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I had a short layover at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on the way home from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last week. This gave me the chance to check out the United Club℠ in Terminal E between Gates E11 and E12. I’ve been to this lounge before and find it to be a bit dated. The location is a former Continental Airlines Presidents Club and a lot of the dark wood inside is from that time.
Access
Access is granted for those with United Club℠ memberships, day passes from Chase co-branded credit cards or purchased for $59, Global Services® members, United passengers with Gold or higher status traveling internationally, international Business or First Class passengers traveling on a Star Alliance flight, and Star Alliance Gold members regardless of class flown. You can find more information about these lounges and their access rules here. When you approach the lounge, you need to check in at the desk that is located straight ahead before taking the escalator or elevator up to the actual space.
Anthony’s Take: The lounge was crowded and offers bare bones amenities. It’s time for United to refresh the United Club℠ in Terminal E between Gates E11 and E12. As much as I loved Continental, this lounge just feels dated. The food offerings also felt rather limited (even though they’re comparable to other United Clubs℠). It’s fine if you’re departing from Terminal E and need a place to work or relax before a flight, but I would not go out of my way to get there.
After checking in, you can take the escalator or elevator up to the lounge.
Bar
The bar takes up the back wall of the lounge. There is a variety of paid and complimentary beer, wine, and spirits here. The free offerings are pretty basic, but the paid selections are not too badly priced.
A coffee machine, drip coffee, and tea were found near the bar.
There was also flavored water.
Food
The food in this United Club℠ was rather limited and not great tasting. Lunch was being served during my visit. There were a few hot dishes, sandwiches, salad ingredients, chips and salsa, cheese and fruit, soup, snacks, and desserts on offer. The buffet was ravaged pretty quickly after trays of food were brought out. It was split into two sections across the lounge from each other.
Sweet Thai Chili Chicken
Rice
Italian Tomato Bisque
Chips and Salsa
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Cilantro Chicken Green Leaf Salad
Adobo Tofu Sandwiches
Traditional Chicken Salad Wraps
Cheese
Crackers
Fresh fruit
Snacks
Rice Pudding and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Seating & Decor
There is a good amount of seating in the lounge. It was quite busy when I went, but I was able to find a chair. Decor is dated and minimal. The dark wood looks and needs to be modernized.
Tables near the bar
Work stations
The wall at the top of the escalators was filled with random travel tchotchkes.
Amenities
This United Club℠ offers free Wi-Fi, departure boards, a family room, and the food and beverages mentioned above. There are no restrooms (you need to exit to the terminal) or other amenities here.
A second desk at the top of the escalators is there to assist passengers with reservations.
There were some mints found here.
The family room was great for keeping the kids from running around the lounge (every lounge should have one).
Overall Impression:
The United Club℠ between Gates E11 and E12 provides basic amenities like food, drinks, and Wi-Fi. The decor is dated, but it works if you need a spot near the E Gates.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
