Denver – Business-class travelers on United Airlines will eventually have a Polaris Lounge at Denver International Airport (DEN), and the project has moved past planning into design. Denver has long stood out in United’s network. It is the only mainland U.S. hub the airline serves without a Polaris Lounge, even as the carrier has expanded its premium spaces at other airports. ([1])
A two-story lounge planned for Concourse A
Aaron McMillan, managing director of hospitality programs at United, confirmed that design work is underway on the lounge. The plan calls for a second mezzanine built above the existing one, along with a modest expansion of the floor area. The site sits near the far end of Concourse A, between gates A18 and A20.
United is aiming to open the space by late 2028 or early 2029. That timeline places the lounge roughly two years away, so travelers departing Denver will not see it on their upcoming itineraries. Its opening remains years away, so this benefit will not affect upcoming travel plans.
The work is not entirely new. United also started design work on a United Polaris lounge in Denver, representing the airline’s seventh United Polaris lounge and final domestic gateway for this award-winning product. That statement came alongside the opening of a large United Club in Denver in mid-2025, which signaled that the airline was investing heavily at the airport.
Why Denver is getting its first Polaris space
When United opened its first Polaris space in Chicago in 2016, the lounge program was limited to the carrier’s main international gateways. Denver was not on that list. The airport’s international footprint has changed considerably since then, and the case for a premium space has grown along with it.
United now operates five intercontinental routes from Denver, to Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Munich, Rome and Tokyo Narita. A sixth route, to Paris Charles de Gaulle, is scheduled to begin next summer. McMillan also pointed to demand beyond Denver’s own travelers, noting that passengers connecting through Chicago, Houston and San Francisco also fly Polaris and could use the Denver space.
Key facts so far: the lounge will be two stories, it is planned near gates A18 and A20 on Concourse A, and United targets a late 2028 or early 2029 opening.
What remains unclear
Much about the space is still unsettled. McMillan declined to describe the look and feel of the lounge, and no interior style has been made public. Access rules for Polaris lounges are already established, however. The lounges are open to same-day long-haul business-class passengers and to business or first-class travelers on several partner airlines, including All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa.
One detail is firm. McMillan confirmed the new lounge will not include an outdoor patio. Travelers at DEN can already use the public outdoor patios at the ends of Concourses A, B and C, but those are open to everyone and are separate from the planned Polaris space.
For Denver flyers who have waited years for a premium lounge of their own, the design phase marks a real step forward. The opening date is still a long way off, so the wait is likely to continue for some time before the lounge is open for business.
