Feb 16, 2017, 2:34 pm
Last edit by: seawolf
NOTE: Flagship Lounges and Flagship First Dining closed March 20, 2020. They will begin reopening in September of 2021, as discussed in this thread (link). This thread will reboot as the Premium facilities begin reopening and as AA announces any changes including access rules.
Beginning in spring 2017, AA began introducing their completely renovated or new, larger Flagship® Lounges – completely redesigned for qualifying First and Business Class customers.
Rules for expanded access to Flagship Lounges were published June 2017.
Features
As well, Flagship Lounge access policies changed.
American Airlines has expanded access to the Flagship® Lounges (but reduced access to Flagship® Dining within the Flagship® Lounges):
Expanded access
In the new Flagship® Lounges (not to be confused with Flagship® Dining), eligible customers are:
1 guest (children over 2 count as a guest)
*Qualifying international flights are those between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America (excluding Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela) only. Qualifying transcontinental flights are defined as non-stop between New York Kennedy (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO). All other international destinations are excluded from this benefit. Departing flight must be the same-day (or before 6 a.m. the following day).
**AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum members traveling solely on North American itineraries (other than flights mentioned immediately above) will not qualify. North America is defined as the United States (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
: An exception usually exists for First and Business passengers on AA Flagship (three class aircraft actually sold as three classes), such as the seasonal MIA-LAX 77W and LAX-BOS A321T.
NOTE: Flagship® First Class customers on American’s 3-class international and transcontinental flights will have exclusive, complimentary access to Flagship® First Dining. Qualifying international passengers may bring one guest; qualifying domestic passengers are not allowed any guests.
NOTE: Flagship® First Class and Flagship® Business Class passengers traveling on 3-cabin transcontinental flights between JFK and LAX/SFO are allowed entry to the Flagship Lounge both upon departure and upon arrival (e.g. A passenger traveling business class nonstop from JFK to LAX will have access to the JFK Lounge and the LAX Lounge). However, passengers on this itinerary will not be allowed to bring in a guest if they are not also in the Flagship® cabin
Link to relevant "Flagship Lounge" aa.com page
Link to 2017 and 2018 posts archived from this thread.
Beginning in spring 2017, AA began introducing their completely renovated or new, larger Flagship® Lounges – completely redesigned for qualifying First and Business Class customers.
Rules for expanded access to Flagship Lounges were published June 2017.
Features
- More room for you to spread out and relax
- Larger buffet with premium, fresh meals
- Premium beer, wine and spirits
- Updated interiors with additional power and privacy options
- More staff in each lounge for the highest level of service
As well, Flagship Lounge access policies changed.
American Airlines has expanded access to the Flagship® Lounges (but reduced access to Flagship® Dining within the Flagship® Lounges):
Expanded access
In the new Flagship® Lounges (not to be confused with Flagship® Dining), eligible customers are:
- First and Business Class customers (on qualifying international flights or 3-class transcontinental markets*)
- AAdvantage® Executive Platinum (including Concierge Key), Platinum Pro and Platinum members in any cabin (on qualifying international flights*)
- oneworld® Emerald and Sapphire members in any cabin (on all qualifying flights**)
Qualifying transcontinental flights
3-class non-stop flights between:
- New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX)
- JFK and San Francisco (SFO)
- JFK and Orange County (SNA)
- LAX and Miami (MIA)
- LAX and Boston (BOS)
Qualifying other domestic filghts
Flights with seats ticketed as Flagship® between:
- Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Honolulu (HNL)
- DFW and Kona (KOA)
- DFW and Maui (OGG)
- Chicago (ORD) and HNL
- Charlotte (CLT) and HNL
1 guest (children over 2 count as a guest)
*Qualifying international flights are those between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America (excluding Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela) only. Qualifying transcontinental flights are defined as non-stop between New York Kennedy (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO). All other international destinations are excluded from this benefit. Departing flight must be the same-day (or before 6 a.m. the following day).
**AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum members traveling solely on North American itineraries (other than flights mentioned immediately above) will not qualify. North America is defined as the United States (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
: An exception usually exists for First and Business passengers on AA Flagship (three class aircraft actually sold as three classes), such as the seasonal MIA-LAX 77W and LAX-BOS A321T.
NOTE: Flagship® First Class customers on American’s 3-class international and transcontinental flights will have exclusive, complimentary access to Flagship® First Dining. Qualifying international passengers may bring one guest; qualifying domestic passengers are not allowed any guests.
NOTE: Flagship® First Class and Flagship® Business Class passengers traveling on 3-cabin transcontinental flights between JFK and LAX/SFO are allowed entry to the Flagship Lounge both upon departure and upon arrival (e.g. A passenger traveling business class nonstop from JFK to LAX will have access to the JFK Lounge and the LAX Lounge). However, passengers on this itinerary will not be allowed to bring in a guest if they are not also in the Flagship® cabin
Link to relevant "Flagship Lounge" aa.com page
Link to 2017 and 2018 posts archived from this thread.
Guide to Flagship Lounge Access
Nov 14, 2019, 7:33 am
#136
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,128
PHL, not likely since they just started working on it on September 30th. If you are actually flying IB metal (not a codeshare), you'll be flying out of T5 so access to AA lounge(s) in T3 wouldn't be available unless you used some convoluted reason of "shopping" there.
Nov 14, 2019, 8:24 am
#137
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southern Europe/USA
Posts: 663
Alternate Lounges?
PHL, not likely since they just started working on it on September 30th. If you are actually flying IB metal (not a codeshare), you'll be flying out of T5 so access to AA lounge(s) in T3 wouldn't be available unless you used some convoluted reason of "shopping" there.
Nov 14, 2019, 8:45 am
#138
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,128
If you have access to T3, then you're in luck! Traveling in business you'd have access to the AA, BA, CX and QF business class lounges. They are grouped very near each other, so you can sample them all if you have a long enough layover. However if you're flying out of T5, which is where most, if not all IB flights are out of, it is very difficult to get access to T3. Then you're down to the BA business lounges at T5.
Nov 14, 2019, 9:41 am
#139
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southern Europe/USA
Posts: 663
If you have access to T3, then you're in luck! Traveling in business you'd have access to the AA, BA, CX and QF business class lounges. They are grouped very near each other, so you can sample them all if you have a long enough layover. However if you're flying out of T5, which is where most, if not all IB flights are out of, it is very difficult to get access to T3. Then you're down to the BA business lounges at T5.
Nov 17, 2019, 1:57 am
#140
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Bergen County NJ
Programs: AA EXP, UA1K B6 Mosaic 1, Amtrak Select, Marriott Plat , AMEX Plat (noted for club access reference)
Posts: 808
AA- JFK-MIA-MEX on a J ticket. I know that AA Flagship Access is included in MIA but what about JFK? Thanks
Nov 19, 2019, 3:22 pm
#142
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: ORD, sadly...
Programs: AA Exec Plat
Posts: 600
Didn't try to get into FL at ORD because the line was out the door and I got to the airport a bit later than I planned.
Got FFD at DFW, drAAgon just scanned my BP and was happy to let me in. Great bartender there, too.
Visited FFD and Qantas F at LAX, FFD and regular FL at JFK. Was a fun departure from the usual airport experience. Great showers at JFK, too!
Nov 19, 2019, 3:36 pm
#143
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,128
Had a fun trip.
Didn't try to get into FL at ORD because the line was out the door and I got to the airport a bit later than I planned.
Got FFD at DFW, drAAgon just scanned my BP and was happy to let me in. Great bartender there, too.
Visited FFD and Qantas F at LAX, FFD and regular FL at JFK. Was a fun departure from the usual airport experience. Great showers at JFK, too!
Didn't try to get into FL at ORD because the line was out the door and I got to the airport a bit later than I planned.
Got FFD at DFW, drAAgon just scanned my BP and was happy to let me in. Great bartender there, too.
Visited FFD and Qantas F at LAX, FFD and regular FL at JFK. Was a fun departure from the usual airport experience. Great showers at JFK, too!
. Also, I;m sure that the shower at JFK was well appreciated after all those flights.
Nov 19, 2019, 4:05 pm
#144
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: ORD, sadly...
Programs: AA Exec Plat
Posts: 600
FWIW, I've been in the ORD FL once - it was a few months back at the end of the hot food experiment. I asked one of the AC agents when they were going to change out that gross spinach artichoke mess, and I guess she felt my pain because she escorted me downstairs and told me to fill up a plate. Guess I should have grabbed some bubbly, too but I didn't want to press my luck. That was quite a kind gesture.
Nov 22, 2019, 4:16 am
#145
Join Date: Sep 2019
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 98
Apologies if this has been asked before, I couldn't find it.
I am flying AA LHR-MIA-CUN in business. As far as I can see, according to the qualifying flight rules, if based just on the MIA-CUN flight, I wouldn't qualify for either FL or AC in MIA. Is that the case, or would the LHR-MIA leg qualify me for one or the other or both?
Many thanks
I am flying AA LHR-MIA-CUN in business. As far as I can see, according to the qualifying flight rules, if based just on the MIA-CUN flight, I wouldn't qualify for either FL or AC in MIA. Is that the case, or would the LHR-MIA leg qualify me for one or the other or both?
Many thanks
Nov 22, 2019, 4:24 am
#146
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS 100K, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 310
Apologies if this has been asked before, I couldn't find it.
I am flying AA LHR-MIA-CUN in business. As far as I can see, according to the qualifying flight rules, if based just on the MIA-CUN flight, I wouldn't qualify for either FL or AC in MIA. Is that the case, or would the LHR-MIA leg qualify me for one or the other or both?
Many thanks
I am flying AA LHR-MIA-CUN in business. As far as I can see, according to the qualifying flight rules, if based just on the MIA-CUN flight, I wouldn't qualify for either FL or AC in MIA. Is that the case, or would the LHR-MIA leg qualify me for one or the other or both?
Many thanks
Nov 22, 2019, 5:04 am
#147
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,128
Apologies if this has been asked before, I couldn't find it.
I am flying AA LHR-MIA-CUN in business. As far as I can see, according to the qualifying flight rules, if based just on the MIA-CUN flight, I wouldn't qualify for either FL or AC in MIA. Is that the case, or would the LHR-MIA leg qualify me for one or the other or both?
Many thanks
I am flying AA LHR-MIA-CUN in business. As far as I can see, according to the qualifying flight rules, if based just on the MIA-CUN flight, I wouldn't qualify for either FL or AC in MIA. Is that the case, or would the LHR-MIA leg qualify me for one or the other or both?
Many thanks
Nov 22, 2019, 5:08 am
#148
Join Date: Sep 2019
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 98
Having read the T3 Lounge thread I was planning to try the CX lounge.