I visited the Unitead Club at Tokyo Narita for the first time back in 2018. Not too long after that, the lounge was closed due to the pandemic. It reopened in January 2023 and more recently, during one of my trips to Europe, I had a chance to revisit the lounge.
Not much has changed since my last visit – the lounge still offers plenty of seating and a pleasant environment to wait for a flight and a decent buffet. The lounge is still a good alternative to ANA Lounges.
Continue reading this review to learn more about the United Club at Tokyo Narita.
Location & Opening Hours
The United Club at Tokyo Narita is located in Terminal 1’s Satellite No. 3, near gates 31 and 32. The lounge is located airside – i.e. before getting there, you need to clear both security and immigration. While the lounge spans two floors (although the upper floor was closed during our visit), its main part including the entrance is on the same floor as departure gates.
The lounge is open daily from 8:45AM to 8:45PM.
Entry Requirements
The following passengers traveling on United Airlines and other Star Alliance airlines can enter the lounge:
- Business class passengers
- First class passengers with one guest traveling on the same flight
- Star Alliance Gold status holders with one guest traveling on the same flight
In other words, the lounge follows the standard Star Alliance lounge access policy.
Lounge Tour
Just past the reception of Tokyo Narita’s United Club was an elevator leading to the lounge’s second floor. That said, as mentioned in the introduction, the second floor was closed during my visit. Nearby, there was also a customer service desk separate from the reception counter.
Around the elevator were a few round dining tables, each with three or four chairs. This area felt more open than the remainder of the lounge thanks to its high ceilings. That said, it was busy with people passing to get to the other areas of the lounge and the seating here was not the most comfortable.
The seating area described above led to the main seating area which was mostly equipped with sofa chairs in a variety of arrangements. There were also a few tables with lounge chairs and dining chairs here and there.
While what could be considered the main seating area of the United Club at Tokyo Narita was very spacious, it was separated into many smaller, more private areas thanks to wooden partitions and artwork hanging from the ceiling. This, combined with very few guests at the time of our visit, allowed everyone to have their own quiet space.
Some of the seating in the lounge – like the dining tables – didn’t provide access to power outlets but the side tables next to each of the sofa chairs were equipped with them.
There were also plenty of sofa chairs – and some counters – alongside the lounge’s windows. These provided excellent views of the apron, taxiways, and one of Narita Airport’s two runways.
Toward the back of the lounge was another area with dining tables like those near the reception.
This area also had a bench along the windows lined with counter-height tables, each with a bar chair on its other side.
Adjacent to this area was one of the lounge’s two buffets. The other one was closer to the entrance.
While the one near the entrance was spread over a larger area, the contents of the buffet spreads were exactly the same. I will talk more about what food and drinks were available in the United Club at Tokyo Narita in the next section of this review.
Next to the dining area in the back of the lounge was a fairly large business center
Along its walls were desks separated by partitions. In the middle of the area were even more private work booths partitioned off from all sides, each with a desk. Each of the desks had access to a power outlet (and a phone outlet if anyone still uses those/if they even work…).
Separately, there were a couple of fully enclosed phone booths where one could take care of calls and meetings without disturbing other guests in the lounge.
Tucked away in a hallway with a couple of meeting rooms (some of which appeared to be used by the lounge staff rather than available for guests) was the United Club’s kids’ room. When I visited the lounge a few years back, I did not notice the room but this time – visiting with a nine-month-old daughter – it definitely came in very handy.
It had two sections: one with a mat on which children could crawl and play and one with a crib. Both of these sections were also equipped with some seating. I found the sumo wrestler portrait decorations in the latter part a bit bizarre and out of place given the purpose of the room but that did not take away from its overall usefulness.
It’s worth noting that the kids’ room also had its own restroom with an adult toilet, a kids’ toilet, and a couple of diaper-changing tables.
Lastly, the lounge was equipped with shower rooms. However, for whatever reason, they were not available at the time of our visit.
While we didn’t mind it considering that we were starting our journey in Tokyo, it would have been quite inconvenient if we were transiting and wanted to freshen up before a connecting flight. At least there was a sign at the reception desk saying so, giving a chance for those who wanted to use a shower to head to one of the ANA Lounges instead.
Food and Drinks
The United Club at Tokyo Narita offered a decent selection of drinks and food. While there was no noodle bar like in the ANA Lounges, overall, I’d say the selection was on par or slightly better.
Starting with cold soft drinks, there was a detox (orange, lemon, etc.) water dispenser and a dispenser with soda including Coke, Coke Zero, ginger ale, and tonic water. The soda dispenser also offered orange juice, oolong tea, and water.
Alcoholic drinks included draft Asahi beer served by automatic dispensers that Japanese lounges are well known for, red and white wine, champagne, sake, and half a dozen or so types of liquor.
Hot drinks included a variety of coffee drinks from an espresso machine and five different types of tea bags (green, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and chamomile).
Separately, there were also pitchers of iced tea and ice coffee.
In terms of food, since this time we visited the lounge during lunchtime, there was a full spread ranging from lighter items through warm mains all the way to desserts.
Starting with the cold items, there was a salad bar and an assortment of cheese and ham/salami. Adding local flavor to the selection were inari sushi, sushi rolls, and udon noodles.
Warm mains included penne pomodoro and hamburger steaks.
Sides for the latter included steamed potatoes with garlic oil and mixed beans.
Additionally, there were three kinds of dumplings, two types of Japanese curry (chicken and beef), and miso soup.
Lastly, there was some focaccia, crackers, and a selection of desserts. Desserts included three different kinds of cakes (cheese, fruit mousse, and chocolate), two types of warabi mochi (kinako and green tea), and cut fruits.
During my first visit to the lounge in 2018, the breakfast spread was offered.
While things might have changed since then, items that were offered at the time included typical breakfast items like scrambled eggs, cereals, bread, and yogurts.
United Club Tokyo Narita Summary
The United Club at Tokyo Narita Airport offers an excellent alternative to ANA Lounges to those departing from Terminal 1 on Star Alliance member airlines that have lounge access.
The lounge offers plenty of seating and, for those that need to get some work done, has an excellent business center with a lot of private work spaces. Additionally, the United Club at Narita also has a nice kids’ room – something that lacks in the airport’s ANA Lounges (in spite of the airline having a nice Star Wars-themed one in one of its domestic lounges at Haneda).
As for the food and drinks selection, while it was nothing extraordinary, I’d say it was still on par with what ANA Lounges offer.
First published on 2018/04/25. Last updated on 2023/10/23.
