1st look: American Airlines, British Airways unveil 3 beautiful lounges in JFK’s Terminal 8

Revamped premium check-in facility

The premium expertise begins the minute you enter Terminal 8 with two all-new, wood-lined premium check-in services.

The extra unique space is reserved for a couple of choose flyers (particulars beneath), and it presents essentially the most personal check-in expertise in the complete terminal.

After verifying your eligibility, an agent will escort you thru frosted glass doorways to one of many roughly 10 check-in desks.

There are not any conventional counters right here — you may full check-in formalities whilst you’re sitting or stress-free. Not to say, your checked baggage will likely be carted off to the bags system with out you lifting a finger.

Chelsea Lounge at JFK

After clearing safety, you may make your technique to certainly one of three lounges.

The fanciest and most unique is dubbed the Chelsea Lounge, and is positioned on the higher degree above gates 14 to twenty.

After verifying eligibility (particulars beneath), you may be escorted to the lounge’s signature round Champagne bar. The bar seats about 15, however the servers could be blissful to deliver a crystal flute to wherever you select to sit down.

There’s little question that the bar is without doubt one of the snazziest I’ve ever seen in an airport lounge. Hanging from the ceiling are 150 hand-molded items of frosted glass, which have been created completely for American and BA within the Czech Republic.

Of be aware, Krug Champagne will likely be on supply, together with a protracted record of different labels, all of which you could find beneath within the menu.

The Chelsea Lounge measures about 10,000 sq. toes and has seating for 128 flyers. There are quite a lot of seating choices lining the perimeter of the area, starting from particular person recliners to couches to comfortable chairs.

Each seat is inside arm’s attain of an influence outlet, in addition to a USB-A and USB-C port. The partitions are lined with a reside digital “wallpaper” that adjustments settings all through the day, which ought to assist set the temper earlier than your flight.

Unfortunately, this area would not have any home windows or pure gentle.

In addition to the Champagne bar, there will be a hearth within the heart of the lounge, however it wasn’t put in but throughout TPG’s tour. There are a couple of workstations constructed into the wall towards the again of the lounge, and there is additionally a devoted rest space within the far again nook.

You will not discover any nap rooms or telephone cubicles on this area, however you will see essentially the most unique restaurant in the complete terminal.

There are quite a lot of two- and four-top tables within the eating room, and you will be handled to a multicourse, restaurant-style meal should you resolve to dine right here. The menu will function a mixture of American and British classics.

In addition to a signature afternoon tea service, you may take pleasure in some delicacies — resembling bagels and lox, Reuben sandwiches and shepherd’s pie — which have been displayed throughout the media tour. James Beard Award finalist chef Ayesha Nurdjaja (of New York’s Shuka and Shukette fame) is curating the menus in each the Chelsea and Soho lounges.

You’ll discover the complete menus within the gallery beneath. There’s additionally a small drink station close to the eating room that’ll function quite a lot of delicate drinks and bottled water.

The Chelsea Lounge options gender-specific restrooms, that are lined in wooden and marble; they function three to 4 stalls and urinals every.

There are additionally three average-size bathe suites within the lounge, which will likely be accessible on a first-come, first-served foundation.

For all intents and functions, the Chelsea Lounge merges one of the best of American’s Flagship First Dining facility and BA’s Concorde Room. It presents chef-inspired a la carte eating, in addition to loads of area to unfold out and calm down. The solely downgrade is that it would not supply any pure gentle, however the design is considerably extra elevated than the present Flagship First Dining facility.

Soho Lounge at JFK

The second-most unique lounge in Terminal 8 is now the Soho Lounge.

It shares a welcome space with the Chelsea Lounge. A pleasant receptionist will usher you to the suitable area whenever you enter the upper-level foyer close to Gate 14.

Within seconds of getting into the Soho Lounge, you may rapidly understand you’ve got entered some of the trendy and fantastically designed areas within the airport. The lounge measures 12,000 sq. toes and has seating for 282 vacationers.

As you stroll inside, you may be within the cocktail and bar space, which is decked out with some high-top seating, in addition to quite a lot of eating tables and bench seats.

From there, you may end up in the principle lounge space, which presents a eating room, dwelling space, personal workstations and a so-called library.

If you are seeking to seize a chew to eat, you may doubtless wish to decide a desk within the heart of the lounge. There’ll be a buffet serving a variety of sunshine bites, in addition to a la carte service accessible to order by way of a QR code.

We could not get a way of the standard of the meals and drinks within the Soho Lounge, however we’ll you should definitely comply with up with an in depth overview after it opens.

That mentioned, representatives for each airways promised scrumptious fare and complicated drinks, together with a cocktail menu designed by Richard Boccato — the person behind Queens’ well-known bar Dutch Kills. Gotham Coffee Roasters will present the espresso within the lounges.

There’ll even be a wine desk constructed out of petrified wooden, however that amenity wasn’t on show throughout the tour.

For now, you may discover the meals menus within the gallery beneath.

If you’d desire to calm down, you may have a selection of a number of areas. The lounge boasts spectacular floor-to-ceiling home windows with expansive views of the tarmac, so aviation fanatics will doubtless gravitate towards the person recliners lining the perimeter of the area.

There are 5 personal workstations towards the again of the lounge, and there are some communal co-working tables at both finish of the area, too.

The carpet-lined “library” ought to supply a quieter and extra stress-free expertise, however you will not discover any books right here. That mentioned, it will positively be the perfect place to cozy up with a e-book should you introduced one your self.

The Soho Lounge additionally encompasses a rest space, however it wasn’t completed in time for TPG’s tour.

The area will likely be staffed by American and BA brokers, in case you want some last-minute help together with your journey plans.

There are each gender-specific and gender-neutral restrooms, all of that are designed equally to those discovered within the extra unique Chelsea Lounge.

Four particular person bathe suites are additionally accessible right here — half of that are accessible to vacationers who use wheelchairs.

Greenwich Lounge at JFK

The third and last “new” lounge in JFK’s Terminal 8 is the Greenwich Lounge.

This area is not truly new — it includes the present Flagship Lounge, Flagship First Dining facility and Concourse B Admirals Club. However, the present Flagship and Admirals Club advertising will likely be eliminated as of Thursday, and the complete area will then be rebranded because the Greenwich Lounge.

There’ll be no change to the design or format of the area, and vacationers might want to cross between the foyer space of the lounge to get between the outdated Admirals and Flagship sides of the lounge.

The renovated open-air bridge area within the heart of Concourse B may also open within the coming months, and it will be folded into the Greenwich Lounge when it is full.

Altogether, the area will seat greater than 590 flyers. Savvy vacationers will doubtless camp out within the Flagship First eating facility as soon as it is decommissioned.

Bottom line

British Airways has a brand new house at JFK.

After greater than 50 years in Terminal 7, the United Kingdom flag provider will name Terminal 8 house as of Thursday. That’ll make for sooner and extra seamless connections for vacationers hopping the pond. It additionally ushers in a revamped premium expertise for flyers passing via New York, beginning with an upgraded check-in facility.

The two brand-new lounges are gorgeous, and so they’re positively the 2 nicest ones in the complete American community. BA vacationers will doubtless additionally admire the upgrades — particularly the unique new Chelsea Lounge, which can change the present Concorde Room.

Even American’s current Flagship Lounge is getting rebranded, and no facilities are getting reduce.

With BA and Iberia co-located as of Thursday, and JAL shifting in subsequent yr, Terminal 8 is rapidly turning into the Oneworld alliance hub in New York. That’s nice for many flyers, however particularly those that have entry to one of many terminal’s snazzy new lounges.