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Airport lounges with outdoor terraces and open-air decks
From Cathay's The Deck in Hong Kong to Delta's Sky Decks and the Star Alliance terrace at LAX, these are the lounges where you can wait for your flight in fresh air.
By Patrick Karsh, Founder, Lounge Frog ·
Page updated October 2026.
Most lounges are sealed boxes with tinted glass. A few let you step outside, and once you have waited for a flight with a drink in the open air it is hard to go back. The list below covers the outdoor terraces and decks we have confirmed in our directory, grouped by region, with the access rules that apply to each.
Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific The Deck
The Deck is the Cathay lounge built around a terrace. It sits on Level 7 of Terminal 1 near gate 6, and the terrace overlooks the terminal and the runway beyond. Inside are the Noodle Bar and the Pantry. It scores 4.6 with us, and it is open to Cathay business and first class passengers plus oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members on a same-day oneworld flight. The terrace is a mezzanine open to the terminal hall rather than to the sky, so expect fresh air and plane views without wind.
Los Angeles: the Star Alliance terrace
The Star Alliance Lounge at LAX has the most photographed outdoor space in American airport lounges, a large terrace with fire pits and views of the Tom Bradley International Terminal apron. It is on level 6, reached by the elevator next to the Time Tower, and it is open until 1 a.m. most nights. Star Alliance business and first class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members with one guest can use it. It scores 4.5 overall with us, with full marks for food, drinks and quiet.
Delta's Sky Decks
Delta built outdoor Sky Decks into three of its Sky Clubs in our directory. The JFK Terminal 4 club at B31 has a deck above the concourse with views across the ramp, and it scores 4.7. The Terminal 3 club at LAX, opened in 2022 in the Sky Way above the Terminal 2 connector, has a rooftop Sky Deck and also scores 4.7. The smaller Austin club near gate 4 has a compact Sky Deck off the dining area. All three follow Delta's standard rules: entry within three hours of a same-day Delta departure, no Basic Economy, and SkyTeam Elite Plus visitors only on international flights.
Paris: the landside Star Alliance patio
The original Star Alliance Lounge in Terminal 1 at Paris-CDG is unusual twice over. It is landside, on level 10 of the central building before the satellite security checkpoints, and it has an outdoor patio. Since the non-Schengen lounge opened in 2023 this one serves Schengen departures and anyone with lounge membership from any gate. It scores 4.7, with full marks for views, and the directions warn you to allow time to reach your satellite afterward.
Zurich: the Aspire sky deck
The Aspire Lounge at the E gates in Zurich is the rare Priority Pass lounge with an open-air deck. It sits on the third floor above gate E52 in the non-Schengen midfield dock, and the sky-deck terrace looks across the apron toward the Alps on a clear day. It scores 4.7 and is open to Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass members, with walk-up passes when there is room. One quirk from our directions: there are no restrooms inside the lounge itself.
Amsterdam: the Crown Lounge 52 terrace
KLM Crown Lounge 52, the 1,100-seat non-Schengen flagship near Pier F, has an upper level with the Blue restaurant and bar and an outdoor terrace with views over Schiphol. Business class passengers and Flying Blue Gold and Platinum members get in, as do SkyTeam Elite Plus members with one guest. It scores 4.5, with 5s for views and quiet.
Munich: Lufthansa's satellite terraces
Lufthansa's Terminal 2 satellite in Munich has Senator and Business Lounges on both the Schengen and non-Schengen sides, and both have open-air terraces facing the apron. The non-Schengen Senator Lounge next to gate L11 scores 4.6 and takes Star Alliance Gold members with one guest. The satellite is reached by the underground shuttle from the main building, so leave a few minutes for the ride.
Lounges that come up but do not qualify
A few famous lounges get asked about and do not have outdoor space. The Qantas First Lounge in Sydney has a vertical garden and big windows but no terrace. Emirates' lounges in Dubai are entirely indoors. American has talked about a terrace at a future Austin club, but nothing is open yet. We only list terraces we have confirmed, so if you know of one we have missed, tell us on the lounge's page.
Related reading
The Top 100 shows how these lounges rank overall, and the Star Alliance and Delta Sky Club program pages show the access rules for the lounges above.
Written and checked to our editorial standards. Scores follow our methodology. Join the discussion below.
