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Bilt Gold elite status comes with several unique perks, including boosted transfer bonuses on most Bilt Rent Days. One benefit I haven't seen from any other
I hold Gold status through the Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees), so one morning in Manhattan during the U.S. Open, I walked over to the West 30th Street heliport to see how the benefit works in practice.
Here's how you can access BLADE lounges, what you can expect inside, and whether this perk alone is worth chasing Bilt status.
How Bilt Members Get BLADE Lounge Access
BLADE sells by-the-seat helicopter transfers between Manhattan and New York-JFK and Newark, plus seasonal routes to leisure destinations like Montauk. Its lounges are for ticketed passengers, with a one-way airport seat typically costing a few hundred dollars. Lounges feature a bar, some light snacks, and a comfortable place to wait for your flight.
However, if you hold Bilt elite status, you don't necessarily need a ticket. Bilt Gold and Platinum members can access BLADE lounges during operating hours, with up to two drinks included per visit. Bilt lists eligible lounges in New York City (two lounges), Westchester, Nantucket, and Miami. For my visit, I chose the most convenient option: BLADE Lounge West, near the Hudson Yards development.
My BLADE Lounge West Experience
If you want to learn more about my experience at the BLADE Lounge West, check out my YouTube video:
Checking In
BLADE Lounge West sits at the West 30th Street heliport on Manhattan's Hudson River side, next to a greenway. It's a 10-minute walk from the Hudson Yards subway station, or 20 minutes from Penn Station. When you arrive, set your expectations for the exterior. The building is a low, temporary-looking structure beside the helipad, and I walked past the entrance once before I spotted the BLADE signage.
Check-in was quick. I told the agent at the desk I was visiting as a Bilt member, handed over my Palladium Card, and a moment later, the agent waved me in. Nobody asked for a flight confirmation, and I didn't need to reserve ahead. I wasn't sure how aware the staff member would be of the perk, so I'm glad I could take advantage of it without hassle.
Inside BLADE Lounge West
The lounge is small, closer in size to a hotel lobby bar than to an airport club. What it lacks in square footage, it makes up for with its finish. The furniture, lighting, and wall treatments show intentional design, and the room looks far nicer than the outside suggests.
My highlight was a small phone room off the main seating area. If you need to take a time-sensitive call or a meeting before heading to the airport, you can shut the door and talk quickly. Since these lounges aren't meant for spending all day inside, I felt this addressed the target consumer well.
The windows face the helipad, so every few minutes a helicopter lifts off or lands a short distance from your seat. For an aviation fan, that alone justifies the walk. I arrived early in the morning, so I passed on the bar and ordered a coffee. I stayed just under 30 minutes, which felt right.
More Bilt Perks With BLADE
Bilt recently expanded its BLADE partnership. Every member can now reserve BLADE flights in the Bilt Travel Portal and earn 2 bonus Bilt Points per $1 on those bookings. You can pay using a card, Bilt Points, or Bilt Cash — note that Bilt Cash applies up to $350 per seat booking and up to 2 bookings per year (total $700 per year).
Note: Bilt Cash expires at the end of each calendar year. Up to $100 of Bilt Cash earned rolls over to the next year.
Silver, Gold, and Platinum members also get 10% off BLADE bookings made through the Bilt app. However, Platinum members get the most valuable benefit: one complimentary BLADE flight each year between Manhattan and JFK or Newark.
How To Earn Bilt Gold Status
Gold status requires 125,000 qualifying Bilt Points or $25,000 in eligible card spend within a calendar year. Once earned, Gold remains active through the end of the following year.
I took the faster route for status. The Palladium Card offers status as part of its welcome offer: earn 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 3 months + $300 of Bilt Cash.
For award travelers, the main reason to hold Gold is the Rent Day transfer bonuses, but the BLADE benefits are certainly nice perks.
- Earn points on housing payments with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
Bottom Line
BLADE lounge access won't be the reason anyone pursues Bilt Gold, but it was a fun treat to check out a lounge during my visit to New York City. If you hold Gold or Platinum and find yourself near Hudson Yards, drop in for a coffee or a cocktail and enjoy the views.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees)
