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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The main seating area consists of the usual lounging chairs, some sofas, dining tables and chairs, as well as counter-height chairs.
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.
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.
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).