The New AA / BA Premium Experience at JFK Terminal 8
Dec 22, 2022, 11:26 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
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
The New AA / BA Premium Experience at JFK Terminal 8
The New AA / BA Premium Experience at JFK Terminal 8
Index to Genius1 Trip Reports
Earlier this December, BA moved out of Terminal 7 at JFK, which had been their home since the BOAC era of the 1970s. Co-locating with AA in Terminal 8, the move heralded a new premium check-in area and two brand new lounges, alongside reconfiguration of an existing lounge and the addition of gates and behind the scenes infrastructure improvements. This is the story of my departures experience through T8 last week, flying with BA to LHR on the BA114 in Club World.
Terminal 8 originally opened in stages between 2005 and 2007 and is a rather plain building both inside and out, lacking significant architectural merit in contrast to the GWM Architects-designed Terminal 7. Whilst T7 had certainly been outgrown by demand, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia in particular for the loss of the British Airways Concorde Room, until its closure the last location in the BA network that you could truly walk in supersonic passengers’ footsteps.
Approaching T8’s drop-off forecourt by car, the AA and BA logos greet passengers on the side of the building, the latter logo having been relocated from the front of T7, complete with its faded lettering and currently absent the BA speedmarque, which was broken during removal from T7. Quite why BA didn’t invest in a new exterior logo for their new terminal is mystifying.
Premium Check-In
Premium check-in is located on the far-right hand side of the terminal and is clearly marked with an exterior sign listing eligibility. Upon entering, a large co-branded wall greets passengers, with Flagship Business / Club World check-in to the left (also accessibly by AAdvantage Platinum members flying on a Flagship itinerary or with BA, and BA Silver members), and Flagship First / First check-in to the right (also accessible by Flagship Business Plus passengers, ConciergeKey members, AAdvantage Executive Platinum members flying on a Flagship itinerary or with BA, and BA Gold members). The former area is nothing particularly noteworthy; desks alternate between AA and BA agents and the exit from the area puts you into a separate lane for security.
For those eligible to use the First check-in area, a more elevated experience awaits. The door to the sacred hall was guarded by two gentlemen who didn’t want any proof of eligibility before permitting me to walk through the sliding doors.
Once inside, the space is undeniably swish. Two sofas are tucked away to the left, with four seated desks and five standing desks available to complete check-in formalities, although not all were staffed in the mid-afternoon. Agents are a mix of AA and BA on alternating desks, and my BA agent issued my boarding pass with the minimum of fuss and directed me to the Soho lounge. I thought it would have been a thoughtful inclusion for drinks to be offered at check-in as can sometimes be experienced at BA’s First Wing at LHR T5, but alas this wasn’t the case.
The First check-in area ejects passengers at the front of the TSA PreCheck line for security. Passengers like me who don’t have PreCheck are directed to the left to the front of the closest regular line; it wasn’t clear to me whether this was a priority line or not, but regardless the experience doesn’t feel premium in the slightest from this point on. Whilst F passengers will usually be escorted to the front of any line, unlike at AA’s Flagship First check-in at MIA, the same courtesy is not extended to oneworld Emerald members. Whilst the T8 arrangement is no worse than it was at T7, AA / BA really missed a trick here by not working with the TSA to develop a properly segregated premium security area, at least for those passengers eligible to use the First check-in area.
A little over 15 minutes later and I was through a typically stressful security experience, emerging into T8’s expansive Concourse B. If you’re wondering where Concourse A is, apparently that is the landside check-in area. Signs on the bridge connecting the two lounge lift and stair cores direct passengers left for the Greenwich lounge and right for the Soho and Chelsea lounges. Cleverly, AA and BA have named their three lounges for city areas that are shared between both New York and London.
Greenwich Lounge
I initially headed left to the Greenwich lounge to check out what had changed since its days as AA’s Flagship lounge. The answer is very little. Whilst the AA branding at the entrance has been switched for the joint AA and BA branding, the ex-Flagship lounge design has been retained throughout. This is the lounge you’ll be using if you’re travelling in AA Flagship Business or BA Club World, or another oneworld airline’s business class cabin. The lounge is also open to non-AA oneworld Sapphire members and AAdvantage Platinum members flying on an AA Flagship itinerary or longhaul with another oneworld airline, including BA. It’s the replacement for the BA Club lounge in T7.
The friendly agent at reception advised me that the bridge to the right of reception (originally part of the Concourse B Admirals Club) was open with a tended bar, although the main ex-Admirals Club space remained closed, as was the ex-Flagship First Dining room. These latter spaces will eventually be opened up to be one interconnected lounge space, with the ex-Flagship First Dining room being converted into a beer room, presumably recycling some of the equipment from the Craft Beer area of the BA Club lounge at T7. Once complete, this will provide much needed extra capacity as the lounge was uncomfortably busy when I visited, although the bridge was much quieter (given its slightly out of the way location).
In contrast to recent visits to the Flagship lounges at DFW and MIA, the buffet options looked sad and dry, although I should caveat that I didn’t try any of the food. Visually at least, this is a significant downgrade on the expansive Club World Pre-Flight Dining formerly available in the BA Club lounge at T7.
After a quick look around, I bid a hasty adieu to the Greenwich lounge and crossed the concourse to the lifts to the Soho and Chelsea lounges. Incidentally, there is a staff-only door from the bridge of the Greenwich lounge that leads directly into the reception area for the Soho and Chelsea lounges.
Emerging from the lift, the Soho and Chelsea lounge reception is as smart as the First check-in area is. These new lounges, together with the premium check-in, have been designed by Gensler and are visually impressive spaces. It’s just a shame that the Greenwich lounge doesn’t have a similar design; I do wonder if in time the Greenwich lounge will be refurbished to match, although I can’t see how this could be achieved without losing significant capacity during the works.
Soho Lounge
Four desks (once again with alternating AA and BA agents) welcome passengers into the Soho lounge, with the Chelsea lounge’s reception desk off to the right. You’ll be using the Soho lounge if you’re travelling in a non-AA or BA oneworld first class cabin. The lounge is also open to non-AA oneworld Emerald members and AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro members flying on an AA Flagship itinerary or longhaul with another oneworld airline, including BA. It’s the replacement for the BA First lounge in T7.
On entering the Soho lounge, the tended cocktail bar is the first thing that greets you, offering a mixture of banquette, table and bar seating. This is a comfortable and practical space, with power and USB sockets at the bar and below the banquette seats. Above the banquette seating to the left of the bar are ports for TVs, which I assume will be added in the near future, but which I could live without forever. One TV had already been installed behind the bar, in front of the lowered accessible counter.
A cocktail menu and wine list is available via QR code, although the QR codes are only printed on the dining tables in the centre of the lounge. One of the bar team was happy to make me a mojito and deliver it to my table, which I thought was good service, although I could have done with a drip mat.
Opposite the bar, three customer service desks are located next to the flight information display screens. I never saw these desks occupied and question the need for them given the ample number of agents outside in reception. The FIDS (which seemed to be slow to update) only displayed the AA logo, revealing the real operator of not just the lounges, but the entire terminal. For all the co-branding, BA is now simply a tenant of AA.
To the left of the customer service desks, a subtly marked relaxation room offers three chaise longues and three armchairs in a soulless and somewhat brightly lit room, separated from each other by thin veils. This room feels like something of an afterthought. The door slams shut on entry and exit, which is just perfect to aid relaxation.
A strip of leather armchairs and two communal working tables (all with ample power and USB ports and individual lights) breaks up the space between the bar and the dining area. The tan leather armchairs, arranged in groups of four, are replicated along the lounge’s floor to ceiling windows overlooking the taxiway between Concourses B and C, with the Manhattan skyline visible in the distance. I found these armchairs to be a little firm, but they were definitely the prime seating options in the lounge.
Two of the armchairs closest to the bar were effectively blocked by a lone laptop charging; I flagged down one of the supervisors thinking it had been left behind, only to be informed it was his laptop! I later saw him sitting eating a burger, and shortly after one of the waiting staff walked out of the main entrance of the lounge munching on a plate of buffet food. Astounding.
A significant portion of the lounge is given over to dining space in a semi-enclosed rectangle immediately in front of the buffet. You can choose between banquette or traditional table seating, although choose carefully because some tables are quite close together; I liked the central curved banquette seats below the central hanging crystal feature.
An à la carte QR menu of eight main dishes and one dessert (plus drinks) was available; I sampled the pastrami Rueben sandwich which was passable but a little greasy. Few of the options are what I would expect from a self-proclaimed ‘ultra-premium’ lounge. The staff seemed to have trouble locating some tables, but this is to be expected with a new team and a new lounge. The battered cod and mushy peas was all consumed fairly swiftly; lack of stock seems to be a common and inexcusable problem. To note, the QR menu is only available in the dining area. I understand the logic of this for food but found it frustrating that drinks couldn’t be ordered to other seats, necessitating a trip to the bar or buffet.
The buffet is a large space, with broadly the same selection as available in the Greenwich lounge; soup, salad, one type of sushi, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, bread, pastries, cookies, biscuits, and brownies. Hot options were limited to dry-looking salmon, chicken, pasta, potatoes and mixed vegetables. Only writing this have I realised that the menu on display at the buffet was still the breakfast menu! Whilst there was plenty of physical buffet space, the actual quantity of food was fairly limited and not very well stocked or appetising in appearance. As with the Greenwich lounge, the buffet in the Soho lounge is not a match for Boutique Dining in the former BA First lounge at T7, although the à la carte menu is a slight upgrade. The entrance lobby to the back of house kitchen is quite brightly lit and seemed to be lacking doors to screen it from view.
A self-service drinks station can be found opposite what is allegedly a ‘communal wine tasting table’ made of petrified wood, but what looked like a bog standard table to me that was certainly devoid of any wine and didn’t look very scared.
The sparsely populated chiller had run out of bottles of water, the coffee machine didn’t work at all, and the sole water dispenser didn’t do hot water or sparkling water, despite having buttons for both. A supervisor was trying and failing to fix the coffee machine. The cupboards below the counter had slots which didn’t line up with the bins behind. I didn’t dare attempt to use the ugly American-style water and ice dispenser. Given the hot water tap was out of action, I took my Jing mint tea bag to the bar for it to be infused, where the only other coffee machine and hot water is located. I noted that the Jing teabags had already started to run out only to be replaced with inferior Twynings.
Next to the drinks station are two phone booths, which are so small that the one that was in use had the door open, blocking the self-serve wine chiller. This didn’t matter, because the wine chiller was of course empty.
The far end of the lounge is occupied with a ‘library’. Devoid of books, this is simply a quiet seating area, with a mixture of banquette and table seating, and two workstations built into the wall. I felt that this area was missing some character; an artificial fireplace or bookcase would’ve been nice where the blank wall is, for example, and I couldn’t work out what was meant to be displayed on the blank screens on the wall. A number of real poinsettia plants were dotted around the lounge for Christmas, although some were in need of watering and looked a bit sorry for themselves.
Several more workstations are located around the corner facing the windows, all with power sockets but for some reason, and unlike almost all other seating in the lounge, without USB sockets. What looked like blank socket plates were present in each of the workstations, which I assume are for as yet uninstalled lamps. The tables appear to be a little on the small side. Two smartly designed half-circular banquette seats separate this private workstation area from the main lounge area.
Washrooms and showers are located to the right of the library, just beyond the drinks station. The washrooms are smart, but impractical. Only two of the four basins have hand dryers, which are cunningly disguised as taps and blow all of the residual basin water back up at you. The automatic soap dispensers (which at least are present at each basin) are similarly disguised, whilst the actual taps complete the trilogy of mysterious metal rods and spurt an irregular flow of tepid water at random intervals. Hand lotion by DS & Durga is provided.
Four showers are available in the Soho lounge, which is four more than were found in the BA First lounge at T7. I asked one of the shower attendants if I could use one, only to be told I needed to register at the main reception desk. The agents at reception seem perplexed by this and told me to go back to the showers and say I had already reported to them; this got me access to a shower. Truly bizarre. Once inside, the shower suite I had been allocated was spacious and styled in a similar fashion to the washrooms, with the basin’s tap also being a splutterer. I appreciated the full length mirror on the back of the door, the hand held shower head in addition to the fixed rain shower head, the shelf in the shower for personal toiletries, and the seat in the shower (although this latter feature may have only been because my shower suite was accessible). Towels, a Dyson hairdryer and toiletries by DS & Durga were provided, although there were no face cloths or bathmat and the toiletries in the shower itself were unbranded. Whilst there was a hook by the shower for a towel, there were no coat hooks near the door. A dental kit was available on request from an attendant.
I was worried that the Soho lounge would become full quickly given the number of avenues that permit entry, but I was pleasantly surprised that this never seemed to be the case – at least throughout the Tuesday evening I was there.
Chelsea Lounge
The Chelsea lounge has its own reception desk immediately to the right when exiting the lifts or ascending the stairs from the main concourse level. You’ll be welcomed here if you’re travelling in AA Flagship First, Flagship Business Plus, or BA First. The lounge is also open to AA ConciergeKey, BA Premier and BA Gold Guest List members flying on an AA Flagship itinerary or with BA. It’s the replacement for the BA Concorde Room in T7.
Turning right from the desk (normally staffed with two agents), a short corridor contains two customer service desks (both unmanned on my visit, as with their Soho lounge counterparts).
The lounge then opens up in a rectangle to the left, in parallel with the adjacent Soho lounge – unlike the Soho lounge, however, the Chelsea lounge lacks any view or natural light. Quite how AA and BA built a brand new top-tier lounge with this glaring omission is beyond me. Things could so easily have been different had the Chelsea lounge occupied one end of the current Soho space. To compensate for the lack of natural light, the lighting scheme is quite bright – almost too bright in places.
First up in the lounge is the circular tended champagne bar with crystals suspended above. The is undeniably a thing of beauty. A self-serve water and snack station is located to one side; the snacks didn’t look particularly premium, particularly in contrast to the sweet station found in the former BA Concorde Room (CCR) in T7.
Banquette and a smattering of armchair seating wraps around the wall closest to the champagne bar, with the wall itself containing six virtual window panels, the images on which apparently change throughout the day. This is no substitute for a proper view, let alone natural light.
The central portion of the lounge contains mostly armchair seating, clustered around what will eventually be an artificial fireplace suspended from the ceiling; sadly, this had yet to be installed at the time of my visit. As with almost every seat in both the Soho and Chelsea lounges, the seating here has easy access to power and USB sockets, which is a distinct upgrade on the CCR. Sadly, what is greatly lacking is the private and plush seating arrangements of the CCR; here in the Chelsea lounge, almost all of the (reasonably firm) banquette, armchair and sofa seating faces inwards to the centre of the lounge, and consequently lacks any kind of privacy.
The most private seating areas, despite being adjacent to the lounge’s main walkways, are two groups of sofas and armchairs located to the left of the main seating area and another two groups to the right. A tea station is located to the left of the main seating area, although I couldn’t see any way to fill a cup up myself.
Opposite this tea station and just along from the flight information display screens on the right-hand side of the lounge is another row of armchairs, although these all face into the middle of the lounge once again like a row of soldiers on parade.
The far end of the lounge plays host to the à la carte dining area. Banquette and traditional table seating is favoured here in a similar style to the Soho lounge, although the ‘view’ is limited to five more virtual window panels. Gone are the private dining booths of the CCR. At one point during my visit, at least one of the tables was occupied by a number of lounge supervisors / managers having a meeting; this would never happen in a true premium lounge.
One look at the menu reveals that all except one main course (the lamb tagine) is shared with the Soho lounge, and those options that are available are all unexciting. The launch menu for the lounge, showcased to journalists, featured steak frites, roasted chicken breast and sole meunière in place of the two burgers and the battered cod and mushy peas; the lounge is certainly experiencing some supply issues, which extend to the bar where the original list of 22 champagnes has shrunk significantly. It is remarkable how AA (who manage the lounge) have taken a decent product in what was Flagship First Dining and have inexplicably downgraded it significantly in their new flagship offering. This is of course to say nothing of the huge disparity in quality between this menu and what was offered by BA in the Concorde Room at T7.
To the right of the dining area, three workstations flank either side of another water station, beyond which is a depressing relaxation area decked out with the same armchairs and chaise longues as those in the Soho lounge.
Washrooms and three showers are located to the left of the dining area and are fitted out in a near identical style to those in the Soho lounge. The Concorde Room at T7 lacked showers, so it’s good to see these included, even if the amenities aren’t particularly premium; I would expect, for example, slippers to be offered in a true first class lounge, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
There didn’t seem to be any sort of VIP room in the Chelsea lounge, although I suspect there is one hidden away from view.
Concluding Thoughts
The new AA and BA premium experience at JFK T8 is a real mixed bag.
The premium check-in area is smart and modern, but the lack of properly segregated priority security is annoying and breaks the premium feeling the rest of the area provides.
The Greenwich lounge will benefit from soon being opened up to occupy the ex-Admirals Club space and the ex-Flagship First Dining space, as when I visited the lounge was uncomfortably full. The views are undeniably better than what was possible in the Club lounge in T7, but the offered buffet is no match for Club World Pre-Flight Dining, which will be sorely missed.
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. Once again, however, the lounge is let down by the mediocre buffet and unexciting à 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.
The Chelsea lounge is visually pleasing, but practically disappointing. Having showers in the lounge is the only real improvement over the Concorde Room. Aside from the lack of natural light, a view of any kind and a private seating layout, the catering is the biggest let down, far removed from both AA’s Flagship First Dining (FFD) and BA’s Concorde Room menus. Supplier issues will undoubtedly be resolved soon, but I have little sympathy for AA when it would have been so simple to just pick up the menu from FFD and move it across to the Chelsea lounge.
Whilst the Chelsea lounge’s menu can hopefully be fixed in time, what cannot be – and never could have been – replicated is the exclusive and truly special feeling of the Terminal 7 Concorde Room, the air of which was always deliciously heavy with the weight of supersonic history.
Index to Genius1 Trip Reports
Earlier this December, BA moved out of Terminal 7 at JFK, which had been their home since the BOAC era of the 1970s. Co-locating with AA in Terminal 8, the move heralded a new premium check-in area and two brand new lounges, alongside reconfiguration of an existing lounge and the addition of gates and behind the scenes infrastructure improvements. This is the story of my departures experience through T8 last week, flying with BA to LHR on the BA114 in Club World.
Terminal 8 originally opened in stages between 2005 and 2007 and is a rather plain building both inside and out, lacking significant architectural merit in contrast to the GWM Architects-designed Terminal 7. Whilst T7 had certainly been outgrown by demand, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia in particular for the loss of the British Airways Concorde Room, until its closure the last location in the BA network that you could truly walk in supersonic passengers’ footsteps.
Approaching T8’s drop-off forecourt by car, the AA and BA logos greet passengers on the side of the building, the latter logo having been relocated from the front of T7, complete with its faded lettering and currently absent the BA speedmarque, which was broken during removal from T7. Quite why BA didn’t invest in a new exterior logo for their new terminal is mystifying.
Premium Check-In
Premium check-in is located on the far-right hand side of the terminal and is clearly marked with an exterior sign listing eligibility. Upon entering, a large co-branded wall greets passengers, with Flagship Business / Club World check-in to the left (also accessibly by AAdvantage Platinum members flying on a Flagship itinerary or with BA, and BA Silver members), and Flagship First / First check-in to the right (also accessible by Flagship Business Plus passengers, ConciergeKey members, AAdvantage Executive Platinum members flying on a Flagship itinerary or with BA, and BA Gold members). The former area is nothing particularly noteworthy; desks alternate between AA and BA agents and the exit from the area puts you into a separate lane for security.
For those eligible to use the First check-in area, a more elevated experience awaits. The door to the sacred hall was guarded by two gentlemen who didn’t want any proof of eligibility before permitting me to walk through the sliding doors.
Once inside, the space is undeniably swish. Two sofas are tucked away to the left, with four seated desks and five standing desks available to complete check-in formalities, although not all were staffed in the mid-afternoon. Agents are a mix of AA and BA on alternating desks, and my BA agent issued my boarding pass with the minimum of fuss and directed me to the Soho lounge. I thought it would have been a thoughtful inclusion for drinks to be offered at check-in as can sometimes be experienced at BA’s First Wing at LHR T5, but alas this wasn’t the case.
The First check-in area ejects passengers at the front of the TSA PreCheck line for security. Passengers like me who don’t have PreCheck are directed to the left to the front of the closest regular line; it wasn’t clear to me whether this was a priority line or not, but regardless the experience doesn’t feel premium in the slightest from this point on. Whilst F passengers will usually be escorted to the front of any line, unlike at AA’s Flagship First check-in at MIA, the same courtesy is not extended to oneworld Emerald members. Whilst the T8 arrangement is no worse than it was at T7, AA / BA really missed a trick here by not working with the TSA to develop a properly segregated premium security area, at least for those passengers eligible to use the First check-in area.
A little over 15 minutes later and I was through a typically stressful security experience, emerging into T8’s expansive Concourse B. If you’re wondering where Concourse A is, apparently that is the landside check-in area. Signs on the bridge connecting the two lounge lift and stair cores direct passengers left for the Greenwich lounge and right for the Soho and Chelsea lounges. Cleverly, AA and BA have named their three lounges for city areas that are shared between both New York and London.
Greenwich Lounge
I initially headed left to the Greenwich lounge to check out what had changed since its days as AA’s Flagship lounge. The answer is very little. Whilst the AA branding at the entrance has been switched for the joint AA and BA branding, the ex-Flagship lounge design has been retained throughout. This is the lounge you’ll be using if you’re travelling in AA Flagship Business or BA Club World, or another oneworld airline’s business class cabin. The lounge is also open to non-AA oneworld Sapphire members and AAdvantage Platinum members flying on an AA Flagship itinerary or longhaul with another oneworld airline, including BA. It’s the replacement for the BA Club lounge in T7.
The friendly agent at reception advised me that the bridge to the right of reception (originally part of the Concourse B Admirals Club) was open with a tended bar, although the main ex-Admirals Club space remained closed, as was the ex-Flagship First Dining room. These latter spaces will eventually be opened up to be one interconnected lounge space, with the ex-Flagship First Dining room being converted into a beer room, presumably recycling some of the equipment from the Craft Beer area of the BA Club lounge at T7. Once complete, this will provide much needed extra capacity as the lounge was uncomfortably busy when I visited, although the bridge was much quieter (given its slightly out of the way location).
In contrast to recent visits to the Flagship lounges at DFW and MIA, the buffet options looked sad and dry, although I should caveat that I didn’t try any of the food. Visually at least, this is a significant downgrade on the expansive Club World Pre-Flight Dining formerly available in the BA Club lounge at T7.
After a quick look around, I bid a hasty adieu to the Greenwich lounge and crossed the concourse to the lifts to the Soho and Chelsea lounges. Incidentally, there is a staff-only door from the bridge of the Greenwich lounge that leads directly into the reception area for the Soho and Chelsea lounges.
Emerging from the lift, the Soho and Chelsea lounge reception is as smart as the First check-in area is. These new lounges, together with the premium check-in, have been designed by Gensler and are visually impressive spaces. It’s just a shame that the Greenwich lounge doesn’t have a similar design; I do wonder if in time the Greenwich lounge will be refurbished to match, although I can’t see how this could be achieved without losing significant capacity during the works.
Soho Lounge
Four desks (once again with alternating AA and BA agents) welcome passengers into the Soho lounge, with the Chelsea lounge’s reception desk off to the right. You’ll be using the Soho lounge if you’re travelling in a non-AA or BA oneworld first class cabin. The lounge is also open to non-AA oneworld Emerald members and AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro members flying on an AA Flagship itinerary or longhaul with another oneworld airline, including BA. It’s the replacement for the BA First lounge in T7.
On entering the Soho lounge, the tended cocktail bar is the first thing that greets you, offering a mixture of banquette, table and bar seating. This is a comfortable and practical space, with power and USB sockets at the bar and below the banquette seats. Above the banquette seating to the left of the bar are ports for TVs, which I assume will be added in the near future, but which I could live without forever. One TV had already been installed behind the bar, in front of the lowered accessible counter.
A cocktail menu and wine list is available via QR code, although the QR codes are only printed on the dining tables in the centre of the lounge. One of the bar team was happy to make me a mojito and deliver it to my table, which I thought was good service, although I could have done with a drip mat.
Opposite the bar, three customer service desks are located next to the flight information display screens. I never saw these desks occupied and question the need for them given the ample number of agents outside in reception. The FIDS (which seemed to be slow to update) only displayed the AA logo, revealing the real operator of not just the lounges, but the entire terminal. For all the co-branding, BA is now simply a tenant of AA.
To the left of the customer service desks, a subtly marked relaxation room offers three chaise longues and three armchairs in a soulless and somewhat brightly lit room, separated from each other by thin veils. This room feels like something of an afterthought. The door slams shut on entry and exit, which is just perfect to aid relaxation.
A strip of leather armchairs and two communal working tables (all with ample power and USB ports and individual lights) breaks up the space between the bar and the dining area. The tan leather armchairs, arranged in groups of four, are replicated along the lounge’s floor to ceiling windows overlooking the taxiway between Concourses B and C, with the Manhattan skyline visible in the distance. I found these armchairs to be a little firm, but they were definitely the prime seating options in the lounge.
Two of the armchairs closest to the bar were effectively blocked by a lone laptop charging; I flagged down one of the supervisors thinking it had been left behind, only to be informed it was his laptop! I later saw him sitting eating a burger, and shortly after one of the waiting staff walked out of the main entrance of the lounge munching on a plate of buffet food. Astounding.
A significant portion of the lounge is given over to dining space in a semi-enclosed rectangle immediately in front of the buffet. You can choose between banquette or traditional table seating, although choose carefully because some tables are quite close together; I liked the central curved banquette seats below the central hanging crystal feature.
An à la carte QR menu of eight main dishes and one dessert (plus drinks) was available; I sampled the pastrami Rueben sandwich which was passable but a little greasy. Few of the options are what I would expect from a self-proclaimed ‘ultra-premium’ lounge. The staff seemed to have trouble locating some tables, but this is to be expected with a new team and a new lounge. The battered cod and mushy peas was all consumed fairly swiftly; lack of stock seems to be a common and inexcusable problem. To note, the QR menu is only available in the dining area. I understand the logic of this for food but found it frustrating that drinks couldn’t be ordered to other seats, necessitating a trip to the bar or buffet.
The buffet is a large space, with broadly the same selection as available in the Greenwich lounge; soup, salad, one type of sushi, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, bread, pastries, cookies, biscuits, and brownies. Hot options were limited to dry-looking salmon, chicken, pasta, potatoes and mixed vegetables. Only writing this have I realised that the menu on display at the buffet was still the breakfast menu! Whilst there was plenty of physical buffet space, the actual quantity of food was fairly limited and not very well stocked or appetising in appearance. As with the Greenwich lounge, the buffet in the Soho lounge is not a match for Boutique Dining in the former BA First lounge at T7, although the à la carte menu is a slight upgrade. The entrance lobby to the back of house kitchen is quite brightly lit and seemed to be lacking doors to screen it from view.
A self-service drinks station can be found opposite what is allegedly a ‘communal wine tasting table’ made of petrified wood, but what looked like a bog standard table to me that was certainly devoid of any wine and didn’t look very scared.
The sparsely populated chiller had run out of bottles of water, the coffee machine didn’t work at all, and the sole water dispenser didn’t do hot water or sparkling water, despite having buttons for both. A supervisor was trying and failing to fix the coffee machine. The cupboards below the counter had slots which didn’t line up with the bins behind. I didn’t dare attempt to use the ugly American-style water and ice dispenser. Given the hot water tap was out of action, I took my Jing mint tea bag to the bar for it to be infused, where the only other coffee machine and hot water is located. I noted that the Jing teabags had already started to run out only to be replaced with inferior Twynings.
Next to the drinks station are two phone booths, which are so small that the one that was in use had the door open, blocking the self-serve wine chiller. This didn’t matter, because the wine chiller was of course empty.
The far end of the lounge is occupied with a ‘library’. Devoid of books, this is simply a quiet seating area, with a mixture of banquette and table seating, and two workstations built into the wall. I felt that this area was missing some character; an artificial fireplace or bookcase would’ve been nice where the blank wall is, for example, and I couldn’t work out what was meant to be displayed on the blank screens on the wall. A number of real poinsettia plants were dotted around the lounge for Christmas, although some were in need of watering and looked a bit sorry for themselves.
Several more workstations are located around the corner facing the windows, all with power sockets but for some reason, and unlike almost all other seating in the lounge, without USB sockets. What looked like blank socket plates were present in each of the workstations, which I assume are for as yet uninstalled lamps. The tables appear to be a little on the small side. Two smartly designed half-circular banquette seats separate this private workstation area from the main lounge area.
Washrooms and showers are located to the right of the library, just beyond the drinks station. The washrooms are smart, but impractical. Only two of the four basins have hand dryers, which are cunningly disguised as taps and blow all of the residual basin water back up at you. The automatic soap dispensers (which at least are present at each basin) are similarly disguised, whilst the actual taps complete the trilogy of mysterious metal rods and spurt an irregular flow of tepid water at random intervals. Hand lotion by DS & Durga is provided.
Four showers are available in the Soho lounge, which is four more than were found in the BA First lounge at T7. I asked one of the shower attendants if I could use one, only to be told I needed to register at the main reception desk. The agents at reception seem perplexed by this and told me to go back to the showers and say I had already reported to them; this got me access to a shower. Truly bizarre. Once inside, the shower suite I had been allocated was spacious and styled in a similar fashion to the washrooms, with the basin’s tap also being a splutterer. I appreciated the full length mirror on the back of the door, the hand held shower head in addition to the fixed rain shower head, the shelf in the shower for personal toiletries, and the seat in the shower (although this latter feature may have only been because my shower suite was accessible). Towels, a Dyson hairdryer and toiletries by DS & Durga were provided, although there were no face cloths or bathmat and the toiletries in the shower itself were unbranded. Whilst there was a hook by the shower for a towel, there were no coat hooks near the door. A dental kit was available on request from an attendant.
I was worried that the Soho lounge would become full quickly given the number of avenues that permit entry, but I was pleasantly surprised that this never seemed to be the case – at least throughout the Tuesday evening I was there.
Chelsea Lounge
The Chelsea lounge has its own reception desk immediately to the right when exiting the lifts or ascending the stairs from the main concourse level. You’ll be welcomed here if you’re travelling in AA Flagship First, Flagship Business Plus, or BA First. The lounge is also open to AA ConciergeKey, BA Premier and BA Gold Guest List members flying on an AA Flagship itinerary or with BA. It’s the replacement for the BA Concorde Room in T7.
Turning right from the desk (normally staffed with two agents), a short corridor contains two customer service desks (both unmanned on my visit, as with their Soho lounge counterparts).
The lounge then opens up in a rectangle to the left, in parallel with the adjacent Soho lounge – unlike the Soho lounge, however, the Chelsea lounge lacks any view or natural light. Quite how AA and BA built a brand new top-tier lounge with this glaring omission is beyond me. Things could so easily have been different had the Chelsea lounge occupied one end of the current Soho space. To compensate for the lack of natural light, the lighting scheme is quite bright – almost too bright in places.
First up in the lounge is the circular tended champagne bar with crystals suspended above. The is undeniably a thing of beauty. A self-serve water and snack station is located to one side; the snacks didn’t look particularly premium, particularly in contrast to the sweet station found in the former BA Concorde Room (CCR) in T7.
Banquette and a smattering of armchair seating wraps around the wall closest to the champagne bar, with the wall itself containing six virtual window panels, the images on which apparently change throughout the day. This is no substitute for a proper view, let alone natural light.
The central portion of the lounge contains mostly armchair seating, clustered around what will eventually be an artificial fireplace suspended from the ceiling; sadly, this had yet to be installed at the time of my visit. As with almost every seat in both the Soho and Chelsea lounges, the seating here has easy access to power and USB sockets, which is a distinct upgrade on the CCR. Sadly, what is greatly lacking is the private and plush seating arrangements of the CCR; here in the Chelsea lounge, almost all of the (reasonably firm) banquette, armchair and sofa seating faces inwards to the centre of the lounge, and consequently lacks any kind of privacy.
The most private seating areas, despite being adjacent to the lounge’s main walkways, are two groups of sofas and armchairs located to the left of the main seating area and another two groups to the right. A tea station is located to the left of the main seating area, although I couldn’t see any way to fill a cup up myself.
Opposite this tea station and just along from the flight information display screens on the right-hand side of the lounge is another row of armchairs, although these all face into the middle of the lounge once again like a row of soldiers on parade.
The far end of the lounge plays host to the à la carte dining area. Banquette and traditional table seating is favoured here in a similar style to the Soho lounge, although the ‘view’ is limited to five more virtual window panels. Gone are the private dining booths of the CCR. At one point during my visit, at least one of the tables was occupied by a number of lounge supervisors / managers having a meeting; this would never happen in a true premium lounge.
One look at the menu reveals that all except one main course (the lamb tagine) is shared with the Soho lounge, and those options that are available are all unexciting. The launch menu for the lounge, showcased to journalists, featured steak frites, roasted chicken breast and sole meunière in place of the two burgers and the battered cod and mushy peas; the lounge is certainly experiencing some supply issues, which extend to the bar where the original list of 22 champagnes has shrunk significantly. It is remarkable how AA (who manage the lounge) have taken a decent product in what was Flagship First Dining and have inexplicably downgraded it significantly in their new flagship offering. This is of course to say nothing of the huge disparity in quality between this menu and what was offered by BA in the Concorde Room at T7.
To the right of the dining area, three workstations flank either side of another water station, beyond which is a depressing relaxation area decked out with the same armchairs and chaise longues as those in the Soho lounge.
Washrooms and three showers are located to the left of the dining area and are fitted out in a near identical style to those in the Soho lounge. The Concorde Room at T7 lacked showers, so it’s good to see these included, even if the amenities aren’t particularly premium; I would expect, for example, slippers to be offered in a true first class lounge, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
There didn’t seem to be any sort of VIP room in the Chelsea lounge, although I suspect there is one hidden away from view.
Concluding Thoughts
The new AA and BA premium experience at JFK T8 is a real mixed bag.
The premium check-in area is smart and modern, but the lack of properly segregated priority security is annoying and breaks the premium feeling the rest of the area provides.
The Greenwich lounge will benefit from soon being opened up to occupy the ex-Admirals Club space and the ex-Flagship First Dining space, as when I visited the lounge was uncomfortably full. The views are undeniably better than what was possible in the Club lounge in T7, but the offered buffet is no match for Club World Pre-Flight Dining, which will be sorely missed.
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. Once again, however, the lounge is let down by the mediocre buffet and unexciting à 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.
The Chelsea lounge is visually pleasing, but practically disappointing. Having showers in the lounge is the only real improvement over the Concorde Room. Aside from the lack of natural light, a view of any kind and a private seating layout, the catering is the biggest let down, far removed from both AA’s Flagship First Dining (FFD) and BA’s Concorde Room menus. Supplier issues will undoubtedly be resolved soon, but I have little sympathy for AA when it would have been so simple to just pick up the menu from FFD and move it across to the Chelsea lounge.
Whilst the Chelsea lounge’s menu can hopefully be fixed in time, what cannot be – and never could have been – replicated is the exclusive and truly special feeling of the Terminal 7 Concorde Room, the air of which was always deliciously heavy with the weight of supersonic history.
Last edited by Genius1; Dec 22, 2022 at 12:43 pm
Dec 22, 2022, 12:38 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Laguna Beach CA
Programs: AA EXP/4MM UA 1MM, HY Global, Bon Lft Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 720
Sadly, they've taken distinguished and reduced it to ordinary to the disappointment of everyone who knew what exited before in the respective previous iterations of First and Business class lounges.
Dec 22, 2022, 12:40 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, LH Sen, MUCCI, Junior Jet Club.
Posts: 8,101
Good report. It echoes my experience of Soho a few weeks ago (on a rainy Sunday evening before a delayed 182). The premium checkin and security were good (I have TSA Pre) and the lounge itself is in the main nicely appointed but the food and beverage offering is really woeful. I too witnessed very dry chicken breasts (presented in something akin to a bucket) and salmon with uninspiring veg. And the “charcuterie bar” had ham and salami just like your photo. One of the bartenders to her credit was genuinely interested in the wine and explained / recommended what to have, the other couldn’t have cared less.
Overall the experience feels very American compared to T7 and not in a good way.
Overall the experience feels very American compared to T7 and not in a good way.
Dec 22, 2022, 1:03 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold; Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,228
In terms of the shared check-in area, I assume that BA staff can check you in for an AA flight / itinerary and vice versa? Or if you're flying BA do you have to wait for a BA agent to be available?
Thanks Genius1 for an excellent report. I rarely fly through JFK so I think it'll be some time before I get to enjoy (suffer?) the shared T8 experience and, hopefully, the teething issues will be resolved by then. As you say, it's so frustrating that the new lounges have failed to incorporate the best of both airlines' previous lounges and have ended up with an unsatisfactory "dumbing down" of the premium experience.
Thanks Genius1 for an excellent report. I rarely fly through JFK so I think it'll be some time before I get to enjoy (suffer?) the shared T8 experience and, hopefully, the teething issues will be resolved by then. As you say, it's so frustrating that the new lounges have failed to incorporate the best of both airlines' previous lounges and have ended up with an unsatisfactory "dumbing down" of the premium experience.
Dec 22, 2022, 1:32 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
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
There is - thankfully - champagne, although I forgot to check which brand!
Dec 22, 2022, 3:38 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
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
T8 was opened in stages between 2005 and 2007; AA have been tenants since this time. The recent expansion work to accommodate BA was completed at the end of November and added some new gates, upgraded the baggage handling system and added the two new lounges, along with refurbishing the premium check-in area.
Dec 22, 2022, 3:45 pm
#9
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA 1MM CK, DL Plat, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador (RIP SPG), BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,166
Dec 22, 2022, 11:04 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: BAEC Bronze, AS MVP Gold 75K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 488
Good comprehensive review- thanks. I get the moan about lack of premium security but I can't believe regular US bound flyers don't have PreCheck / GE. I know people who are twice a year visitors with GE given how much time it saves. BA will know how many premium PAX have GE / Pre Check and have decided, without being too blunt, to not offer premium security to those who haven't got it.
In your situation, I'd seriously cough up the $150, get pre check / GE and enjoy how much of a game changer it is. :-)
In your situation, I'd seriously cough up the $150, get pre check / GE and enjoy how much of a game changer it is. :-)
Dec 23, 2022, 1:18 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: BA GGL, GfL, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist, AllAccor Diamond, Marriott Ambassador Elite
Posts: 1,042
Great report. Many thanks. My only criticism might be that you are far kinder to BA/AA than they deserve for the embarrassing shambles that is the Chelsea Bunker.