United just opened what it calls the biggest airline club in the Americas, in Houston. That got us asking a simple question. If you could pick your connecting hub based on lounges alone, which US airport should you pick?
So we pulled every open, rated lounge at 11 big US hubs from the Lounge Frog directory. Each lounge has an overall score out of five, built from up to 15 ratings such as food, seating, quiet and the bar. We left out lounges that are closed for now or not yet open. Then we looked at three things: the average score, how many lounges score 4.5 or higher, and how many showers there are in total.
The ranking
| Hub | Lounges | Average score | Rated 4.5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 16 | 4.28 | 6 |
| Miami (MIA) | 11 | 4.19 | 7 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 20 | 4.15 | 9 |
| Chicago O'Hare (ORD) | 15 | 4.00 | 6 |
| Denver (DEN) | 8 | 3.99 | 5 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 18 | 3.98 | 9 |
| New York JFK | 26 | 3.84 | 13 |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 16 | 3.63 | 7 |
| Houston (IAH) | 11 | 3.53 | 3 |
| Newark (EWR) | 11 | 3.50 | 2 |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 8 | 3.26 | 3 |
Scores come from the Lounge Frog directory as of Oct. 21, 2026. Houston does not yet include United's new Terminal B North club, which opens Oct. 22 and has no score yet.
Why DFW wins
Dallas-Fort Worth has no weak spots. It is the only hub on our list where not one open lounge scores below 3.0. Its 16 lounges also add up to 28 showers.
The top of the field is strong too. The Centurion Lounge scores 4.9, tied for the best single lounge on this list. The Admirals Club in Terminal D scores 4.8. The Flagship Lounge and the Capital One Lounge both score 4.7. Add Chase, Plaza Premium and The Club, and most premium cards and lounge memberships get you into a good room.
Miami is the quiet winner
Miami has only 11 lounges, but 7 of them score 4.5 or better. That is the highest share of any hub here, at about 64 percent. The Flagship Lounge scores 4.9. Both main Admirals Clubs, the LATAM lounge and the Turkish Airlines lounge in Concourse H/J all land at 4.6 or 4.7.
If you fly American to Latin America, Miami is a better place to wait than its reputation suggests.
New York has the most, not the best
JFK has 26 open, rated lounges, by far the most on our list. It also ties LAX for the most showers, with 61 each. Thirteen JFK lounges score 4.5 or higher.
The catch is the long tail. Six JFK lounges score under 3.0, more than any other hub. Two Minute Suites locations, VIP One, Aer Lingus, Air India and Korean Air all drag down the average. At JFK, which terminal you fly from matters more than at any other airport here.
Where it goes wrong
Charlotte comes last. It has three strong rooms: the Admirals Club in Concourse B, the Centurion Lounge and The Club, which all score 4.6. But three of its eight lounges score 1.5 or below. Those are two Minute Suites and the Provisions grab-and-go spot, which has no bar. American has said a much larger Admirals Club is coming, and Charlotte needs it.
Newark is next to last. It does have one of the best United Clubs in the country. The United Club in Terminal C, mezzanine level scores 4.9, with 6 showers. But only two Newark lounges reach 4.5. The British Airways lounge is closed for now, and the Centurion Lounge is not due until 2027.
Houston is the hub to watch. Today only three of its 11 rated lounges reach 4.5: the United Club in Terminal E, the Polaris lounge and the Centurion Lounge. The Air France lounge scores just 1.7. United's new 800-seat club in Terminal B could move Houston up this table once we can score it.
How to use this
Do not pick a flight on lounges alone. But if you have two similar fares, one through DFW or Miami and one through Charlotte or Newark, this table says the layover will likely feel very different.
Always check that your card, status or ticket gets you into the lounge in your terminal. You can check every lounge at each airport on our airport pages, such as DFW, MIA and CLT.
