United Club

Service: 5 stars. The person at the front desk asked for my flight info and was able to provide me with a much better flight that would get me home a lot earlier. He basically gave me 4 hours of my life back. I love that United Club can check and change flights. It really is great service.
Overall: This club is much smaller than other ones I have been to and provided much less in terms of food. There is one main lounge with a bar on one side and snacks on the over. It has a nice view of the airport where you can see planes coming and leaving from the terminals next to you. The club is so small that the bathrooms are located outside. It does not have additional rooms (ie. TV room, offices, etc.) like the other clubs I have seen. The food provided included crackers, cookies, hummus, cheese and fruit. Drinks included coffee and eggnog and general wine and beer for free.
This place got a little crowded when families started coming in with multiple people and since the space was small, it got crowded real fast. I can imagine it’s not all that comfortable during peak times.

I have to give a shout-​out to United Air Lines for bringing the club experience to the not-​so big airports like San Antonio. It surprises me that San Antonio’s airport is as small as it is considering that the Air Force’s basic training is held at one of the local bases and the town is known as «Military City.» Nevertheless, San Antonio’s airport ranks among the lower-​trafficked airports considering it sits next to the 7^th largest city in the U.S. United is the only major airline with a club presence here and for that, I give them a huge thumbs up.
Location: Obviously if you’re going to enter the lounge you have to be flying or affiliated with United so it only makes sense that the club sits in Terminal B. The terminal is where United gates are located. It’s just beyond Gate B3 and the restrooms on the left side as you walk away from the security area and towards the Starbucks at the end of Terminal B. Considering that there isn’t much space on the Terminal, it’s a miracle they got this thing in here.
Ambience: This is as about as intimate as you can get in a club setting. It’s very small and during the evening on a Friday, the traffic is light. You definitely get the feeling that the people in here are on business. Despite the small size and the business travelers, the voice factor is very low here. It almost feels like a library but, that’s the reason that many people choose the club experience right? If you’re trying to think about school or business decisions it’s nice not to have the hustle and bustle of the main concours in the background.
Food: As I’ve visited at least one of every major airline’s club I can definitely say that this is one area where United must step up its game. In comparison to other airline lounges, this lounge is on-​par. Cookies, fresh fruit, tea and coffee and the occasional Chex mix. They do have a nice looking bar but the vast majority of their selections are a part of their «premium» line-​up. They have two or three complimentary wines and beers each and a few complimentary liquors. This kind of frustrates me about several of the major carriers and where lounge competitors like American Express with their Centurion Club shines.
Perhaps the airlines can create an add-​on for Club Members at a yearly cost for unfettered access to the good stuff. Also, with food, it’d be nice if they partnered to hire a common chef to share for their lounges. The AMEX Centurion Lounges continue to hold my five-​star rating because they shine in this area among others.
Service: It was refreshingly pleasant. I had a nice conversation with the Member Representatives at check-​in. That short experience set-​off my club visit in a positive way. The ladies were very helpful, genuine and welcoming. Sometimes it’s a nice smile or a nice word that makes someone’s day. I don’t know if I walked in during cleaning time but the place was spotless. I’m really impressed that they could pull off cleanliness without an overpowering scent of bleach or other cleaners. The wait staff was also very welcoming. The bartender held a good 10 or 15 minute conversation with one of the gentlemen ordering a drink which I don’t see very often. Most of the time it’s … order, pour, drink, repeat. We’re all people and even when we’re (travelers and staff) working, it’s nice to stop for a moment to appreciate our humanity.
Amenities: The bar was centerpiece of the club and it shows. They have a lot of great spirits on the premium menu with the bottles beautifully arrayed on a nice wooden bar. The wifi is a little quirky. I tried to log-​on and it took several attempts to figure out that you needed to go to the United website to trigger the methods for sign-​in. Maybe it’s a Macism. But once I was connected it worked very well. Again, the for offerings are scant but, in fairness, represent the standard as it relates to the other airline lounges. There’s only on large sitting area with a very small business printing area off to the side. This club is definitely business traveller focused. The one thing that could help them out a little more is to install more power outlets.
Overall: Again, I appreciate United’s efforts to at least integrate a club in a place where the other airlines don’t see any value. Honestly, the smaller clubs are a way for the airlines to let their frequent fliers know that they care. We know that they are paying attention to fact that travelers aren’t always at the larger superports. There are definitely a few areas to work on but overall I think it was a great experience.

My husband and I had United Club memberships for fiscal year 2014 but decided not to renew for 2015 since our we now have access to the very nice, full service Centurian Lounges at the airports we frequent most. I decided to purchase a day pass to the United Club at the San Antonio since there were no other options. I was headed home after attending a multi-​day conference and wanted a quiet place to relax before heading back home. There were very few people in the lounge and I was in a quiet corner and decided to FaceTime my 10 year old son on low volume. The attendant at the front desk interrupted my call to inform me that they preferred to keep the lounge a ‘business’ environment and asked me to end my call. Meanwhile, another gentlemen was loudly cussing and carrying on a very loud conversation on the phone, as well. When I pointed this out, I was told the difference was I was he was a member and could do as he wished. Guess what? You have permanently lost my patronage.

The One Where Sandy Chilled for 4 Hours.
Trust me… it wasn’t on purpose, but I didn’t want to venture around San Antonio and felt like I should use my United Club pass before it expired. Anyway, this club was a bit smaller and there are no restrooms inside. The food is what you’d expect — cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies, cookies, coffee, and tea. It’s also pretty busy with people going in/​out. The staff here are friendly. I was chatting away with them before trying to work.
Like the other reviews have mentioned, the internet is a bit slow. But it is PEACEFUL compared to sitting at your gate waiting for your flight (especially for 4 hours). I’m so glad I remembered to bring my card!

What a useless club. Overcrowded, internet so slow as to be non functional and no food. Why bother?

So explain to me why a business ticket to Hawaii does not allow access to the club but a ticket to mexico does. I have to travel longer to get to Hawaii and the ticket cost more. Is this a San Antonio thing because I dont recall other airline lounges require international flights. I know United does not actually own the lounge but it’s just more reason to dislike an airline that can’t seem to get it right.

Best United Club around (and I’ve seen a lot). Many of the amenities you need, but definitely a smaller spread than the United hubs. What sets this club far apart from the other United Clubs are the employees — nicest and most helpful representatives of United I’ve had the pleasure of encountering.
Shout-​out to Dawn, Beth, and Mary; these are the employees that keep me with United! Thanks so much for always getting my trips off to a good start!

I could care less about what club you give me access to. It’s small and cute and all, and there are snacks and drinks available. Staff are at least somewhat personable.
But it doesn’t make up for the fact that United staff are allegedly unable to find me another route to get home within 24 hours. Having one flight get in at midnight is not a solution, when it isn’t my final destination– spending the night in this lounge isnt the type of service I pay for.
Sadly, this wasn’t my first delay issue with United, so I’ve made the choice that it’ll be my last– I won’t be flying this airline again.

Small but cozy lounge at San Antonio International. Staff was really helpful and helped us have an enjoyable moment before our flight.
Wine selection is great. This was definitely a nice surprise given the lounge size/​traffic ratio.
Also, cheese and crackers are delicious. We did our own ‘wine and cheese’ tasting.
As another person mention, no restrooms inside the facilities — one has to go outside to the terminal to use the public restrooms. I imagine for its size it was not worth the build out and maintenance.
Overall impression: worth the visit. You will be able to relax before flying away to your next destination.

Not the biggest Club in the United network, but it’s way better than waiting for the plane out in the noisy terminal. No bathrooms, but they have all the other stuff that I’ve come to expect — pre-​wrapped cheese, crackers, yogurt raisins and if you’re lucky, Milano cookies. Plus free booze.
It’s between B3 and B5.

I’m giving it three stars because all the people who work here are really nice and friendly. But it’s really a very small space (ok, I get it, this is San Antonio) and there are no bathrooms in it. But overall clean and the service is great.