I love great coffee. I enjoy it at home, and I especially enjoy it when traveling. Of course coffee has the benefit of having caffeine, but for me it’s so much more than that — enjoying coffee is a ritual for me, and I very much appreciate the thought and effort that goes into making a good coffee. A hotel or airline offering solid coffee is always memorable for me, so I’d like to talk about that a bit as it relates to airport lounges.
Airport lounges with the most memorable coffee
Coffee is an airport lounge amenity I really value, so that got me thinking about what lounges have great coffee. There are thousands of airport lounges out there, so I’m not going to claim that I can authoritatively rank the coffee in every single lounge. However, I’d like to share some lounges that stand out in my memory for the quality of coffee that they offer.
One facility that stands out is the Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi (NAN), which is not only open to Fiji Airways premium passengers and oneworld elites, but also to Priority Pass members. This lounge has what might just be the best barista coffee I’ve had in a lounge. During my last visit, I ordered a cappuccino. Not only was it beautifully presented, but the taste was perfect — it was smooth, not at all bitter, and just the right temperature.
Australia is of course known for its coffee culture, so I find that Qantas First Lounges have phenomenal coffee, whether in Los Angeles (LAX), Singapore (SIN), or Sydney (SYD).
Air New Zealand Lounges also have barista-made coffee. What’s cool is that you can order (and customize) your coffee on a tablet, and you can even choose whether you want it in a to-go cup or not.
The Emirates Business Lounge Dubai (DXB) Concourse B has a Costa Coffee shop within the lounge, where passengers can order a complimentary barista coffee. This is such a cool concept, though frustratingly, it’s only open certain hours of the day.
As you’d expect, lounges in Italy also tend to do pretty well with coffee, given how much pride the country takes in good coffee. So not surprisingly, the ITA Airways Lounge Rome (FCO) has great barista coffee.
But the great coffee extends beyond that, with the Plaza Premium Lounge Rome (FCO) also having exceptional coffee.
While we’re hopping around the globe here, Cathay Pacific also deserves credit for serving excellent barista coffee in a majority of its lounges, including in the Cathay Pacific The Pier First Lounge and Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Lounge Hong Kong (HKG). The carrier does better than its Asian peers on that front.
Lounges in the United States are upping their coffee game
As you can see, above I’ve focused on non-US airlines, though I think it’s also important to recognize that lounges in the United States have made a ton of progress when it comes to their coffee quality and variety in recent years.
This is an area where Alaska Airlines shines, as all Alaska Lounges have excellent barista coffee, which can be served in a mug or in a to-go cup, to take on your flight. I very much appreciate the carrier’s commitment to great coffee.
Among the “big three” US carriers, United wins when it comes to barista coffee on the ground. United Polaris Lounges offer great coffee, including a barista setup. We’re also seeing an increasing number of United Clubs offering barista coffee bars, with a huge variety of drinks.
Meanwhile it’s interesting to me that American and Delta haven’t in any way embraced barista coffee on the ground (though Delta’s machine coffee is a bit better than American’s, at least as of now).
Fortunately credit card lounges in the United States tend to excel when it comes to coffee quality. For example, Capital One Lounges, including in Dallas (DFW) and Washington Dulles (IAD), have barista coffee, cold brew and iced lattes on tap, etc.
Amex Centurion Lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges are a bit less consistent when it comes to this kind of stuff. For example, the Amex Centurion Lounge Seattle (SEA) has a barista coffee station, and that’s also something you’ll find in other new locations, like the one in Salt Lake City (SLC).
In the case of Chase, some lounges in the network, like the Chase Sapphire Lounges New York LaGuardia (LGA), do have barista coffee from the bartenders. Meanwhile other lounges simply have cold brew and other iced coffee drinks on tap.
Bottom line
I’m always delighted when I go to an airport lounge and discover great coffee. Not only am I coffee enthusiast, but I’m also typically more likely to have a cup of coffee when visiting a lounge, rather than a lot of food or alcohol.
It’s probably not surprising, but you’ll typically find the best lounge coffee in countries that are known for their quality coffee, like Australia, Italy, etc. However, even in the United States we’ve seen a lot of investments in lounge coffee in recent years, and it’s a trend I’m very happy about.
What’s your favorite coffee you’ve had in an airport lounge?
