Definintly not comparing to FFD.

In my perspective, the Qantas First Lounge at LAX is like a cafeteria - my habit in recent years was to eat there before heading to the relative tranquillity of the Flagship Lounge to await my Qantas flight.

I love a la carte dining so for me i really like it. I dont like buffets. I also dont think anything is good for the most part at any FL buffet. Hot stuff is never hot and temp is super important to me. Also, I think the LAX FL is by far the weakest of the FL's I love Miami. Its huge, its cold in one area if you want that but warmer in others if you like that. Has a better TV area that is more private. I love LA for the hot shower though. If FFD is included then I am onboard with what you said hands down.

I'm in Y on LAX-MIA, One World Emerald via AA Platinum Pro. My wife is in J, but no status, so I don't think she can get me in with her, right?

So would our best or maybe only option be TBIT One World Business Lounge? Or is she not eligible because it's not international (or 3 class) on her own, but perhaps eligible as my guest if I can get in?

I think your wife has access to AA's FL and AC (without guest privileges for either), but you don't have access to any.

I have an AC membership, but not much real food there.

Agree. In this case, either you will both stay at the AC, or you and your wife will part ways after the entrance.

Currently, oneworld's website no longer specifically says North American "domestic" F and J pax are not allowed to enter the lounge, although I think they just forgot to put it there when they re-did the website. You can try your luck at the OW lounge, but I wouldn't count on being able to access.

I was wondering last week when I was flying to MIA if the premium transcon would get me in to the OW J lounge but I completely forgot to go try. I dont believe it would have. I even had to walk all the way to Bradley b/c the MIA red eye is now the same plane as the arriving London flight so its parked at Bradley. Totally forgot to go try at OW J lounge.

The best that can be said is that it is nicely furnished. F&B buffet in Flagship better.

Tried both the AA Flagship Lounge and the QF biz lounge last week at LAX. Not really a fan of either. Agree with Happiest_at_40000 that the LA lounge is definitely behind Miami (and New York), though I wasn't too wild about Dallas either. Or Chicago.
Anyway, really can't wait for the QF First lounge to reopen since without that or FFD, there really isn't any oneworld lounge in LAX that seems compelling. Actually my favorite meal last week was in the AC with BBQ chicken sliders (with coleslaw and pickles) and also the fresh guacamole they make in the afternoons. To my mind, those two items were better than any food available in the other two lounges.

Agree with you completely about the sliders & guac. I dont get all the love for the FL buffet good. I find it ranging from average to inedible. And mostly on average just bad.

Dallas FL isnt much either I agree. Just one long rectangle. And they close the showers early which really stinks. They tried to tell me last month I couldnt shower at 920pm. I had to flight for 10 min and get a supervisor to be given a key. The water temp there is same with JFK & MIA though meaning not hot like LAX.

Outside of the shower not being hot (though its only hot at LA) I would take MIA FL as the best. Never been to Chicago FL

So my flight is leaving from Bradley tonight its a flagship business Lax to Mia flight. Will OW let me in ? Flight is late (11:20pm) so not sure they are open

They didn’t let me in last week (LAX-MIA in first on 773) and I had a really unpleasant interaction with the lounge agent, who was breathtakingly condescending. I contacted AA on Twitter, and they told me “you have access to the Admiral’s Club in T4,” which was so stupid that I didn’t even respond. Yes, I have access to the AC, but I also had access to the Flagship Lounge, which they said nothing about. Of late, I have had zero help from American.

For example, this morning I got an email to call in to change my flight due to severe thunderstorms in Charlotte, but my flight used an SWU, so it’s bucket C; two agents I spoke to indicated that they’d need C inventory to rebook me, which is also pretty stupid (and even wrong, I think, but I’m not an expert). Anyway, there isn’t going to be any C availability the day-of, and they couldn’t even put me in coach, despite plenty of fares still being sold. I asked whether they could have revenue management work some magic behind the scenes (there was an award seat available, and I asked them to put it into C to solve this made-up problem), but the agent wasn’t even willing to call over.

It’s just—why am I EP when I never get help when I need it? Lately, the primary benefit is that they answer the phone within two minutes—to tell me to bend over.

Two data points:

Denied entry at the J lounge with a LAX-JFK boarding pass in J. Agent had a binder ready with AA lounge rules that conveniently omitted the transcon carve-out. When I pulled up the current transcon lounge access rules on oneworld.com, the agent refused to engage on the basis that AA/OW had changed the rules.

According to the same agent, the F side is reopening in two weeks.

Any update on the F lounge?

That really is worrisome b/c it says clearly there is a carve out for LAX/JFK for both J & F, to their respective lounges of course.