The new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LAX, which opened on March 28, 2025, is now accessible via Priority Pass – for an upcharge.
The lounge is located in the old Etihad space on level 6 of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, and is only 4,401 square feet. There’s no natural light or tarmac views, but they’ve designed it in signature Virgin style with striking lighting schemes.
The lounge elements include,
- The Ruby Room: a retro-style cinema lounge with wireless Bluetooth headsets.
- The Wing: work pods named after iconic recording studios.
- The Royal Box VIP space with mood lighting and off-menu perks like chocolate-covered strawberries.
- The Zen Den: a mindfulness and movement studio
There’s self-serve food and an a la carte menu and barista-made coffee. Restrooms offer showers.
The space is accessible to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Flying Club Gold passengers (+1 guest); Delta One passengers on international flights; SkyTeam Elite Plus traveling on Delta or Virgin Atlantic (+1 guest); and some partner elites (e.g., Air New Zealand Elite, Virgin Australia Platinum). SkyTeam Elite Plus status does not grant access unless flying on Delta or Virgin.
It’s also now available to customers with Priority Pass
- You swipe your card for entry and pay a $35 supplement per person.
- Available hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.
- Virgin has a 3:30 p.m., 8:05 p.m., and 10:50 p.m. flight. The hours restriction presumably protects Virgin’s passengers of the 8 p.m., a peak departure time from the terminal, from having the lounge overwhelmed.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see the lounge considered full and denying Priority Pass admittance many days come 1 p.m. or thereabouts.
This is an interesting model. Priority Pass economics have them generating a certain amount of money per swipe in revenue from partners like Chase, American Express and Capital One, and passing on a little less than that to the lounge. That’s something like high-$20s and mid-$20s per swipe, with Priority Pass earning the margin on each use.
Here, Priority Pass can’t pay what the lounge would demand for entry. But they want to monetize the space throughout the day. So if the lounge requires $60 per person, some of that money is going to come from Priority Pass and some from the passenger.
On the one hand, the model is concerning – Priority Pass no longer covering the cost of lounge entry! On the other hand, it opens up more and nicer spaces. Too many eligible lounges are massively overcrowded and not very good. A co-pay will discourage some otherwise-eligible passengers from using the lounge, too.
And already The Club lounges – Priority Pass accessible, and owned by the same company – charges a fee for reservations which can be the difference between gaining access or not. So in that sense this doesn’t break new ground. Overall, I like it.
The co-pay for using PP access is so lame. Reminds me of the prepaid scheduled access that they’re trying to implement elsewhere (thinking of The Club at CLT); otherwise, sowie, we full.
Yeah, there was access at a Virgin lounge in JFK T4 for a little while, then they pulled back. We’ll see how long this actually lasts. I remain skeptical. They’re super stingy with SkyTeam partner access, too (at most locations).
1990, despite being a loser (because he lives in NYC yet isn’t a big law partner), is right on the money here. Any copay is lame. Even a $0.01 copay because the whole point of a lounge is you don’t have to think about payment in any capacity–I can make a small exception for gratuities. But to simply enter? Yeah, $0.01 vs $35 vs $60++ makes no difference to me. I don’t pay entry fees.
@Unintimidated — Bah! You made my day (other than this lovely weather we’re having here.) I’d add, we technically already ‘paid’ for the lounges when we paid our annual fees for these cards that include the benefits. It’s a subtle devaluation. I’m with @Gary’s conclusion: “the model is concerning” because if PP can do this here, they’ll soon do it everywhere they can get away with it. I say we do our part and complain, give them a stink about this, so that it doesn’t become the new normal.
@1990 — credit card fees are not assessed on big law partners. AMEX offers them the Centurion card with no fees. Actually the Centurion card, as any other card, is fee-free to true high value customers. AMEX merely markets the card as a high fee card to give it a sense of allure. There are indeed some cardholders who pay fees but they’re poseurs.
Can’t wait to pay the $35, enter the lounge, and see what kind of trash has collected inside the Zen Den.
@Unintimidated — You do have quite the imagination, sir or madam. Yes, annual fees might be business expenses, depending on the circumstances. So, what is your fascination with ‘big law’ on here? These days, it doesn’t seem like those fellas are doing so well (like, the independence of the profession is indeed under attack.) Perhaps, if they can’t handle the heat, or if they’ve been exiled, those lawyers may consider an early retirement and live-a-little, you know, see the world, go to a beach/mountain/lake/temple or whatever. Maybe a PP lounge! Bah!
This is one of the few things everyone from all sides can agree on (the last being that “hot” Brazilian passenger who wouldn’t give up their seat): entry fees are a “streets behind” (Community reference for you @1990!). Honestly I feel like PP (in the US) is such an afterthought now a days, don’t see myself missing it if I lost it especially with so many places like the aforementioned Clubs are effectively pay to play.
I actually have no problem with it, considering that the PP option with Virgin Atlantic at other US lounges don’t offer substantial food. If it’s just me, and I need a meal, why not pay for it? It’s a better value than the terminal!
I will say it depends on the food quality, of course.
@L737 — Bah! That’s a ‘streets ahead’ reference right there! PP is great overseas, especially Asia.
Who on earth would pay $35 per so Al ($105 for you and the two PP guests?!) to use a lounge? Just get a meal in the airport.
They should just make it PP only before VS flights use it like many European airlines who operate busy nighttime lounges, which are generally empty during the day.
*per person
Its not the money, its the principle of all of this.
But its smart of PP to introduce this in USA and that too a major city like LAX. This concept would not take off anywhere else in the world. But here as seen by a lot of comments around the travel blogsphere, not only will it take off, I can see people being denied as the lounge is at capacity.
I expect this dilution to be carried out even further with more lounges being added to the paid list.
@BBT — Dilution? More like, delusion! *ba dum tss* (It works better phonetically.)
Oh good, surcharges! Those never go up and are universally well applied just like resort fees.