One of the drawbacks of flying Southwest is that they do not operate their own airport lounges. However, there are many Priority Pass lounges that are accessible when flying Southwest. In this series I am highlighting which lounges you will be able to access while flying Southwest and what to expect from these lounges.
As the busiest airport in the world, it could be easy to overlook lounge access when flying Southwest from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. The Club lounge there is on the F concourse, which is for international departures while Southwest flies out of the C concourse gates. However, with all of the concourses connected airside by train, you can get from the C gates to The Club lounge in as little as 10 minutes. For connecting passengers with a tight connection this is probably not worth the trek, especially considering there are no grab-and-go food or drink options, but if you have a long layover or are departing with time to spare, there are worse options.
This lounge can get busy and go on a waitlist in the afternoons as it becomes the business class lounge for several international carriers, but on my recent visit on a Thursday at around 1:00pm I was able to get right in. To access the lounge, take the train to the F gates and go up 2 escalators to the mezzanine level. Once inside you just need to have your Priority Pass card (or digital QR code) and boarding pass scanned as usual.
As you can see in the photos below, the lounge was about 50% full during my visit. There were plenty of seats available, but the way the seats were grouped, including some larger tables, actually made it feel even more full. The seating was comfortable, but power outlets were limited.
The food buffet was pretty typical for a Priority Pass lounge and the drink options were better than average with both self-serve beverages and a full bar. If I was looking for an actual dinner, I would probably choose one of the restaurants on the concourse but for a quick snack or light meal I was satisfied with the offerings in this lounge. Unfortunately, there were no grab and go options which would have been nice for my short visit. The additional amenities were also typical: free WiFi, restrooms and a shower room.
Main seating area:
Additional seating and food area which I believe gets separated later in the afternoon when business class passengers from some international airlines share this lounge:
Bar area:
Food menu:
Buffet area:
Snacks, fruit and coffee:
Seating area:
TL;DR: The Club lounge ATL is a solid option if you have time to kill before a flight. While it is located far from the Southwest gates, it can be reached quickly via train and offers food, a full bar and other typical amenities.
