British Airways and American Airlines Chelsea Lounge - JFK Terminal 8
 

Today, Thursday 1 December 2022, sees the opening of the new BA and AA Chelsea Lounge in John F Kennedy Airport, New York, Terminal 8. This continues on from the Concorde Room in Terminal 7, which has now closed.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/d5RlHC.jpg

Location: Terminal 8 JFK. It is airside, in the main terminal building, confusingly known as Concourse B, with the satellite terminal being Concourse C. The location is near but above gate 20. If coming from the main TSA security area, go forward then right at Bobby Van's Grill.

Opening hours: 04:30 hrs to 00:30 hrs

Access rules:
1) First class BA travellers. One guest.
2) First class AA ticket holders on Flagship routes (note normal First travel on non Flagship routes is not sufficient). One guest when the host is on an internationals service.
3) AA Flagship Business Plus passengers - this is a special fare offered as "Premier" on some AA routes. No guest.
4) BA Gold Guest List (GGL) members. One guest, but two guests if the GGL is travelling First.
5) AA Concierge Key members on Flagship routes, regardless of cabin class. Two guests.

For GGLs, we know this covers all BA and AA cabins, we still need confirmation it applies to the other oneworld airlines in T8 such as Iberia, which has also relocated to terminal 8. All guests must also be flying oneworld, though not necessarily the same flight as the host.

Facilities
Food
Snacks
Drinks
WCs
Showers
Rest areas
Wheelchair access


Useful links
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...ec-2022-a.html
particularly from post 160 onwards.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...membrance.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...-open-jfk.html

AA website: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...um-lounges.jsp

Admin notice: being day 1 this is clearly work in progress. Please feel free to contribute to this thread, so photos are very welcome, if necessary we can have a tidy up and update post 1 later on, but in the mean time it will be good to have reports from those visiting. I've created this thread since the current threads make sense in terms of a move, but that move has now happened. We will also create threads for the Soho and Greenwich lounges.

It would also be useful to include guesting rules in addition to the access rules.

Doc Copper

Headforpoints: https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/1...nal-8-airport/

Says there are 17 different champagnes. Should suit FT very well.

... which is of course incorrect if anyone bothers to look at the menu! There are in fact 14 Champagne and 3 sparkling wines (one from Italy, one from England, and one from New Mexico)... Either the authors do not know the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine or more likely got confused by this ridiculously messy that has been put together (with mistakes on countries of origin, Champagne vs sparkling wines, confusions of styles, and weird repetition)

There are more, if you count the Champagnes as part of the flights. Presumably these can also be ordered by the glass but it's not entirely clear!

Not sure who signed off the menu with a New Mexican wine under 'Champagne'!

How so? I have counted those served as parts of the flights indeed when counting 14 Champagne and 3 sparkling wine. For completeness sake, the full list as I make it ordered in a hopefully sensible way:

CHAMPAGNE:

Blanc:
1. Moet&Chandon Nectar Imperial
2. Moet&Chandon Brut
3. Moet&Chandon Ice Imperial
4. Ruinart Blanc de Blanc*
5. Krug Grande Cuvee*
6. Lanson Black Label
7. Laurent Perrier La Cuvee
8. Jacquesson Extra Brut*
9. Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut*
10. Nicolas Feuillatte Terroir Premier Cru
11. Heidseck Extra Dry
12. Veuve Clicquot Demi-sec

Rose:
13. Moet&Chandon Rose
14. Billecart Salmon Rose

OTHER SPARKLING WINES

1. Gruet Brut (New Mexico)
2. Giuliana Prosecco (Italy)
3. Nyetimber Classic Cuvee (England)

PS: In case you got confused by the menu nutters also including "Moet et Chandon Nectar", there is no such thing, it is only the Nectar Imperial so they just forgot to include "imperial" in one of the multiple times they included that particular bottle!)

PPS: I know that nobody is asking for my opinion and many will have preferences of their own, but the 4 with a * (Krug, Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, Jacquesson 744, and Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut) are the orbitmic's recommended quartet... Note that all are very much on the dry, mineral side so anyone who prefers sweeter or fruitier Champagne, or who likes Moet which is my least liked of the Champagne "grandes maisons" should flatly ignore my advice.

Will be interesting to see what still wines they have. Obviously they've done deals with the big champagne houses, but hopefully they'll have some decent whites and reds too.

After the second bottle I wouldn't know or care.

In one of the external links, there is a photo of the Chelsea lounge cabinet, I can't remember the whole thing (there was one Bordeaux, one Alsace Gewurztraminer etc) but nothing that looked particulalrly amazing from those I could decipher.

Well, some of us do but happy to leave you the Prosecco if it makes no difference! ;)

I’m a quality over quantity type of man. 🥂

Me too! I do think that there is actually a lot of decent and sometimes excellent quality in this Champagne and sparkling wines menu, though also some other bottles to "make up the numbers" -- I wonder who will be "unique" enough in their tastes to ask for the Heidseck rather than Krug or Ruinart (and of all Veuve Clicquot, the semi-sweet is probably the only one I wouldn't touch with a bargepole, but hey, maybe there is a market for everything! ;) )

Krug, yikes :tu:. The HFP review is glowing - I had low expectations based on OMAAT.

Staggered to see Jacquesson! Pure class.

US venue, US rules, including for the definition of champagne. I expect they spell colour wrong too.