Yesterday, I paid my first visit to the AA Flagship Lounge at JFK. With my only other Flagship Lounge experiences having been LHR, MIA, and ORD, I was curious to see the lounge. I am not 100 percent positive, but I believe it may be the most recently opened. I’m sure some readers know the scoop on that and can correct me in comments if it’s not true.
I haven’t frequented Flagship Lounges because I don’t fly AA that much anymore with my relocation to Atlanta, and I’m not now, nor have I ever been an AA Executive Platinum. My previous Flagship Lounge experiences were all courtesy of international First Class itineraries. Indeed, my JFK visit was available to me as a First Class customer on an AA 3-class transcon flight. In my case, I was purposely there to sample the AA A321T product.
The JFK Flagship Lounge is located in AA’s terminal 8, just beyond security. It is housed within the B Concourse Admirals Club. You enter the regular club, and upon check in, they will provide you with a key card for access to the Flagship Lounge, which is just to the right of the Admirals Club check in desk. I was politely assisted, and offered a key to the lounge, which I happily took. Once inside, the lounge concierge greeted me, and took the key card. I’m guessing they’d just give you another if you needed to leave, but I did not….I had 3 hours to kill, and I was looking forward to enjoying the lounge. For the first 40 minutes, I was the only customer there.
Furnishings weren’t necessarily better than you’d find in the Admirals Club, but they had me at power outlets. In short, there were power outlets everywhere! I arrived just as the staff was transitioning from breakfast to lunch. I would enjoy a full dinner on my 3:30PM flight to LAX, but I wanted to at least sample the food. Being the only person there, I was able to enjoy a few lunch items before I was joined by more customers. The lunch spread was great for a US airline lounge and included different salads, cheeses, etc. There were two soups, Minestrone and a chili.
The food was tasty….I was actually pleased with it. It wouldn’t pass muster at some international lounges, but it was what it was. I enjoyed lunch. There was also a complimentary self-serve bar setup.
I’ve become a bit of a wine snob, even if I don’t understand why or how. The Show Cabernet is certainly drinkable, but I don’t love it. Admittedly, even though I had the opportunity, I did not try the rest of the wines to see if I liked something better. No matter what, I appreciated the opportunity to relax in a very quiet lounge with reasonable food and drink options. That said, I think my favorite part of the JFK Flagship Lounge experience was the beautiful views of the ramp. In short, I was geeking things up when it came to plane spotting.
That A321T in the shot was ultimately my ride to LAX. đŸ™‚ In the end, I really enjoyed the AA Flagship Lounge at JFK. Furnishings were comfortable, the atmosphere was pleasant (and in my case, exclusive), and the upgraded food was a step up from the usual Admirals Club fare. I enjoyed my visit, and it was a great setup for the A321T First Class experience.
-MJ, August 17, 2014
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Get real. US airline lounges would go broke if they offered real food to everyone since most are flying ultra cheap fares. Flagship and similar premium lounges cater to those who have paid international level fares and thus deserve a decent lounge experience. To otherwise compare US lounges to those we experience overseas on our long haul flights.
@Ed,
Sometimes it’s the little things, isn’t it? đŸ™‚
Finally, something to eat that doesn’t demand an enormous bolus. Now, that’s what I’m talking about.
I would love for free food to be offered in the admiral lounge, as delta does. What’s with the purchase policy for anything more than pretzels,etc.