The American Airlines Lounges are Lounge H at Terminal 3. This is the earliest closing of all of the Heathrow T3 lounges, opening hours are 05:00-19:30. The lounge is located below the Virgin Clubhouse.






The best time to visit the American Airlines Lounges is in the afternoon as the weight of AA flights leave in the morning which can make the lounges very busy at times. I have timed my visit to be just after three AA flights have boarded so that the lounge will be as quiet as possible.

Once you have checked in at reception you will be directed to an opaque sliding security door that opens into the First Class Lounge. On entry you are greeted by a table of sweets and a second table holding Moet NV and Rose Champagnes.






The AA lounges come in for major criticism for the dated décor, and that criticism is well deserved, neither this first class lounge not the nearby business class lounge could be described as comfortable. They are overly bright and remind me in parts of a 1990s factory canteen and a doctors waiting room!








Despite the décor, the food and drink in the lounge are of a good quality. There is a buffet that will often feature much more adventurous dishes than in the other lounges. For instance, on a recent visit, there was a Goat Stew on offer.








The lounge also has a small at-seat dining area with an al la carte menu.




This lounge also serves the best coffee of all of the lounges.

Another highlight of the lounge is the sweetie bar to pander to those of us with a sweet tooth. The sweet bar used to have a supply of striped paper bags to allow you to take a selection with you but sadly this is no longer available and so a surreptitious handful of candy now needs to suffice. This is definitely the place to come for your sweetie and crisp fix.



It is a taste of the roulade for me, accompanied by a glass of Moët to stave off dehydration



The view from the lounge is pretty limited.



The washroom follows along with the design ethos of the rest of the lounge. It is the only first class communal washroom, there are hand dryers rather than towels, and it has comparatively cheap and cheerful hand soap.




Again, a perfectly adequate lounge, but there are better options in T3.