging ports for each seat.

Some of the upholstery was worn out, like these armchairs at the back corner of the lounge.

I sat in one of the smaller chairs along the back wall, which had a view of the lounge and out to the terminal. I appreciated having an outlet at my seat, and it was convenient to have a small shelf under the table for storage. However, I’m glad the lounge wasn’t busy during my visit, because it would have been tough to share the small table with a neighbor.

The lounge also featured a phone room near the bar, which would have been convenient for privately taking a meeting or phone call without disturbing other lounge guests.

Food and Beverages

The lounge offered a staffed bar and a buffet with a separate dining area. I sampled a ham-and-cheese sandwich, veggie wrap, pickles, olives, and grapes from the cold bar. For dessert, I tried a slice of the mango cheesecake, which was smooth and sweet. I made myself a latte using the machine near the bar, which was as easy as touching a button, and it came out perfectly.

Overall, the food selection was fine — nothing exciting but enough to make a light meal before boarding.

On the cold side of the buffet, there was a salad bar featuring lettuce, toppings, and a quinoa salad. There were also ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

The buffet also included veggie wraps, sliced meat and cheese, and snacks such as pickles, dried apricots, grapes, and nuts.

There were 2 hot dishes. The first was spicy peach-glazed grilled chicken.

The other was creamy corn polenta.

The dessert bar featured mango cheesecake, brownies, and chocolate chip blondies.

Snacks at the end included candy, nuts, and pretzels. With disposable snack cups, you could make your own snack mix to go.

There was a Coca-Cola soda fountain in the corner, but it wasn’t operational during my visit. Drinks were available at the bar.

The full-service bar was staffed and served mixed drinks, liquor, wine, and beer on tap. Behind the bar, there was also a cold-brew coffee tap.

At the end of the bar, there was a coffee station with a coffee machine, carafes, and creamer. Tea and chilled water were also available.

Amenities

The lounge had restrooms, Wi-Fi, a wellness room, and flight information screens.

Restrooms

The restrooms were in the hallway near the buffet, and they were clean and spacious.

Restroom stalls were large with enough room for luggage, if needed.

Wellness Room

Near the bar, there was a wellness room with a baby icon on it, suggesting it was for nursing or pumping mothers or families with small children. It was a private room with no windows and a lock, easily found next to the phone room, so anyone needing it could see and request access to it.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi was very fast and easy to connect to, with download speeds of around 195 Mbps and upload speeds of 190 Mbps.

Departure Boards

Near the front door were information screens with flight statuses on them.

Service

Aside from checking in, which was friendly and smooth, my staff interaction was limited. The lounge operated efficiently with a hands-off staff presence. The buffet was sufficiently stocked, tables were clean, and it was easy to help myself to a latte at the bar.

Final Thoughts

While this wasn’t an outstanding lounge experience, it was convenient and gave me a calm space to unwind and grab a bite just steps away from my departure gate. It wouldn’t be worth using a pass on a short visit unless you’re hungry or need charging outlets, and it hardly compares to the Escape Lounge in FLL’s Terminal 3.

Still, sticking around Terminal 1 to enjoy the perfectly fine United Club made for an easy travel day. This lounge is great if you’re flying out of a nearby gate, want a bite to eat, or need to take advantage of the fast Wi-Fi and generous charging outlets.