Upon arriving at JFK T7, it was a matter of following the signs, past Economy Check in, pass Business and finally to Club World LCY Check-in…. which was located with First Class Check in.
I was welcomed immediately, and two of my bags were tagged and sent off into the system. I was told what lounge to use and how to get here and invited to use the priority security lane which whilst wasn’t overloaded was still busy.
The TSA were a picture of their usual organised selves - that resembles chaos (for example, running out of luggage bins every few minutes). At least they seemed to process people quickly, with no Nude-o-Scope in sight at the premium security entrance. This entrance deposits you outside Gate 1 (where BA1 arrived and BA4 will depart from - and the Concorde Room is around the corner from here. As I’m a mere BA Gold on a Business Ticket, I headed for the main lounge whilst passing through the Duty Free shop.
Well I’m allowed one or two sins for this trip.
It was then up the to Terraces Lounge, and I was welcomed, my ticket checked and I was asked if i would like to use the arrivals service at London City in the morning (to which I responded yes), and I was directed to the main lounge. I relied on the flight home I could had gone into the F Lounge - but to be honest, I’m not fussed.
The BA Lounge is cavernous compared to some lounges I’ve been. For size comparison for a Star Alliance flyer... think the size of the Air Canada Maple Leaf International Lounge at YYZ and add a bit more. That’s about the space size of it.
There is of course lots of sections to the lounge, but as my stomach was a bit rumbly (for the right reasons I should say!), I headed off to the pre-flight dining section.
I went over to the pre-flight dining section (which is reserved for Club World or above flyers only - no dice if you rock up with World Traveller/World Traveller Plus class ticket with Gold here!), where my ticket was checked and I was allowed access
The service is akin to a posh buffet style, with some live cooking going on for those who wanted something “fresh” in-front of them - this included some Chinese water dumplings
In addition, there was a fair amount of salad and cold things for starters...
For those who weren’t in the mood to hang around, there were also Lasagna, Crab Cakes and Cajun Chicken
As well as a simple dessert selection - well - with some tasty ones too.
A bit like millionaires shortbread - but marshmallow on top.
The views from the pre-flight dining area are... limited - to other people in the room and to the general entrance way into the terminal.
Overall: For Club services like this where the expected service is going to be something small on a short flight - this is a blessing for a chance for a decent bite to eat before getting on the plane and bedding down for the flight.
The quality and freshness of the food was of a good quality - enough of a consideration to make it a diversion on the way back to the UK if I was flying Club again.
Heading into the main lounge itself, I found myself a few perches as I sat down and reflected on the trip, whilst readying for the flight home. The lounge is split into different areas
Bar seating
Spa Area
Seating
Seating
Pimms O’Clock
Spirits
Sunset
Even though it was a cavernous lounge it was a busy lounge, with lots of comings and goings, the odd few (controlled) children - all busy for all the flights departing late into the night.
The ambiance was not “quite” but it was “relaxing” (and more relaxing that the general terminal below)
The spa seemed to be quite busy - so that was skipped, and I just took the time to review a few of the pictures (picking out the passable from godawful pictures) from the sets.
Soon enough, boarding time arrived, so I headed down to the gate area, back to Gate Number 1, ready for BA004 for the homeward leg. There were a few people in the queue when I arrived - and children - in the gate area. In trepidation, I went to the podium and was beeped aboard.
Past the podium, my duty free was waiting and with that in hand, it was time to head off for the short flight home.