Orlando International Airport (MCO) is 6 miles southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. It has two terminals, four concourses, and almost 50 million passengers passing through per year. We explore the best airport lounge if you are flying in First or Business Class or if you have a Priority Pass or relevant credit card.
If you are staying in Orlando, we have reviewed the best executive club lounges at hotels in Orlando.
Free Airport Lounge Access
If you have not paid for Business Class or First Class, you can access airport lounges for free if you have an unlimited Priority Pass or an Amex Platinum card. To get extra bonus referral points and advice on the Platinum American Express and other free lounge access credit cards, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.
1. The Club at MCO, Terminal B, Airside 4
The Club at MCO has two different locations at Orlando International Airport. One is in Terminal A, Airside 1. The other is in Terminal B, Airside 4. Airlines that service Terminal B, Airside 4 include Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Emirates, Lufthansa, LATAM, Sun Country, and Virgin Atlantic, so if you are flying on any of those, this lounge will be convenient for your trip. It’s the lounge you will have access to if you are flying on, for example, British Airways or Emirates in Business Class.
The lounge is located across from gate 91 and is a Priority Pass lounge, so you don’t need to be flying in Business Class to access this airport lounge as long as you have a Priority Pass. Interestingly, kids under 12 apparently get into this lounge free, so your family might all get in with a single membership. This is the best “The Club at MCO” lounge as it is the least busy of these two lounges.
This lounge is fairly stylish and nice looking and doesn’t feel dated like some of the other lounges at Orlando airport. It has views of the planes, a hot and cold buffet, and a pancake machine at breakfast. The buffet is actually not bad. At lunch, expect two big silver barrels of hot soups, mini sandwiches, veggies and salads, cheeses. Snacks include pretzels, cookies, granola bars, and packets of Lays, as well as fruit. The hot dishes include chicken with rice and hot pasta dishes. There’s a proper bar with complimentary alcohol, and there are soft drinks in cans in the fridge, as well as a soda fountain and bottles of water. There’s also a separate children’s room, and there are shower rooms. Overall this is a nice lounge to stop by at Orlando airport.
2. The Club at MCO, Terminal A, Airside 1
As outlined above, the Club at MCO has two different locations at Orlando International Airport. The Terminal A, Airside 1 lounge will be the one you will access if you are flying on airlines including JetBlue Airways, Frontier Airlines, and Silver Airlines. This is the less good of the two lounges largely because it is a Priority Pass lounge and is super busy (as you don’t need to be flying in Business Class to access this lounge).
Kids under 12 apparently get into this and this lounge and the Terminal B lounge free, so your family might all get in with a single membership.
This lounge has two main rooms, and it has obstructed views of the planes as it is on the same level as the gates, so the walkways to the planes block much of the view. The problem with this lounge is that it is super busy and hard to get a seat.
The food is good if you manage to grab some before it gets used up. There’s a hot and cold buffet and a pancake machine at breakfast. At lunch, expect soup, wraps, bruschetta, and sandwiches. Hot dishes include soup with two choices, tortellini, curry chicken, and jasmine rice. Snacks include pretzels, cookies, sweets, granola bars, and packets of Lays, as well as fruit. There’s a bar with complimentary alcohol but no particular bar area, so you will just have to drink your booze in the lounge wherever you can spot a seat. There’s also a coffee machine with teas, and there are soft drinks in cans in the fridge and bottles of water. There’s a separate children’s room, and there are shower rooms.
While this isn’t a bad lounge and has a great food selection, the busyness can mean it’s hard to find a seat.
3. American Airlines Admirals Club, Terminal B, Airside 3
You can access this American Airlines Admirals Club if you are:
- Traveling on qualifying Oneworld long-haul international first and business class flight on the same day
- Traveling in First Class or Business Class on American’s premium transcontinental routes
- American Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum members traveling on a qualifying Oneworld international flight, regardless of the class of travel
- Non-American AAdvantage Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members traveling on any Oneworld flight (even domestic)
- Concierge Key member traveling on any American flight
This is a small airport lounge that caters to American Airlines flights from Orlando to Miami, Charlotte, Chicago-O’Hare, and Dallas. The lounge is fairly basic, with a basic buffet and snacks. There are also printers and computers are available and basic shower facilities if you need them.
4. United Club, Terminal B, Airside 3
The United Club can be found at Concourse 3, near gate 43. You can access this lounge if you’re a member of the United Club and are holding same-day boarding passes on a United flight. Other United passengers with same-day tickets may buy one-day passes to the Club.
Once again, this isn’t a great airport lounge, although it does have a kid’s area, computers, a cold buffet with snacks plus soups. Soft drinks and house alcoholic drinks are free, but premium alcohol is paid for. This lounge is better than nothing, but it is not great.
5. Delta Airlines Sky Club, Terminal B, Airside 4
You can access the Delta Sky Club, Terminal 2 LAX for free if you are a Sky Club member, Delta One customer, or Amex Platinum cardholder and flying on Delta. Delta’s domestic First does not give you access, only tickets that say Delta One.
This lounge looks like a 1980s conservatory and tends to be over-full of families with children. It can be found next to Starbucks and does have an area with workstations, and some of the seating offers views of the planes.
The food is not great with a cold buffet containing salads and snacks. Alcoholic drinks are available at the bar. House alcohol is free, and then you pay for premium drinks.
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