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The American Airlines Admirals Club in Rio De Janeiro is in Terminal 2 of the city’s Galeão International Airport (GIG). The lounge was refurbished back in 2016 as part of a wider (and still ongoing) Admirals Club renovation project and here I take a look inside and see what the club has to offer.
Rio Admirals Club Location
The American Airlines Admirals Club is on the 3rd level of Rio International Airport’s Terminal 2 and is located past security and immigration.
Once you’ve cleared outgoing passport control you’ll first have to navigate your way through a duty free area and, when you’re clear of all the drinks and fragrances, turn left and follow the signs for the VIP Lounges.
When you reach the end of the terminal building you can either take an elevator….
….or two sets of escalators to get to Level 3:.
Once on the terminal’s upper most level you’ll see that the Admirals Club isn’t the only lounge up there – there’s a Plaza Premium lounge a Star Alliance Lounge and the Gol Premium Lounge too.
American Airlines Admirals Club Rio de Janeiro
After you pass by the welcome desk inside the Rio Admirals Club the first thing you see is a seating area looking out over the airport apron.
The lounge spreads out to the left and to the right and, for most of the length of the lounge, there are floor-to-ceiling windows which allow in a lot of light and give a nice feeling of space.
To the right of the entrance is a second seating area with armchairs and tables….
…and the tables all offer a Brazilian-style 2-pin power outlets and two USB ports:
Past this area there’s a high table and chairs dividing the lounge from the primary food and dining area.
On the far right side of the lounge is the dining area complete with tables and chairs….
….and self-serve drinks bar….
….and a large chiller cabinet containing water, sodas and beer:
This is also where you’ll find a coffee/tea maker and a hot and cold buffet:
During this particular visit this is what was on offer:
- Hamburgers, buns and grated cheese
- Spaghetti
- Tomato sauce
- Meatballs with potato and carrots
- Chicken crepes
- White rice
- Farofa (toasted cassava)
- Tomato soup
- Potato and leek soup
- Croutons chives and pepperoni
- Ciabatta bread with sundried tomato paste and cheese
- Linseed bread with carrots chicken and corn
- Bacon bread with cheese and salami
- Lentil, onion and pepper salad
- Gouda cheese
- Shoyo, olive oil, lemon and ginger sauce
- Pesto sauce
- Corn pudding
- Pear mousse with wine
- Fruit
The food didn’t look all that appetizing and, in particular, the burgers looked pretty bad – I chose not to eat on this visit.
Along the long line of wall-to-ceiling windows is an equally long bench with chairs and power outlets.
Towards the middle of the lounge (and at one end of the bench) there are two workstations and a printer/copier acting as a mini business area.
On the left side of the lounge the first thing you’ll come across is a small snack area offer tea & coffee making facilities, juices and various items of food (most of which duplicated what was on offer in the main dining area)
Next to the snack area is a small kids room overlooking the airport apron….
…and, on the far left side of the lounge is another seating area (which can feel a bit dark due to the lack of windows at this end of the lounge)….
…and a large television area:
Last but not least it’s worth mentioning that the Rio Admirals Club offers three shower stalls to which you’ll need a key that can be obtained from one of the lounge attendants.
The stall I saw was a great size…but this may have something to do with the fact that it was an accessible stall designed specifically for the needs of guests with reduced mobility.
There’s a chance the other two stall are of a similar size but I didn’t have a chance to check them out.
Thoughts
Negatives
- The food looked unappetizing and there really wasn’t all that much choice
Positives
- Friendly lounge staff
- Lots of natural light
- Plenty of power outlets and USB ports
- Comfortable seating
Bottom Line
I visited three of the four lounges in Terminal 2 on this trip and the American Airlines Admirals club offered the poorest food selection but had the best shower facilities.
As a place to sit and relax it was very nice (the abundance of natural light is great) but it would be interesting to see how crowded the lounge gets when there’s an American Airlines flight due to depart – this isn’t a very big lounge so there’s a chance it may get a little crowded if there are a lot of elites and Admirals Club members traveling.
Overall, food aside, I liked the feel of the lounge and, as long as I wasn’t hungry, I’d be happy to spend some time here (working or relaxing) on a future trip….but I’d avoid the left side of the lounge to ensure I got a seat in an area that wasn’t too dark.
[…] the Plaza Premium Lounge isn’t the only lounge up there – there’s a Star Alliance Lounge, an American Airlines Admirals Club and the GOL Premium Lounge […]