Some quick notes from my visit to the LAX FSL this past week...

I thought the breakfast spread was nice. The made to order omelettes were excellent, with a great selection of ingredients and the most pleasant cook ever. Inclusion of chorizo as an ingredient option was a nice touch. The Bloody Mary bar was nice, and the local mix they had was better than the one in ORD, imho. I would suggest they put out salsa and ketchup (requested by several people) but overall a wonderful experience.

I was there twice for lunch service. Same food on the buffet both times, with the primary entree being chicken fried steak. I found the hot options uninspiring compared to what they've had in the past, but it was definitely "good enough". I will say, watching staff try to explain chicken fried steak to people who are visiting the US was pretty amusing. The french dip sandwich station was open one of the times I was there. Like the omelette station, this had a great selection of toppings, although I would have loved to see some hot peppers of some kind. The lady working this station was also super pleasant and accommodating, delivering sandwiches to people once they were done and letting them know when it was their turn to order vs making them wait in line. Overall, I find the staff at this FSL to be top notch and they really create a great environment for their guests by being so personable and dedicated to customer service.

The only real negative I can cite is that one of the staffers decided to change the TV that several of us were sort of monitoring to a different channel and then turn up the volume so that he could watch sports for minutes on end, without doing whatever he was supposed to be doing. But that's clearly a first world problem. :)

Does anyone have any experience with the Flagship lounge in LAX for those under 21? I will be flying out of LAX tomorrow night (8/25) and should have access to the lounge but the last time I flew out of LAX (before the flagship lounge opened), I was denied entrance to the TBIT Oneworld lounge because I was under age. Is that likely with the Flagship lounge as well?

There is a long thread about a 16-year old passenger denied access to the LAX Flagship Lounge because he/she was underage.

I wrote a long reply suggesting the young person spend their time exploring the airport, rather than worrying about sitting around a stuffy old lounge with a bunch of old people. That reply got picked up, to my amazement, by Fox News and briefly showed up as a "Trending Topic" in Apple News and Yahoo. (Fifteen minutes of fame. By nighttime, it all disappeared.)

Be that as it may, the chances of your being admitted to the FL area about zero. Others may dissent, but I believe it is due to the fact the FL has self-pour liquor and California Alcohol Beverage Control laws require an under-21 person to be supervised by someone older. Thus, if the young person consumes alcohol and the ABC busts the joint, the older person would be liable, not the establishment. AA is not going to risk its liquor license for you.

My suggestion to you is the same as to the 16-year old in the other thread. Take your young energetic body and go explore TBIT, T4, T5, etc., if you have ample time between flights. There is a place called Umami Burger in TBIT that I would love to try, but at my age hamburgers are on the Danger List and I don't want to risk (err... ) "problems" at 35,000 ft. In my younger days, I could eat hamburgers any day of the week without any problem.

This could be done, and I'm sure it happens all the time.

Personally, I would turn down such an offer from a random young person that I do not know. I would not want to be held responsible for that person's actions in the lounge, nor for monitoring their beverage choices and watching to see they don't sneak alcohol into their Coke. Finally, I would not want to hassle with getting the young person out of the lounge when it was time for me to leave. I just don't need that kind of grief from someone I do not already know.

I got out of the babysitting biz a long time ago.

Personally I would probably also turn down the offer... but I would also already be sitting in the Flagship/QF lounge so it's unlikely I would even be approached :)

Kudos to AA
 

So after reading the replies in the thread, I assumed my chances at the Flagship lounge were zero and assumed I would be sent to the Admirals club. Instead, the agent escorted me to the Flagship lounge to grab food and then sent me to the Admirals club. Overall, an excellent solution to a challenging issue.

(And QueenOfCoach- Prior to my lounge stop, I spent an hour plane watching in TBIT. I then continued plane watching from above in the Admirals Club)

An excellent compromise.

I am pleased to hear that. I hope you had a good flight and enjoy your trip.

Flew LAX > HKG on CX F 1135pm departure on Aug 29. Arrived QA F lounge at approximately 930pm and it was a zoo. Seats from the entrance all the way through the end of the restaurant were pretty much occupied. I desperately needed a shower so put my name down on the waiting list, and the attend let me know she'll text me when its ready. I walked around TBIT for a bit checking out the shops and food options but still no text message. Not wanting to risk it, I took the walkway over to T4 and was pleasantly suprised by the Flagship Lounge. First off, no noise and more than enough seats available. AFTER I had enjoyed the shower suite (which I got into right away) and refreshed before my flight, I then got the text message saying that the shower at the QA F lounge was ready. I politely responded I wouldn't be needing it anymore.

I enjoyed that dining area as it has a big open feel to it, and as others have mentioned above, I enjoy having variety to choose from a buffet instead of being limited by ordering a few menu items. To be honest the food wasn't great, but it was passible and I wasn't looking to stuff myself as I would be flying international F with a solid menu (which is why the menu at QA F lounge doesn't work for me).

It was a nice walk back to TBIT, prolonged by the fact that I had to take a bus gate which is all the way at the other end of TBIT, but enjoyable since I'd be on a plane for the next 13 hours. In the future I could definitely going straight to this lounge if I arrived early enough to do the walk, and for sure if I ran into the herd at QA F lounge again.

That is about the worst time to get to the QF F lounge in my personal experience and it can get pretty crazy. For what it is worth, I prefer the AA showers to the QF showers.

But there are more items on the menu at the Qantas First Lounge than on the buffet at the Flagship Lounge... And they'll take requests to change or substitute anything you like... I don't get it...

Sorry I could have been more clear. It would be an extreme waste of food if I were to order every single menu item and only take one bite. I can freely take one bite of everything displayed on a buffet table. Before a long flight, I like having variety to freely choose from and being able to control portion sizes.

Arrived at a quiet QF Lounge at 11:05pm this past Thursday, before my 12:27am LAX-CLT flight.
The current menu...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e2b1d8005e.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...103a6c4519.jpg

Nice combo with the Rose Champagne.. I could have taken that picture ;-)

Thanks SFO777. Will be there Thursday! Since my itinerary includes Morocco, the soup is extra appealing!