Visiting the Blade Lounge with Bilt
Tl;dr: The Blade lounge is nothing special, but may be worth visiting if you are nearby and have Bilt Gold or Platinum status.
I recently took a trip to New York City. It ended with me getting stranded by Amtrak, but it started with a visit to the Blade lounge. Blade is a helicopter service that shuttles travelers between NYC’s airports and Manhattan, and has partnered with Bilt to offer cardholders a variety of benefits. One of these is free access to Blade’s two Manhattan lounges for Bilt Gold and Platinum members, so I decided to try out this perk on my trip. Here’s how it went.
Getting in
Although the (no-fee) Bilt Mastercard does not offer airport lounge access like some other cards, Gold and Platinum elite members can access Blade’s helicopter lounges in Manhattan. To get in, you’ll need Gold or Platinum status with Bilt, which requires a minimum of $25,000 in (non-rent) spending on the Bilt Mastercard, or 125k Bilt points earned in a given year. I have Bilt Gold status (from back before the Gold requirements rocketed from 50k to 125k Bilt points), so I just mentioned my Bilt card at the entrance and they took my card details and let me in.
The experience
I came to Manhattan by train, arriving at Moynihan Train Hall. The station is less than a 20 minute walk to Blade Lounge West, via Hudson Yards, so it was a good place to get my bearings in the city as I decided how to kill time before checking into my hotel.
The lounge itself is a little difficult to find, and not particularly impressive from the outside, essentially amounting to a plywood portable. Once inside, though, you’re greeted with a comfortable, climate-controlled space with some nice design touches.
I was offered a drink and told I could have two free alcoholic beverages. I had one of the house specialties, which seemed to be flat sparkling water and a very modest amount of some lightly-flavored alcohol. It wasn’t great, but, at the same time, for a free drink at 10:30 AM on a hot and humid day, it was actually just about perfect. With drink in hand, I was able to watch the helicopters come and go from the riverfront helipad.
I was the only one there for the duration of my 40-minute stay, and was able to snoop around liberally. The relatively small space was filled with interesting decor and thoughtful touches like snacks and Blade-branded paper towels in the bathroom. In fact, the bathroom seemed like a lounge unto itself:
Overall, it was a pretty nice space, especially when empty like it was when I visited.
Conclusion
The Blade lounge I visited (one of two) was nothing special–not worth a special trip or repeat visits. But if you are in the neighborhood, perhaps coming to NYC via Moynihan Train Hall like I was, it is a convenient, comfortable place to settle in and get the lay of the land while sipping on a complimentary beverage. It’s a fun perk of Bilt status and may be worth taking advantage of if you have Gold or Platinum status and find yourself in Manhattan.