BlooJoo

Is this true? There's no TSA Pre on the other end of Flagship Checkin (like there was before)? This would be a complete and utter cluster, if so. Reminds me of MIA, where the same problem is present at FFCI.

nk15

It is not crystal clear, but likely I may have misunderstood this article and comments, so likely there is TSA-pre line, but again, not 100% explicitly stated. Can someone confirm?

Review: New American Airlines Premium Check-in, New York JFK - View from the Wing

BlooJoo

It says:

​​​​​​​
I think that is like before, where you are put to the front of the Pre-Check line. I hope.

nk15

It better be. He wrote a whole article about it and left out the most important part, lol.

From the pics though, it looks like it is a separate roped security line, to God knows where....

I hope it is not just a dedicated security line like the First Wing in LHR. It works ok there because you do not need to remove shoes...

dlflyer2

Have visited all 3 Jfk BA/AA shared lounges and have been unimpressed. In my opinion, those accustomed to the AA Flagship Lounges at Jfk might feel shortchanged.

Was in Chelsea and Soho mid morning and the experience was dreadful.
Perhaps the newness of the lounges, untrained staff and lack of food choices colored my opinion. Soho had frozen berries because they were improperly placed on a freezer slate.
Otherwise very limited warm breakfast food choices. Never thought I would say this, but Admirals Club might have better breakfast options for American preferences.

Chelsea offered an a la carte menu, but the warm food breakfast item I ordered was served cold to the touch and inedible. Service was inattentive and slow, not what would be expected in an airline lounge.

Greenwich, when I visited in the early evening was crowded and offered more limited food choices that weren’t readily restocked, there were frequently empty serving trays.
The Flagship business lounge that it replaced was less crowded and offered a wider variety of food choices. Flagship First had a better menu and was always more exclusive.

Hopefully, things will get better…

nk15

deleted

Infinite1K

There is. When you come out of the Flagship checkin funnel, you will be either dumped into the TSA Pre√ or regular TSA depending on what you have. If you have carry on and/or have no need to go through the Flagship checkin section, you can also just walk towards the main entryway for security and if your BP has TSA Pre√ you’ll be directed towards the TSA Pre√ which on the very right.

Infinite1K

Recently had a chance to visit the Greenwich Lounge and echo-ing some of the other reviews, it is definitely a downgrade compared to the previous Flagship Lounge. In particular:

• The coke vending machine was out of order with a hand written note taped on it
• One of two of the coffee/espresso machines were also tagged as being out of order with similar hand written notes
• Noticeable delays replenishing food
• Food was mislabeled. For instance the sign would say “Daily Sushi” but the actual food under the sign was a salad or it would say “Rice Pilaf” and it was roasted cauliflower instead
• Food selection also appeared to be more limited than before
• Constant shortage of plates. When plates were brought out they were piping hot and you could burn your hand
• Even the bathrooms were in worse shape. Only one soap dispenser was working and all the paper towel dispensers were empty

And as a sign that the transition isn’t complete yet, all the napkins said “Flagship” on them

BlooJoo

Regarding the new Flagship Checkin (or whatever it's called), the sign posted in View from the Wing's review is confusing. Can someone confirm access is not granted to the following:

• EXP/PP on a domestic Flagship itinerary in J/Y
• J class on a domestic Flagship itinerary

I assume when they say "Flagship" on that sign, they mean international Flagship, which would align it to what FFCI used to be. Otherwise, this place is going to be way to crowded.

JJeffrey

Correct, access is not granted for those.

The access rules posted online are much simpler, if you have Soho or Chelsea access then you also have Premium Check-In access. If you do not have Soho or Chelsea access, then also no access to Premium Check-In.

Genius1

My full review of the new facilities at T8 is now available here: The New AA / BA Premium Experience at JFK Terminal 8

In summary: a real mixed bag!

nk15

It sounds like that both AA and BA elites are at least partially unhappy with the new T8 experience, and consider it a downgrade from before.

fender5787

Hey all,

Any recent experiences of non-AA/AS OWEs getting access to the new FFCI and Soho lounge when traveling on a short haul AA itinerary? Specifically, have any of you had any pushback when trying to access any of the facilities. Of course non-AA/AS OWEs have access to Soho, but with all the opening problems and staff unfamiliarity with access rules, figured I’d ask!

DataPlumber

In reality, that’s not any different than the previous FFD/FL experience

BlooJoo

It’s clear that Chelsea is a downgrade from FFD, however access is expanded, so 🤷‍♂️