LAX has more lounges than most airports, but very few sell you a seat at the door. Most belong to an airline or a credit card, and the one Priority Pass lounge charges a supplement. This is every lounge a passenger can realistically use, terminal by terminal, with access rules and prices as the lounges publish them.
The short answer
Flying from Tom Bradley International, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is the best room most travellers can get into: Priority Pass members pay a $35 supplement, and it fills from noon. On a domestic flight with no status, buy a pass at the Alaska Lounge in Terminal 6 ($65, flying Alaska, Hawaiian or a oneworld airline) or American's Admirals Club in Terminal 4 ($79, flying American or oneworld). Amex Platinum holders should head for the Centurion Lounge in Tom Bradley.
Mezzanine level
Delta One passengers and eligible partner premium-cabin passengers, under Delta's House Rules; no passes are sold
Hours: 07:00–23:00 daily
The second, later-opening Delta One room, for Delta One passengers whose gate is at the Terminal 2 end.
Best for Delta One passengers flying from the Terminal 2 gates.
Departures level between Terminals 2 and 3, upstairs from a ground-floor lobby with self-service kiosks
Delta Sky Club members and eligible Delta premium passengers under Delta's rules; American Express lists it for eligible Platinum Card members flying Delta
One of the largest clubs Delta runs, at more than 30,000 square feet, with an outdoor Sky Deck facing Downtown and the Hollywood Hills.
Best for Delta flyers with Sky Club access and time to sit on the terrace.
Across from the Food Court
Delta One passengers and eligible partner premium-cabin passengers, under Delta's House Rules; no passes are sold
Hours: 04:15–23:30 daily
Delta's best room at LAX: sushi rolls at lunch and dinner, a rotating bento menu, à la carte dining and a terrace over the runway. It opens early enough for the dawn departures.
Best for Delta One passengers on an early departure.
Concourse level, near Gate 41
Admirals Club members and eligible premium passengers; a One-Day Pass is $79 or 7,900 AAdvantage miles, with a same-day American or oneworld flight, subject to capacity
Hours: 04:30–01:00 daily
The longest hours of any lounge at LAX and a pass you can buy at the desk; worth it on a long wait before an American flight.
Best for American and oneworld passengers who want a lounge without status.
Mezzanine level, near Gate 64
Alaska Lounge members, and single-entry passes at $65 per person when there is space, valid at this lounge only with a same-day ticket on Alaska, Hawaiian, a oneworld airline or an Alaska partner. Under-2s free with an adult; under-18s must be with an adult
Hours: 05:00–23:00 daily
The most dependable pay-in lounge for a domestic flight: pancakes in the morning, soup and salad later, West Coast wines at the bar.
Best for Domestic flyers on Alaska, Hawaiian or oneworld who want a quiet hour for $65.
6th floor, by the lift at the clock tower in the main atrium shopping area, after security
Star Alliance business and first class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members; anyone 18 or over flying a Star Alliance airline that day can buy paid entry through Star Alliance, priced at booking, with a stay of up to three hours
Hours: 08:00–01:00 daily
One of six Star Alliance-branded lounges worldwide, with an outdoor terrace and a fire after dark; a separate First Class lounge faces the main door.
Best for Star Alliance passengers on an evening long-haul departure.
After the TSA checkpoint in the main atrium, take the lift near the clock tower to the 6th floor
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and eligible members; Priority Pass members use a visit and pay a $35 supplement per person at the door, guests the same. Entry from 3 hours before departure, 3 hours maximum, under-2s free
Hours: 08:00–22:30 daily; Priority Pass entry may be limited from 12:00 to 22:30 because of capacity
The best room at LAX a paying traveller can realistically get into: an à la carte menu, a cinema and free showers. Arrive before noon if you are counting on Priority Pass.
Best for Priority Pass members flying long-haul from Tom Bradley in the morning.
Airside departures, Level 5
Under Qantas's eligibility rules for its international business lounges; Alaska Lounge+ members flying an Alaska, Hawaiian or Qantas-operated international flight that day are admitted with two guests or immediate family. The Qantas First Lounge upstairs is temporarily closed
Hours: 06:30 to midnight daily
A calm room before the long night flights across the Pacific, with barista coffee and a family zone.
Best for Qantas and oneworld premium passengers flying to Australia.
After TSA in Tom Bradley, walk towards the bridge to the Great Hall and enter the lift lobby on your left; the lift takes you from Level 4 to Level 2
American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders under Amex's own rules; entry within 3 hours of your departure; Platinum guests $50, or $30 for children aged 2 to 17. Under-18s must be with an adult
If the card is in your wallet, this is the room to use from Tom Bradley: Sunrise and Moonrise rooms to reset your body clock, showers and a family room.
Best for Amex Platinum holders, especially with children.
Between Gates 151 and 153
Admirals Club members and eligible premium passengers, under American's rules
American's second club at LAX, for oneworld passengers whose flight leaves from Tom Bradley.
Best for American and oneworld passengers at the Tom Bradley gates.
Often, yes. LAX tells everyone to arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one, and once you are through security that is a long time in a busy terminal.
The catch is that very few doors take money. The Alaska Lounge sells passes at $65 and the Admirals Club in Terminal 4 at $79, but only to passengers flying their airline or a partner that day. Star Alliance sells paid entry to its Tom Bradley lounge only to Star Alliance passengers. Delta's lounges sell nothing to walk-ins. If you have no status and no card, the honest answer is often a good meal in Tom Bradley instead.
Only one lounge: the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Tom Bradley, which charges Priority Pass members a $35 supplement on top of the visit, guests included. Priority Pass warns that entry may be limited from 12:00 because of capacity, so it works best for a morning or early-afternoon departure. Priority Pass also covers two Be Relax spas, in Terminal 1 (06:00–22:00) and Tom Bradley (09:00–21:00), and Gameway's video-game lounges in Terminal 3 (05:00–22:00) and Terminal 6 (06:00–21:00).
Amex lists three LAX lounges for Platinum Card members: the Centurion Lounge, the Delta Sky Club when flying Delta, and the Clubhouse through the card's Priority Pass.
The Centurion Lounge has a family room, the Qantas business lounge a family zone, and the Delta Sky Club a nursing room and family restrooms. Under-2s are free at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and the Alaska Lounge; at the Centurion Lounge a Platinum Card member pays $30 for each child aged 2 to 17. If the children would rather play, Gameway in Terminals 3 and 6 is the better hour, and Priority Pass covers it.
For a dawn flight, the Delta One Lounge in Terminal 3 opens at 04:15, the Admirals Club in Terminal 4 at 04:30 and the Alaska Lounge at 05:00; late at night, the Admirals Club in Terminal 4 and the Star Alliance Lounge both stay open until 01:00.
Every lounge here admits on space, and Tom Bradley is busiest in the afternoon and evening. If the Clubhouse turns Priority Pass members away, walk on: Tom Bradley has the best food in the airport.
Questions people ask
Tom Bradley International (Terminal B): the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, the Star Alliance Lounge, the Qantas business lounge, the Centurion Lounge and an Admirals Club are all there. For Delta, Terminal 3's Delta One Lounge is the pick.
Yes, in a few. The Alaska Lounge sells passes at $65 to passengers flying Alaska, Hawaiian, oneworld or a partner, the Admirals Club in Terminal 4 sells a One-Day Pass at $79 with an American or oneworld flight, and Priority Pass members can use the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse for a $35 supplement.
One: the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Tom Bradley International, with a $35 supplement per person and entry that may be limited from noon. Priority Pass also covers Be Relax spas and Gameway.
$65 per person, sold when there is space, valid only at the lounge where you buy it and with a same-day flight on Alaska, Hawaiian, a oneworld airline or an Alaska partner. Children under 2 go free.
Delta's lounges at LAX are for members and eligible passengers under Delta's rules, and the Delta One Lounges are for Delta One passengers. American Express lists the Sky Club for eligible Platinum Card members flying Delta.
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (free, first come, first served), the Star Alliance Lounge, the Qantas business lounge, the Centurion Lounge, both Delta One Lounges and the Delta Sky Club between Terminals 2 and 3.
Image credits: Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA (CC BY 4.0)