Originally Posted by
brenc3
Many OneWorld carriers maintain both business and first class lounges at major airports (JFK, LHR, NRT, SYD, many others). The F lounge is normally only accessible to F passengers and Emerald status flyers, regardless of cabin. Paid business class pax with no status would not be able to visit these lounges. These lounges are a big step up from their business class counterparts, in quiet, amenities, and quality of food, and IMO make Emerald status worth it if you fly through these airports at least a few times a year.
Good to know. The main reason I'd want to jump ship to a non-AA OW carrier would be Flagship Lounge access for domestic flights. International F lounges rather than J would be nice to have but realistically I would be taking advantage of that benefit less than once a year on average.