Review: Flagship Lounge and Dining Miami International Airport

American Airlines Debuts Its New Flagship Lounge and Dining at Miami International Airport

Over the past few years, American Airlines has invested millions into the airline’s portfolio of Admiral’s Clubs and Flagship Lounge facilities. Many of American’s lounges were terribly outdated and lagged behind almost every major global competitor. However, American’s efforts to renovate and expand their premium Flagship Lounges have brought the airline’s premium facilities up to or above international standards.

One airport benefiting from American’s investment into premium facilities is Miami International Airport. Both Admiral’s Clubs at Miami International Airport saw extensive improvements and renovations. Now, American Airlines is set to open a brand new Flagship Lounge and Flagship Dining facility.

I recently attended the opening event for American Airlines’s brand new Flagship Lounge and Flagship Dining at Miami International Airport. Boasting a modern and premium design coupled with fantastic amenities and dining options, the Flagship experience at Miami International Airport is an experience in and of itself. Here’s what to expect when the lounge and dining area opens its doors on November 21st.

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First Impressions: American’s Flagship Lounge and Dining at Miami International Airport

American’s new Flagship Lounge (and Flagship Dining facility) is located near the Admiral’s Club at gate D30. The entrance is just to the left of the Admiral’s Club.

Access to the Flagship Lounge is somewhat hard to come by with access to the Flagship Dining Facility even more restricted. To access the lounge, you’ll need to be flying in first or business class on qualifying international and transcontinental routes. Some American Airlines elite frequent flyers also have access to international itineraries.  Additionally, the lounge requires all guests to be 21 years of age or older meaning, without a guest, I couldn’t have even visited!

When accessing the lounge, you’ll first check in with agents on the ground floor and then take an elevator up to the main lounge. Upon arriving on the second floor, you’ll be greeted by agents at two additional podiums located in a brightly lit entrance way.

The entire lounge features modern and sleek designs. The lounge feels very inviting due to the warm colors and bright interior. I especially love the wooden paneling located throughout the lounge.

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Flagship Lounge Miami Seating and Layout

The Flagship Lounge Miami is arranged in a square layout with the main walkway wrapping around the center of the lounge. There are multiple seating areas that branch off of the main walkway.

The lounge boasts your typical lounge chairs as well as private booths, couches, day beds, and seating built into the wall. There was no shortage of outlets with power outlets located at every seat. There was even a wireless charging station at a few of the seats.

Throughout the lounge, there are also multiple beverage and snack stations in addition to the main buffet and bar.

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Flagship Lounge Buffet and Bar

One major area that differentiates the Flagship Lounge from American’s Admiral’s Clubs is food and drink offerings. Though American has made major improvements to the airline’s Admiral’s Club dining and beverage options, these improvements still don’t compare to what’s offered at American’s Flagship Lounges.

Featuring a hot buffet with locally inspired chef curated options and a premium self-serve bar, the Flagship Lounge Miami offers some of the best food you can get in an airline lounge. Keep in mind, the Flagship Lounge buffet is separate from the Flagship Dining experience.

A variety of hot and cold plates were served at the preview event. A spokesperson for the lounge explained that, like at all of American’s Flagship Lounges, the Miami location will feature plates with a locally inspired taste that will be updated monthly. I sampled many of the plates served during the event. Each dish was fresh, full of flavor, and cooked to perfection. Dessert options were also phenomenal.

In addition to the premium buffet, the Flagship Lounge Miami features a “live action” station. This live action station features made-to-order dishes guests can request. This month, the Flagship Lounge Miami will feature made-to-order Arepas, a Spanish dish served with corn tortillas.

Flagship Lounge Miami Bar and Drinks

Though I’m unable to drink in the United States, the Flagship Lounge Miami offers premium wines, beers, cocktails, spirits, and liquors. A focal point of the bar area is the beautifully designed wine table, an elevated communal table with a selection of premium wines served in the center of the table.

If you’re not a big drinker, the lounge also offers a variety of non-alcoholic beverages including bottled and fountain soft drinks, Aqua Pana still water, San Pelligrino sparkling water, flavored sparkling water, juices, coffee, tea, and espresso beverages.

The Flagship Lounge Miami boasts a brand new Franke Espresso machine capable of brewing a range of flavored and unflavored espresso beverages. I enjoyed a barista quality latte during my visit.

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Flagship Lounge Miami Shower Suites

The shower suites are also impressive featuring a sleek and modern design. There are six generously sized shower suites featuring a vanity, sink, toilet, shower with C.O. Bigelow amenities, and space to store your items. The shower suites are similar to those found at the New York-JFK club.

Since it was a preview event, I thought it best not to actually take a shower. Though I’m going to be honest, it was quite tempting.

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Flagship Dining at Miami International Airport

First and foremost, the Flagship Dining area at the Flagship Lounge Miami is gorgeous. It’s a simply stunning space. The Flagship Dining area is located adjacent to the Flagship Lounge buffet and just behind the bar. The Flagship Dining facility in Miami is restricted to passengers traveling in International First Class only making the facility exclusive and rightfully so.

A selection of this month’s plates were displayed at the preview event while smaller versions were served to guests. I tried the carne asada and burger. The carne asada was great. However, the burger was easily one of the best, if not the best, burger I’ve ever had. I’ve included a picture of the full menu in this post allowing readers to get a better idea of what’s served at the Flagship Dining facility.

Seating consists of traditional restaurant-style seating and booth seating. The color scheme in the Flagship Dining space is darker and more subtle. The feeling in the Flagship Dining area is much more premium and intimate. There’s also a smaller fully staffed bar located within the Flagship Dining space.

 

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Overall, Flagship Lounge and Dining Miami International Airport

American Airlines’s Flagship Lounges and Flagship Dining facilities continue to impress. Going into the preview event I was expecting a smaller and more basic space, however, this was not the case. The Flagship Loung at Miami International Airport is a massive and very upscale space that offers premium passengers the perfect place to relax before or after their flight. The design, the layout, dining, and service at the Flagship Lounge Miami International Airport are spectacular. If you manage to get access to either the Flagship Lounge or Dining facility, be sure to take advantage of the space.

What do you think of the American Airlines Flagship Lounge and Flagship Dining facility at Miami International Airport?