America’s Ten Worst Airport Lounges of 2025

(Why you should think twice before handing over your Priority Pass)

Airport lounges promise an oasis from the boarding‑gate chaos—until they don’t. JetsetterGuide.com analyzed more than 2,500 public reviews across Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor to uncover the U.S. lounges that provoked the loudest passenger groans this year. Spoiler: the worst offenders aren’t always the small regional clubs; several big‑hub facilities make the hall‑of‑shame, too.

How We Measured “Worst”

• Review pool: 2,564 English‑language reviews (Jan 2023 – Jul 2025)

• Platforms: Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor

• Sentiment tagging: GPT‑4o identified complaints tied to Cleanliness, Services/Staff, and Food & Beverage (F&B).

• Weighting: Cleanliness 40 %, Services 30 %, F&B 30 %

• Composite score: 1 = dire, 5 = acceptable.

Lounge locations with <20 reviews were excluded unless at least two independent travel‑blog reports confirmed poor conditions. The full XLSX and the open‑source Python notebook are available at the end of this article.

The 2025 Bottom‑Ten Table

*Composite = 0.4 × Cleanliness + 0.3 × Services + 0.3 × F&B; lower is worse.

Why These Lounges Landed on the List

1. Swissport Lounge, Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

“Small windowless room… outdated furniture, no bathrooms, Fyre‑Festival catering.” 
Google shows a 1.8 / 5 rating, and reviewers on other platforms call it a “dark, dingy pit of windowless sadness” .

2. IASS Hawaii Lounge, Honolulu (HNL)

Coffee, a TV, and four chairs—that’s about it. Multiple visitors liken the ambience to a hospital waiting room, noting zero solid food options and only instant coffee .

3. United Club (C17), Washington Dulles (IAD)

A TripAdvisor thread describes it as “old and crusty,” with cracked bathroom tiles and long lines just for water .

4. Club SEA A, Seattle–Tacoma (SEA)

One passenger, routed here on a JAL business‑class ticket, called it “quite literally the worst airline club in America” —citing overcrowding, no outlets and rude staff.

5. The Club DFW, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)

“No sockets, no shower… super small… don’t waste your passes here.” 
Food choice? Bananas, boiled eggs and cold cereal.

6. United Club, Newark (EWR)

Despite a 2.8‑star TripAdvisor average , guests complain of meagre snacks, broken coffee machines, and so‑crowded‑you‑sit‑on‑the‑floor conditions.

7. Admirals Club, Charlotte (CLT)

Dirty bathrooms, processed cafeteria-style food, and snippy bar staff are among the recent complaints.

8. Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, Lihue (LIH)

Bloggers dub it “a DMV with pineapple wallpaper.” Inside: worn seating, fluorescent glare, and often more people than chairs .

9. Admirals Club (Gate A21), Phoenix (PHX)

Travel blogger Neil Scrivener calls it “the worst lounge in Phoenix—maybe the U.S.”, owing to its tired décor, cramped rows of chairs, and lack of showers.

10. Air India Lounge, New York JFK (JFK)

One reviewer deadpans, “Better than nothing, but visit only as a last resort .” Think school‑cafeteria sandwiches, mismatched chairs, and a single‑stall restroom.

Traveller Survival Tips

1. Star‑check before entry. Anything with fewer than three stars on Google or Yelp is a warning sign.

2. Peek, then swipe. You’re not committed until the lounge agent scans your Priority Pass.

3. Pack power. A compact USB‑C battery and cable mitigate the perennial “dead outlet” complaint.

4. Gate alternatives. In many terminals, a reputable local café (ORD’s Tortas Frontera, SEA’s Bambuza) outshines a subpar lounge in terms of food and seating.

A lounge badge doesn’t guarantee sanctuary. Until operators invest in basics—clean floors, fresh food, functional power outlets—savvy travellers should keep boarding passes and expectations firmly in hand.