Jan 5, 2024, 11:41 am
Last edit by: Prospero
For the latest updates and discussion related to the champagnes on offer, please visit the sister thread linked below
JFK Chelsea Lounge | la mise à jour du champagne
JFK Chelsea Lounge | la mise à jour du champagne
British Airways and American Airlines Chelsea Lounge - JFK Terminal 8
Dec 13, 2022, 9:22 am
#271
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: LDN / NY
Programs: BA GGL, Marriott Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 538
Just had this response from the GGL team regarding Chelsea access:
"I'm sorry to report that the access has changed and what you were advised is correct.
Gold Guest List members can only access the Chelsea Lounge when travelling either on a BA flight or any AA long haul service. Access to both Soho and Greenwich Lounges are both options when not travelling on the above.
I have fed this back to all the GGL team so were all aware of this change to access requirements. BA.com will be updated to reflect this in due course. I appreciate this isn't the outcome expected but rest assured this will be under review as we settle into life in the new shared space with AA."
So this seems to be aligned with CK access now.
"I'm sorry to report that the access has changed and what you were advised is correct.
Gold Guest List members can only access the Chelsea Lounge when travelling either on a BA flight or any AA long haul service. Access to both Soho and Greenwich Lounges are both options when not travelling on the above.
I have fed this back to all the GGL team so were all aware of this change to access requirements. BA.com will be updated to reflect this in due course. I appreciate this isn't the outcome expected but rest assured this will be under review as we settle into life in the new shared space with AA."
So this seems to be aligned with CK access now.
How many domestic AA GGL pax are there really?!
Dec 13, 2022, 9:43 am
#272
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: BAEC (GGL)
Posts: 47
I'm now uncertain how this impacts connecting flights. e.g. If flying LHR-JFK-MIA, as the JFK-MIA leg would be AA Domestic, does this not qualify for access? Or do they just mean that stand-alone domestic (non-flagship) itineraries that don't have an associated same-day "long-haul" connection?
Dec 13, 2022, 10:01 am
#273
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR / LAS
Programs: BA GfL, GGL/CCR
Posts: 2,409
I'm now uncertain how this impacts connecting flights. e.g. If flying LHR-JFK-MIA, as the JFK-MIA leg would be AA Domestic, does this not qualify for access? Or do they just mean that stand-alone domestic (non-flagship) itineraries that don't have an associated same-day "long-haul" connection?
It is disappointing they can't get their access rules fixed.
I still suspect GGL will get access as long as flying AA or BA, any cabin, any route , connection or otherwise, despite the GGL agent referenced in post above saying different.
I too have been told by the GGL team about access. The reply I got was you do as GGL get access.
I'm pretty confident that GGLs do get access, but nothing now would surprise me now really.
Dec 13, 2022, 12:32 pm
#274
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Berkshire
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR/LTG
Posts: 684
I'll be in the Chelsea Lounge on Thursday (connecting off a BA flight onto a AA transcon to LAX), and again on Sunday (connecting off a AA transcon from LAX onto a BA flight. I've got my physical GGL card, and I've printed out the lounge access 'benefits' on the GGL page. I will report back.
edit: maybe, I will be in the Chelsea lounge!
I'll be in the Chelsea Lounge on Thursday (connecting off a BA flight onto a AA transcon to LAX), and again on Sunday (connecting off a AA transcon from LAX onto a BA flight. I've got my physical GGL card, and I've printed out the lounge access 'benefits' on the GGL page. I will report back.
Last edited by Prospero; Dec 20, 2022 at 1:05 pm Reason: combine consecutive posts
Dec 13, 2022, 1:03 pm
#275
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: LDN / NY
Programs: BA GGL, Marriott Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 538
I'll be in the Chelsea Lounge on Thursday (connecting off a BA flight onto a AA transcon to LAX), and again on Sunday (connecting off a AA transcon from LAX onto a BA flight. I've got my physical GGL card, and I've printed out the lounge access 'benefits' on the GGL page. I will report back.
It's just the domestic only tickets that will be affected by this. Let's see if we get any further updates on how things are developing..!
Dec 13, 2022, 4:08 pm
#276
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
I am currently in the Soho lounge but the staff at reception were kind enough to let me have a quick look around Chelsea too.
I have a lot to say.
Stay tuned for a Genius1 trip report of both lounges coming soon.
I have a lot to say.
Stay tuned for a Genius1 trip report of both lounges coming soon.
Dec 13, 2022, 4:12 pm
#277
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CT/NY
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AA EXP, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 6,020
Yesterday, they were out of Krug and the previous 14 champagnes were shortened to 5 or 6 on the official list. All LVMH and boring except for the Krug and Ruinart BdB. I did spot an empty magnum of Krug at the bar, so in theory yesterday there was some that day at some point earlier.
Food was all meh. The tomato soup tasted like eating a can of pasta sauce. The Caesar salad was overdressed. The sandwiches in the tea set were a tad stale.
Service was chaotic. When I asked for the wifi password for my laptop I was brought a QR code and the server didn’t want to give me the wifi password. Everyone said it was their first day.
PS. At the Greenwich lounge where I did a driveby, there were dozens of bottles of Piper and it looked like the normal old Flagship lounge but less crowded. Thumbs up. The Soho lounge was beautiful and much better space with light and zen feel, but they only had Roederer Estate american sparkling, a lesser wine than the Piper in the Greenwich. Bartender said she wasn’t sure when they would have Champagne again or what the selection would be. No menu. Chaos.
Food was all meh. The tomato soup tasted like eating a can of pasta sauce. The Caesar salad was overdressed. The sandwiches in the tea set were a tad stale.
Service was chaotic. When I asked for the wifi password for my laptop I was brought a QR code and the server didn’t want to give me the wifi password. Everyone said it was their first day.
PS. At the Greenwich lounge where I did a driveby, there were dozens of bottles of Piper and it looked like the normal old Flagship lounge but less crowded. Thumbs up. The Soho lounge was beautiful and much better space with light and zen feel, but they only had Roederer Estate american sparkling, a lesser wine than the Piper in the Greenwich. Bartender said she wasn’t sure when they would have Champagne again or what the selection would be. No menu. Chaos.
I just don't understand why this is so difficult for AA/BA to remedy
They both ran decent quality first class lounges at JFK prior to this, with AA doing it within a few hundred meters of the new lounge. Flagship Dining and CCR both offered a decent menu, a reasonable bar, and reasonable service levels
Someone was in charge of creating the Chelsea Room. Someone is responsible for its operation. In both cases this will be someone who does this for a living and must have experience i.e. a professional
And yet two weeks after opening this sh*tshow is offering burgers and fish and chips and whatever random champagne they have lying around. And they don't even know who is eligible to enter the lounge (clue: you have one job to do.....)
Is no-one accountable? Why bother with a bespoke chandelier if you don't care about the catering or staffing levels? Why can't someone order a decent supply of food and drink so that it doesn't run out every day? If you order 100 burgers then order 100 rolls.
Did they forget everything they knew about operating an airport lounge and installed people who have never done it before so they can learn on the job, using a first class lounge at a key hub as their classroom?
Rule number one - don't make it worse than what you're replacing. Epic fail
Seriously - how is this possible?
They both ran decent quality first class lounges at JFK prior to this, with AA doing it within a few hundred meters of the new lounge. Flagship Dining and CCR both offered a decent menu, a reasonable bar, and reasonable service levels
Someone was in charge of creating the Chelsea Room. Someone is responsible for its operation. In both cases this will be someone who does this for a living and must have experience i.e. a professional
And yet two weeks after opening this sh*tshow is offering burgers and fish and chips and whatever random champagne they have lying around. And they don't even know who is eligible to enter the lounge (clue: you have one job to do.....)
Is no-one accountable? Why bother with a bespoke chandelier if you don't care about the catering or staffing levels? Why can't someone order a decent supply of food and drink so that it doesn't run out every day? If you order 100 burgers then order 100 rolls.
Did they forget everything they knew about operating an airport lounge and installed people who have never done it before so they can learn on the job, using a first class lounge at a key hub as their classroom?
Rule number one - don't make it worse than what you're replacing. Epic fail
Seriously - how is this possible?
At the same time, once the bad purchasing decision was made, if they are working with one of the big food suppliers (e.g., Sysco or US Food), they can't do just-in-time deliveries, not to mention specific requirements for deliveries to the airport. Champagne purchases have to go through the distributor, which may have limited supply due to December in NYC. All this dominos into the crap show that is week 1 and 2.
Hopefully they are (almost) back on track getting into week 3 and beyond.
Dec 13, 2022, 4:15 pm
#278
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Edinburgh, UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 968
To add, my wife thought the buffet/food offering in Soho was better. Plus there is cheese when I had a quick look around.
Last edited by csdavidson; Dec 13, 2022 at 4:16 pm Reason: addition
Dec 13, 2022, 4:30 pm
#279
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
Dec 13, 2022, 4:40 pm
#280
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, LH Sen, MUCCI, Junior Jet Club.
Posts: 8,101
I was in Soho on Sunday night. It’s an impressive space with nice furnishings. I’m not entirely convinced of the layout, basically having a dining room all along the middle feels weird. But the rest is nice.
However the food and beverage offerings need A LOT of work. I didn’t touch the hot offering, it just looked totally dried out. The cheese, “charcuterie” (just plain ham and one type of salami) and salad bar was very uninspiring. The fridges for soft drinks were almost entirely empty with limited selections. The free service Coravin machine wasn’t stocked. If you wanted a drink you needed to visit the tended bar, which had pleasant servers (but who, apart from one exception, seemed to know very little about the drinks on offer).
TSA Pre was lightning fast and the gate areas for BA are only a short walk from the lounge lifts.
I do miss T7. T8 feels very American, and not in a good way.
However the food and beverage offerings need A LOT of work. I didn’t touch the hot offering, it just looked totally dried out. The cheese, “charcuterie” (just plain ham and one type of salami) and salad bar was very uninspiring. The fridges for soft drinks were almost entirely empty with limited selections. The free service Coravin machine wasn’t stocked. If you wanted a drink you needed to visit the tended bar, which had pleasant servers (but who, apart from one exception, seemed to know very little about the drinks on offer).
TSA Pre was lightning fast and the gate areas for BA are only a short walk from the lounge lifts.
I do miss T7. T8 feels very American, and not in a good way.
Dec 13, 2022, 5:07 pm
#281
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Programs: BA GGL, NH SFC, IHG Diamond, Radisson VIP, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 835
Dec 13, 2022, 7:51 pm
#282
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: LIS
Programs: BA Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold , HH Diamond , IHG Diamond Elite, Accor Gold
Posts: 174
Just arrived on BA 113 in JFK and apart from a pleasant chat with Paul McCartney and great service on board in the new F hard product, the rest pretty average, no suitcase and cannot tell me where it is, will file a PIR in GRU (connecting flight), Chelsea lounge is average at best, had a Prawn Cocktail, oh my goodness, simply bland at best, no premium Champagne just regular Moët , asked for fish n chips, and run out.., as mentioned by others, far too bright , Jared and Nalini are very nice staff though, they are from the old T7 Concorde room
Last edited by RGMD11; Dec 14, 2022 at 8:57 am
Dec 14, 2022, 5:26 am
#283
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA PLT PRO, AGR, Strawberry (Nordic Choice), Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 4,248
Dec 14, 2022, 6:46 am
#284
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2019
Programs: AA: CK
Posts: 2,230
Just arrived on BA 113 in JFK and apart from a pleasant chat with Paul McCartney and great service on board in the new F hard product, the rest pretty average, no suitcase and cannot tell me where it is, will file a PIR in GRU (connecting flight), Chelsea lounge is average at best, had a Prawn Cocktail, oh my goodness, simply bland at best, no premium Champagne just regular Moët , asked for fish n chips, and run out.., as mentioned by others, far too bright , Jared and Nalini are very staff though, they are from the old T7 Concorde room
Dec 14, 2022, 7:05 am
#285
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: BA Executive Club and OnBusiness
Posts: 720
Meanwhile in a parallel universe this is how Google is reporting the London CCR menu (menu tab, scroll down)
BA CCR menu according to Google
Was it ever that good???
* for those not familiar with the current London CCR menu is it nowhere near this level of quality. No idea where Google gets this fantasy land stuff from. For real menu information check out the Flyertalk CCR menu thread
BA CCR menu according to Google
Was it ever that good???
* for those not familiar with the current London CCR menu is it nowhere near this level of quality. No idea where Google gets this fantasy land stuff from. For real menu information check out the Flyertalk CCR menu thread
Last edited by Ned1968; Dec 14, 2022 at 7:16 am