I didn’t event expect to find a lounge at a small airport like Charleston. But lo and behold, there’s a Priority Pass lounge, and The Club CHS is pretty decent for an airport of this size.
Note: this installment is part of my larger trip report to Louisville and New Orleans in December, 2021. Click here for the trip report summary and introductory post.
The Club CHS
Location
Post-security, near the entrance to Concourse B. Take the elevator on the left hand side for entrance to the lounge which is located over the AME Memorial and the Eddie Bauer store. When in doubt, follow the signs that say “Airport Lounge”.
Access
In addition to Priority Pass, any passenger can purchase a day pass for $50. (Hint: while it’s decent as The Club lounges go, don’t pay $50 to get in.) Passengers must show an outbound boarding pass, and the lounge allows access beginning 3 hours prior to departure. Current hours are 4:10 am to 8:30 pm daily.
Date of Visit: December 12, 2021
The Club CHS – Review
I had 2 hours 50 minutes between my two Breeze flights, giving me plenty of time to explore the lounge. One thing to remember is, this lounge is small, measuring just over 3,400 square feet, with seating for 83. I found adequate free seating on my visit, though I imagine it gets crowded at peak hours.
The lounge consists of two square rooms, one with a variety of seating areas, and the other a dining area. I’ll start with the dining area. A variety of seats surround an open bar. Though the bar was only semi-operational on my visit (more on that in a sec), you could sit anywhere in this area. In addition to seats around the bar, another table offered views of the ramp area.
For food and beverage, self serve options remained limited, with just a few sweets, chips, and fruit set up.
Offerings also included a drinks refrigerator with soft drinks, and a push-button espresso machine.
However, this Club featured one of the legitimate enhancements of the pandemic era. That’s QR code ordering at your table with an expanded menu. To order, simply scan the QR code found at your table (this works anywhere in the lounge). I’d previously “enjoyed” the mediocre offerings at Club lounges like the ones in Atlanta and Boston. The new on-demand ordering system, though, came with several new offerings that looked much better. The menu is separated into small plates, large plates, and sweets.
Simply pick what you want, then click order. You then receive an immediate confirmation, with your order brought to your table in 10-15 minutes.
After eating way too much in Louisville before boarding, I kept it simple with a bowl of tomato basil soup. While I question the description as a “larger plate”, it’s pretty good soup. The exact same tomato basil soup found in the other Lounge Club lounges, mind you, but pretty good nonetheless.
Though the bar appeared unmanned, when the server brought my soup, I asked for a glass of wine. The server brought that out promptly. At this point, I also decided to enjoy the Derby pie I brought from Louisville.
Anyway, back to the lounge itself. The lounge features quite a variety of seating within its compact dimensions. In one corner are traditional chairs with drink tables, with a view of the airport terminal.
At the end of this row of seating is a communal work table, also by windows overlooking the terminal.
The row of work tables then turns into a “quiet area” of sorts with wide cubicle-type seats. I set up shop back here for the length of my stay.
Yet another corner near the entrance has some low-backed couches with a lonely table.
Finally, closer to the dining area, are a few more standard chairs, but with some relaxing loungers along the glass wall. And this glass wall offers views of the ramp area.
And that’s the entirety of the lounge. See, I told you it was small.
Final Thoughts
For a Lounge Club lounge, I found The Club CHS one of the nicer ones, despite its small size. It offers a variety of seating, and the expanded menu seems better than the old offerings. The concern here, as it is with so many other lounges these days, is crowding. Anecdotal reports suggest crowding issues at peak times. In any event, if it’s not too crowded, it’s worth a visit.
