United Club Fly

United Club Fly – Denver, CO (DEN)

United Club Fly at Denver International Airport is United’s latest airport lounge concept. A DEN exclusive, Club Fly is a grab-and-go pantry for passengers on the go, along with a full-service coffee shop. All items are complimentary.

To enter, customers scan their boarding pass at the automated gates. The system is slow and finicky, and there are no agents to help in case of a malfunction, but persistence pays off.

Club Fly welcomes customers who have access to full-service United Club locations (including one-time pass holders) but eligible customers cannot bring any guests, regardless of their frequent flyer status or class of travel.

United Club Fly DEN design

Situated at Denver International Airport, near gate B60, in the connector hallway between the main Concourse B building and the recent terminal extension, United Club Fly might look like an afterthought or a temporary structure at a first glance.

United Club Fly DEN self-service area

Pass through the automated gates, though, and you’ll unlock the secret of the design: the floating structure is meant to evoke a ski chalet or a cozy cabin in the mountains. The slanted roof, wooden beams, Earth tones, soft lighting, and the (fake, but realistic) fireplace foster a warm, inviting ambiance. Blink and you might picture a snow landscape beyond the frosted windows.

The design isn’t ground breaking, but it’s comforting and cozy, and a welcome departure from the sterile and monochrome décor that used to be the trademark of United lounges.

The space is divided into three areas: a spacious coffee bar, a compact seating area around the fireplace, and a pantry and self-serve beverage zone in the rear, next to the exit. Patrons enter near the coffee bar then exit through the pantry, in an effort to streamline operations at peak times.

Seating area at United Club Fly Denver

The seating area, which can accommodate just about 15 customers, features six lounge chairs, booth seating, and tabletop seats. Wi-Fi and power outlets are available, but the booths aren’t especially comfortable and the tiny side tables are anything but ergonomic. Obviously, the seating area is intended as a touchdown space, and not as a place to linger. Yet, it’s convivial, and surprisingly quiet outside peak times, in a sharp contrast with the busy full-service United Club.

In a nod to United’s newest design direction, the coffee bar and pantry area incorporate a bookcase with artwork and travel memorabilia; a feature that can be founded at the Polaris Lounges San Francisco and Washington Dulles, the new United Club at Newark airport near gate C123, and the lobby of the United Club at Seattle-Tacoma airport.

United Club Fly DEN amenities

The cornerstone of United Club Fly at Denver International Airport is the expansive choice of take-away food items, all available for self-service. The selection includes breakfast items (cereal with two kinds of milk, pastries, yoghurt), as well as a variety of snacks, sandwiches, and wraps. Health-conscious guests will find vegan wraps, fresh fruit, and fresh salads.

Grab-and-go selection at United Club Fly DEN

The beverage selection is equally generous, and includes a wide array of juices, soft drinks, flavored milk, and even Naked-brand beverages, luxuries that feel out of place at a United lounge. In addition, guests can refill their personal water bottle at the Vivreau tap or at the dedicated water dispenser.

All items are complimentary, and patrons are invited to take whatever they’d like for their onward journey, in a departure from the long-standing policy at traditional lounges, where taking food to go is discouraged.

In the spirit of sustainability, United provides compostable utensils, though the absence of a compost bin is a major oversight.

Coffee shop at the United Club Fly – Denver, CO (DEN)

Guests who are in a rush will find an espresso machine and a selection of teas. But time permitting, consider ordering a handcrafted coffee beverage. The coffee bar offers americanos, lattes, cappuccinos, nitro brew, matcha green tea, and iced tea. Customers can customize their drink with four types of milk (2%, skim, almond, oat milk) as well as a full line-up of syrups. Handcrafted drinks are free, too, though tips are encouraged in a not-so-subtle way.

It’s important to note that United Club Fly is not a full-service lounge. The club does not feature a bathroom, a bar (or any kind of alcoholic beverages), a business center, customer assistance, or other amenities traditionally found at traditional United Club lounges.

United Club Fly DEN bottom line

Designed for customers on the go, the United Club Fly at Denver International Airport is a fresh take on the traditional airport lounge. A unique concept in United’s network, United Club Fly features a generous selection of complimentary grab-and-go food items and beverages, in a coffee shop setting. With seating for just 15 guests, United Club Fly was primarily designed for passengers with short connections and customers who wish to grab something to eat for their connecting flight.

The concept is a perfect fit for Denver airport, a major domestic hub with an outsized proportion of connecting passengers.

United Club Fly – Denver, CO (DEN)

To reach its full potential, though, the Club Fly concept will need to be replicated at strategic locations across the sprawling and ever-expanding airport. It’s a hike from the lower-numbered B gates to gate B60 where United Club Fly is located, not to mention from Concourses A and C, where United and Star Alliance partners also operate. Realistically, the current location near gate B60 can only effectively serve a fraction of its target audience.

In any case, we’re thrilled to see United’s recent investments in ground services, and the carrier’s desire and ability to innovate. United didn’t invent grab-and-go airport lounges—Lufthansa pioneered the concept at Munich airport back in 2018, Air Canada built upon the idea in Toronto in 2019, and Capital One brought it to Dallas Ft. Worth in 2021—but the Star Alliance carrier is the first US airline to implement the concept. Competitors are taking notes—Delta has announced that they’ll experiment with grab-and-go pantries at select domestic Sky Clubs.