On the day of my departure back to Japan, I decided to head to Miami airport early to be able do some lounge hopping. Before my flight, I was able to check out both the Priority Pass lounges I could access with my boarding pass.
I was also able to visit the Delta Sky Club. As I was flying out with Delta Air Lines from Concourse H, I had access to the adjacent Concourse J where two of the three Priority Pass lounges at the airport are located.
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Both the Avianca Sala VIP and VIP Lounge by LATAM are located on the 3rd floor – one floor above the departures level. And they both share the same entrance. As such, when I showed up at the first reception desk, which also serves as the LATAM lounge welcome desk, I was asked if I wanted to visit the Avianca or LATAM lounge.
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After explaining that I’d eventually visit both, but will try the Avianca lounge first, I was directed to the left where another reception was located, this time Avianca-branded.
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I checked into the lounge and did a quick exploration.
Lounge Overview
As you enter the lounge, there is the main seating area in front of you, however, there is a partition that turns the side closer to the reception into a hallway.
Going down this hallway, there is a magazine rack, a TV room (consisting of two TVs and a number of not-so-comfortably looking chairs and tables), and a kids room on the left side.
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Turning right, the “hallway” continues with the relaxation room and business room entrances along its side. The business room, besides some cubicles, also offers PCs and a printer. Throughout the lounge, smartphone charging stations can be found as well.
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The buffet is located along the hallway as well with the main food counter kind of serving as a partition between the hallway and the main seating area. The drinks are placed along the outer wall.
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The main seating area consists of the usual lounging chairs, some sofas, dining tables and chairs, as well as counter-height chairs.
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The lounge does not offer showers.
Food & Drinks Selection
I am not sure how the selection is during lunch and dinner time, but during my visit around 6AM, there were some sausages, potatoes, and omelettes available.There was also a decent selection of cold food including sandwiches, ham and cheese cuts, and cereals. Finally, a fruit salad and yoghurts were provided as well.
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As for cold drinks, there was a fridge in the wall with a wide selection of not only sodas, but also beers. Then, there was a bar corner with self-serve liquor and some olives, etc. to go with it. Finally, there was a (mainly) tea and coffee corner which also included orange and apple juices, and milk.
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Overall Thoughts
The lounge offers a decent selection of food and drinks, and at the time of my visit, it was very empty resulting in a relaxing atmosphere. This might not be the case later in the day when Avianca has quite a few flights out of Miami.
Overall, however, for Priority Pass holders departing from Concourses J and H, the lounge is a good choice – personally, I like it more than the LATAM lounge (although that one offers Hagen-Datsz ice cream).
