British Airways and American Airlines Soho Lounge - JFK Terminal 8
Dec 20, 2022, 9:39 am
#61
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: FRA, JFK
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The sinks look to be the same as in Chelsea.
Ran into the same issues there, super strange and way worse than what you usually have at the AA FFLs (if we want to be that nitpicky).
Ran into the same issues there, super strange and way worse than what you usually have at the AA FFLs (if we want to be that nitpicky).
Dec 20, 2022, 11:14 am
#62
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Boston, MA
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Food spread — I have not seen the QR codes for service. Edit — must be at a dining table to order.
Edit Two … Piper is the champagne on offer, and there is an automated espresso machine behind the bar, perhaps to sub for the broken one…
Last edited by ryanbriar; Dec 20, 2022 at 11:54 am
Dec 22, 2022, 11:43 am
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
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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, the Soho lounge is a generally smartly designed space, which does feel premium for the most part. Having such a large and light-filled area dedicated mainly for oneworld Emerald members is an upgrade over the pokey First lounge in T7; the properly tended bar and showers are further plus points. However, the lounge is let down by the mediocre buffet and unexciting ŕ la carte items, which together are a downgrade on T7’s Boutique Dining. I hope the service and facility teething issues get ironed out quickly.
In summary, the Soho lounge is a generally smartly designed space, which does feel premium for the most part. Having such a large and light-filled area dedicated mainly for oneworld Emerald members is an upgrade over the pokey First lounge in T7; the properly tended bar and showers are further plus points. However, the lounge is let down by the mediocre buffet and unexciting ŕ la carte items, which together are a downgrade on T7’s Boutique Dining. I hope the service and facility teething issues get ironed out quickly.
Last edited by Genius1; Dec 22, 2022 at 11:53 am
Dec 22, 2022, 8:04 pm
#65
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roswell, GA
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Posts: 259
Soho Lounge 12/21 6-9pm
What a cluster ‘uck !
The menu choice was reducing by the minute due to dishes being 86’d (no burgers by 6pm !)
The choice; butter nut squash curry, hot dog or kale salad.
People who had ordered at 5.15-5.30 were still waiting for food after 6 !
Salad bar was OK, but so much was on its last legs, with bread offerings being just sliced and old enough to use in construction.
The staff were excellent and tried their best to help in any way they could, even getting us just two bowls of fries to go with our buffet selection.
We were told that one kitchen caters Chelsea & Soho and they were running behind BIG TIME. We presumed priority would be given to Chelsea.
Our experience in Delta Sky Club in Atlanta, earlier in the day, was superior to this.
The menu choice was reducing by the minute due to dishes being 86’d (no burgers by 6pm !)
The choice; butter nut squash curry, hot dog or kale salad.
People who had ordered at 5.15-5.30 were still waiting for food after 6 !
Salad bar was OK, but so much was on its last legs, with bread offerings being just sliced and old enough to use in construction.
The staff were excellent and tried their best to help in any way they could, even getting us just two bowls of fries to go with our buffet selection.
We were told that one kitchen caters Chelsea & Soho and they were running behind BIG TIME. We presumed priority would be given to Chelsea.
Our experience in Delta Sky Club in Atlanta, earlier in the day, was superior to this.
Dec 24, 2022, 7:04 am
#67
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
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Dec 24, 2022, 7:32 am
#68
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,446
What a cluster ‘uck !
The menu choice was reducing by the minute due to dishes being 86’d (no burgers by 6pm !)
The choice; butter nut squash curry, hot dog or kale salad.
People who had ordered at 5.15-5.30 were still waiting for food after 6 !
Salad bar was OK, but so much was on its last legs, with bread offerings being just sliced and old enough to use in construction.
The staff were excellent and tried their best to help in any way they could, even getting us just two bowls of fries to go with our buffet selection.
We were told that one kitchen caters Chelsea & Soho and they were running behind BIG TIME. We presumed priority would be given to Chelsea.
Our experience in Delta Sky Club in Atlanta, earlier in the day, was superior to this.
The menu choice was reducing by the minute due to dishes being 86’d (no burgers by 6pm !)
The choice; butter nut squash curry, hot dog or kale salad.
People who had ordered at 5.15-5.30 were still waiting for food after 6 !
Salad bar was OK, but so much was on its last legs, with bread offerings being just sliced and old enough to use in construction.
The staff were excellent and tried their best to help in any way they could, even getting us just two bowls of fries to go with our buffet selection.
We were told that one kitchen caters Chelsea & Soho and they were running behind BIG TIME. We presumed priority would be given to Chelsea.
Our experience in Delta Sky Club in Atlanta, earlier in the day, was superior to this.
Staff seemed generally disinterested, headphones in and busy chatting, eventually what appeared to be a manager started clearing tables.
It's better than the usual AA offering I see in the US but not up to the standard it could be with a smidge more effort.
Jan 10, 2023, 2:18 am
#69
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Canary Wharf, London
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Posts: 2,685
First time in Soho yesterday for the morning flight. Pleasantly surprised. Generally US lounges always seem to be packed but at 6.30am it was quite empty. Nice environment and the food and drink selection was ok. The muffins and croissants were a tad stale and weren't as fresh as you'd expect first thing in the morning. Nice sausages though!
The wine fridge had a sign saying it was broken.
I did see one couple waiting for the lift, assuming the red light on the button meant the button was pushed, they waited, nothing happened, they used the stairs. I pushed the button again (as they always helps!) the light went bright red and the lift door opened. Don't recall seeing a lift call button lit up when not pushed before!
So how do those taps work in the restrooms? #askingforafriend
The wine fridge had a sign saying it was broken.
I did see one couple waiting for the lift, assuming the red light on the button meant the button was pushed, they waited, nothing happened, they used the stairs. I pushed the button again (as they always helps!) the light went bright red and the lift door opened. Don't recall seeing a lift call button lit up when not pushed before!
So how do those taps work in the restrooms? #askingforafriend
Jan 10, 2023, 2:26 am
#70
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: LON, between FAB and EGTD
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Posts: 861
Jan 10, 2023, 11:22 am
#71
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
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Posts: 1,154
First time in Soho yesterday for the morning flight. Pleasantly surprised. Generally US lounges always seem to be packed but at 6.30am it was quite empty. Nice environment and the food and drink selection was ok. The muffins and croissants were a tad stale and weren't as fresh as you'd expect first thing in the morning. Nice sausages though!
The wine fridge had a sign saying it was broken.
I did see one couple waiting for the lift, assuming the red light on the button meant the button was pushed, they waited, nothing happened, they used the stairs. I pushed the button again (as they always helps!) the light went bright red and the lift door opened. Don't recall seeing a lift call button lit up when not pushed before!
So how do those taps work in the restrooms? #askingforafriend
The wine fridge had a sign saying it was broken.
I did see one couple waiting for the lift, assuming the red light on the button meant the button was pushed, they waited, nothing happened, they used the stairs. I pushed the button again (as they always helps!) the light went bright red and the lift door opened. Don't recall seeing a lift call button lit up when not pushed before!
So how do those taps work in the restrooms? #askingforafriend
Jan 10, 2023, 11:42 am
#72
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Canary Wharf, London
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Posts: 2,685
Jan 10, 2023, 12:13 pm
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,222
*Of course F pax could choose to use Soho.
Jan 10, 2023, 5:29 pm
#74
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA 1MM EXP, DL Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador (RIP SPG), Aeroplan 75K
Posts: 1,144
I did see one couple waiting for the lift, assuming the red light on the button meant the button was pushed, they waited, nothing happened, they used the stairs. I pushed the button again (as they always helps!) the light went bright red and the lift door opened. Don't recall seeing a lift call button lit up when not pushed before!
So how do those taps work in the restrooms? #askingforafriend
I take the stairs when able as they are insanely slow and noticed the same thing happen when I was there in December. Not totally surprising - at that time of day, there are few international flights where AA elites (EXP/PPro) would be eligible for SoHo (the 8am BA to LHR and maybe 9am CX to HKG). [Not sure if there's something to the Caribbean or Mexico that would qualify?] Of course non-AA/AS OneWorld Emeralds are eligible for Soho on all flights, but there probably aren't tons of them. AA elites flying to LAX/SFO would only be allowed in Greenwich (J) or be directed to Chelsea (F)*; no status-based lounge entry on those routes. Obviously by late afternoon you have a lot more international flights which significantly increases the pool of passengers potentially eligible to enter SoHo.
*Of course F pax could choose to use Soho.
*Of course F pax could choose to use Soho.
Jan 26, 2023, 11:28 pm
#75
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 910
I came through JFK last Sunday and visited Soho and Chelsea lounges. My comments on Chelsea lounge are in the other thread.
I wasn't at all impressed by Chelsea but summary was that Soho is 'OK' but feels like a downgrade compared to the old Flagship Lounge, mainly on design but also with regards to the food offering (buffet).
Anyway - came into Soho lounge around 5:00pm, took a seat at a working area table and set up. The power sockets seem to all have USB-A and USB-C built in (good) but as per Chelsea why isn't there a single socket anywhere that supports non-US plugs? This is a top lounge on flagship US-UK routes plus a number of European destinations. It's really not hard to cater for multiple plug standards in a single socket, or to have separate sockets like at LHR GF.
I decided to have a shower so walked down to the shower area, only to be sent back to reception to ask to be added to the list - I remember this process from DFW. Dutifully visited reception, came back and was shown to a shower room. The shower itself is pretty basic - just a wall mounted vertical rail with a shower head, so no body jets or rain shower option. I'm 5'11" and the shower head couldn't reach much above me at all unfortunately and the water pressure isn't great, but was still nice to freshen up after travelling.
Rather unfortunately the room was a bit dark as one of the recessed lights had been pulled/pushed out of place so made it difficult to shave in the mirror over the sink.
There's no lower level lighting around the mirror so it's not great if you were wanting to look at yourself to shave/apply makeup etc. Could really benefit from lower level lighting.
The second mirror (not above the sink) was tinted - presumably to make it unusable - and had this hanging light in front of it. Like Chelsea, feels like parts of the bathrooms have been designed by independent committees.
Nowhere to sit unfortunately, so when putting on shoes/socks I had to perch precariously on the edge of the luggage stand.
Back to the lounge itself and thought I'd have some food from the buffet. I should note that I've really enjoyed the JFK Flagship lounge food previously on numerous visits, and had come across from LAX earlier in the day.
This was at 7:30pm. Main dishes were Chicken Pot Pie, Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Basil sauce and a prawn dish.
I had some of the tortellini but found it to be very bland. On reading this thread it seems I should also have looked at the option to order other dishes, but compared to the Flagship offering previously from JFK (and which is still available in LAX, DFW etc) the buffet was poor.
At this point we left Soho to try out Chelsea instead.
Summary - for new, much hyped lounges the new facilities at JFK just don't impress me at all. I should try Greenwich on the next visit to see how that is, but on this experience I wouldn't be bothering to make an effort to get to the airport early. In my opinon there are some real missed opportunities and a lack of attention to detail that add up to a downgrade on the facilities that were previously available.
I wasn't at all impressed by Chelsea but summary was that Soho is 'OK' but feels like a downgrade compared to the old Flagship Lounge, mainly on design but also with regards to the food offering (buffet).
Anyway - came into Soho lounge around 5:00pm, took a seat at a working area table and set up. The power sockets seem to all have USB-A and USB-C built in (good) but as per Chelsea why isn't there a single socket anywhere that supports non-US plugs? This is a top lounge on flagship US-UK routes plus a number of European destinations. It's really not hard to cater for multiple plug standards in a single socket, or to have separate sockets like at LHR GF.
I decided to have a shower so walked down to the shower area, only to be sent back to reception to ask to be added to the list - I remember this process from DFW. Dutifully visited reception, came back and was shown to a shower room. The shower itself is pretty basic - just a wall mounted vertical rail with a shower head, so no body jets or rain shower option. I'm 5'11" and the shower head couldn't reach much above me at all unfortunately and the water pressure isn't great, but was still nice to freshen up after travelling.
Rather unfortunately the room was a bit dark as one of the recessed lights had been pulled/pushed out of place so made it difficult to shave in the mirror over the sink.
There's no lower level lighting around the mirror so it's not great if you were wanting to look at yourself to shave/apply makeup etc. Could really benefit from lower level lighting.
The second mirror (not above the sink) was tinted - presumably to make it unusable - and had this hanging light in front of it. Like Chelsea, feels like parts of the bathrooms have been designed by independent committees.
Nowhere to sit unfortunately, so when putting on shoes/socks I had to perch precariously on the edge of the luggage stand.
Back to the lounge itself and thought I'd have some food from the buffet. I should note that I've really enjoyed the JFK Flagship lounge food previously on numerous visits, and had come across from LAX earlier in the day.
This was at 7:30pm. Main dishes were Chicken Pot Pie, Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Basil sauce and a prawn dish.
I had some of the tortellini but found it to be very bland. On reading this thread it seems I should also have looked at the option to order other dishes, but compared to the Flagship offering previously from JFK (and which is still available in LAX, DFW etc) the buffet was poor.
At this point we left Soho to try out Chelsea instead.
Summary - for new, much hyped lounges the new facilities at JFK just don't impress me at all. I should try Greenwich on the next visit to see how that is, but on this experience I wouldn't be bothering to make an effort to get to the airport early. In my opinon there are some real missed opportunities and a lack of attention to detail that add up to a downgrade on the facilities that were previously available.