There’s a new restaurant and lounge at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and James Beard-nominated chef Tiffany Derry helped create the menu.
The Flagship Lounge opened this week in Terminal D, not far from other restaurants like the Flying Saucer and a soon-to-open Whataburger. There are four other such airport lounges in the U.S.: Chicago O'Hare, although temporarily closed, Los Angeles International, Miami and and John F. Kennedy in New York. The lounge sits above the regular terminal space; an elevator ride up one floor sets you out in a stylish lobby where guests are greeted with a glass of chilled Champagne.
This lounge is primarily a respite for high-flying — literally and metaphorically — international travelers. It's a who's who club for airports. Read the full list of qualifying credentials on American Airlines’ site. In general, you’ll need to have a seat in first-class or business class on an international or select transcontinental flight, the latter of which isn’t applicable to DFW since we're middle continental. You can also get access if you have an Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro or Platinum AAdvantage card and you're on an international flight. Or if you're MVP Gold 75K or MVP Gold.
Finally, George Clooney-types à la Up In The Air who have the ConciergeKey status most certainly get in. And if you book a seat on a Flagship flight, you also get access.
Or you can buy your way in, because this is America, after all. For $150 per person and a boarding pass for that day, anyone can get a one-day pass, which makes this seem affordable because many of us could spend that in the airport bar if we had a long layover.
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