{"version":"1.9","identifier":"20998e87-95ee-407e-a78a-ea0d73096dc9","language":"en-US","title":"We scored every lounge at 11 big US hubs. DFW wins, and Charlotte comes last","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"caption":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":19,"textColor":"#666666"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.loungefrog.com/news/best-us-hub-airports-for-lounges-ranked-dfw-miami-charlotte-newark","datePublished":"2026-10-21T14:25:48.004955Z","dateModified":"2026-10-21T14:26:01.94227Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"We averaged the scores of every open, rated lounge at 11 major US hubs. DFW and Miami lead, JFK has the most lounges, and Charlotte and Newark trail.","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/20998e87-95ee-407e-a78a-ea0d73096dc9/a9564c0a424de5a86c3112c749baf5d1.jpg","keywords":["airport"],"generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"We scored every lounge at 11 big US hubs. DFW wins, and Charlotte comes last","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"We averaged the scores of every open, rated lounge at 11 major US hubs. DFW and Miami lead, JFK has the most lounges, and Charlotte and Newark trail.","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 21, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/20998e87-95ee-407e-a78a-ea0d73096dc9/a9564c0a424de5a86c3112c749baf5d1.jpg","caption":"The Centurion Lounge at DFW Terminal D, the top-scoring lounge at our top-ranked hub · American Express (thecenturionlounge.com)","accessibilityCaption":"The Centurion Lounge at DFW Terminal D, the top-scoring lounge at our top-ranked hub","layout":"photo"},{"role":"caption","text":"The Centurion Lounge at DFW Terminal D, the top-scoring lounge at our top-ranked hub · American Express (thecenturionlounge.com)","textStyle":"caption","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"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?\n\nSo 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.\n\n## The ranking","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"},{"role":"htmltable","html":"
HubLoungesAverage scoreRated 4.5+
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)164.286
Miami (MIA)114.197
Los Angeles (LAX)204.159
Chicago O'Hare (ORD)154.006
Denver (DEN)83.995
San Francisco (SFO)183.989
New York JFK263.8413
Atlanta (ATL)163.637
Houston (IAH)113.533
Newark (EWR)113.502
Charlotte (CLT)83.263
","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"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.\n\n## Why DFW wins\n\nDallas-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.\n\nThe top of the field is strong too. The [Centurion Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/dfw-the-centurion-lounge) scores 4.9, tied for the best single lounge on this list. The [Admirals Club in Terminal D](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/dfw-american-airlines-admirals-club-d) scores 4.8. The [Flagship Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/dfw-american-airlines-flagship-lounge) and the [Capital One Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/dfw-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.\n\n## Miami is the quiet winner\n\nMiami 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](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/mia-american-airlines-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.\n\nIf you fly American to Latin America, Miami is a better place to wait than its reputation suggests.\n\n## New York has the most, not the best\n\nJFK 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\n## Where it goes wrong\n\nCharlotte comes last. It has three strong rooms: the [Admirals Club in Concourse B](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/clt-american-airlines-admirals-club-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.\n\nNewark is next to last. It does have one of the best United Clubs in the country. The [United Club in Terminal C, mezzanine level](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ewr-united-club-c-mezzanine) 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.\n\nHouston is the hub to watch. Today only three of its 11 rated lounges reach 4.5: the [United Club in Terminal E](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/iah-united-club-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.\n\n## How to use this\n\nDo 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.\n\nAlways 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](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/dfw), [MIA](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/mia) and [CLT](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/clt).","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}