What’s the best airport lounge? With dozens of different lounges opening in terminals around the world every year, it can be a difficult question to answer.
But a new survey from consumer insights company JD Power seeks to provide travelers with an answer. The new study identifies the top seven airport lounge brands in the United States, according to frequent travelers themselves.
To conduct the survey, JD Power asked travelers in September and October 2025 to rank their satisfaction with U.S. lounges across eight categories, including value of experience; staff; food and beverage, cleanliness/upkeep, amenities, ease of accessing lounge, ambiance, and Wi-Fi service. The company surveyed 1,430 travelers who had visited a U.S. airport lounge in the last year.
The top-ranked airport lounge brand for 2025 is American Express Centurion Lounges, with a total score of 782 out of 1,000.
The swanky lounges are known for amenities like speakeasy bars and craft cocktails, shower suites, plush relaxation areas, and locally inspired gourmet cuisine. Centurion Lounges are located at 17 U.S. airports and 12 major international airports, with more locations on the way in 2026.
Access to Centurion Lounges is limited to travelers with the Platinum Card from American Express and the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card from American Express, as well as the business versions of those cards, so the lounges retain an air of exclusivity.
Travelers with the Centurion Card from American Express (also known as the “black card”) also receive complimentary access to the lounges.
Rounding out the top three U.S. airport lounge brands in the JD Power ranking are both Capital One Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs, which tied for second place with a score of 773.
Delta has undertaken an effort to revamp the entry policies for its popular Sky Clubs in recent years in an effort to control overcrowding. The carrier has tightened rules on who has access and limited how long travelers can stay in the lounges, so each location can feel more calm.
Likewise, Capital One Lounges only debuted in 2021, but they have quickly become beloved by travelers for their fitness rooms and wide variety of food. The company plans to limit complimentary access to only the primary cardholders of its Venture X and Venture X Business cards starting February 1, 2026. (Authorized users can buy an annual lounge subscription, and other travelers can buy day passes.) The lounge network now has six U.S. locations, with a seventh coming to New York LaGuardia (LGA) in 2026.
Here’s the full ranking of the seven best airport lounges in the U.S. for 2025, according to JD Power:
1. American Express Centurion Lounges: 782 points out of 1,000
2. (Tie) Capital One Lounges: 773 points
2. (Tie) Delta Sky Clubs: 773 points
3. Chase Sapphire Lounges: 771 points
4. American Airlines Admirals Clubs: 753 points
5. Alaska Lounges: 748 points
6. United Clubs: 705 points
Availability of airport lounges is also a major factor for travelers when planning a trip. A whopping 82% of travelers surveyed said lounge access influences what airline they choose when booking flights.
The survey also revealed that almost half (47%) of airport lounge customers plan their flights based on access to their preferred airport lounge.
“Airport lounges have become so popular that many airports are now starting to mimic their designs and layouts in their public terminal areas," said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. "Lounges are clearly resonating with travelers, as expanded access through credit card perks and other non-status-related offers has fueled demand, bringing with it the unfortunate side effect of increased crowding. This is driving the demand for additional lounge space within airport terminals.”
The most popular lounge amenity by far is food and beverage, with 74% of travelers surveyed saying they utilized lounges for their cuisine. In fact, more than a third (38%) of customers said they sought out lounge access specifically because of the high price of food in the terminal.
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