When the coronavirus pandemic first started we saw many airline lounges around the world close, primarily due to lack of demand. Travel demand is slowly starting to pick up, though we’re still a long way from a recovery.
Continue reading: American Airlines Reopening More Admirals Clubs, Bringing Back Avocado Toast
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
With the partnership between GOL and AA, are Smiles Diamante members allowed in the Admiral lounges?
@Art. Yes! No paid J travel on AA until AA offers the full J class experience.
You'd think reopening the JFK Flagship Lounge as an Admirals Club would make more sense than the Admirals Club in the satellite. It's positioned to handle more traffic and as it has three distinct areas that you can gradually open as demand increases.
Ohh boy, I would not want to be traveling.
It seems that people from the Northeast metropolitans are taking social distancing strictly, while people from other parts of the country (southeast), are very lax and thinking that COVID is 'over'.
The south won't admit, but a second wave may be coming....
YEAH! My parents retirement community will be opening up soon and will allow limited visitation so seeing the AC's opening in PHX and PHL will make the travel much nicer.
Also hoping Hawaii is open (even with a test requirement) in the fall. I need a week on a beach with a drink in my hand!
Welcome back AA!
Oh boy, what a future indeed! Intentional or not intentional..these new catering developments are frightening the least..
I understand that you get what you pay for...but limited premium catering and services that would not attract any premium pax to fly! Even the mouse knows it better..cheese or no cheese..
So, the fresh crap they had in the clubs will now be replaced with packaged crap. Big whoop...
I did not see any mention of restrictions on guest passes. I'll be curious to see how AA handles the possibility of mismatched demand and supply of seating. That said, based on Chicago on Wednesday, no immediate risk of too many passengers.
Should that have been Terminal 8 at JFK rather than Terminal B?
Interesting comparison to AA's approach to opening Flagship Lounges. When QF started to open its lounges (domestic travel only so far) in cases where there was both a Qantas Club and a Business Lounge, they opened the Business Lounge for all travellers eligible to use either and not the Qantas Club. So at least for that part of it, QF is providing the J class experience for J class fares. I have yet to fly since this started, no point with the limited possibilities where I live.
Fingers crossed that as AZ percentages and cases are dropping by mid-August I can head out to see my Dad and Mom (who's in hospice care). Even just to get our of crowded concourses of the PHL and PHX airport to sit in the quiet club will be so worth it. We last traveled the week of Easter to see them (yes we flew on some of the slowest days in history) and the club was closed but we really didn't need them, but glad to see them coming back for future travels.
Fingers crossed for August.
I've had numerous flights over the past 2 months and was in CLT the week they reopened. The first few days were a bit of cluster as they figured out the system. Someone walks you to an open seat and takes down the number as all seat positions are numbered now. I don't know what good that does as nobody asks you when you leave where you were.
The second time I stopped by CLT they had figured it out a bit more and I just told the attendant what seat number I wanted to sit at. They laughed at that but most people like me have their favored corners.
The bartender was happy to be back at work. She makes the drinks with a big smile and hands out the snack bags which are just fine.
I just flew a few days ago for the first time since March, ORD - LGA. I have to say the experience at the ORD lounge was strange, but extremely well-managed and peaceful.
When you get off the elevator, you approach what is basically like a host stand at a restaurant. An extremely sweet and welcoming attendant then asked for our seating preference (window or interior), consulted a seating chart at the podium, marked an X where she was going to be taking us, and led us to our seats. Every "pod" of seats is only open to one party; the rest of the seats in the pod are blocked off for you so you'll have no neighbors within 10-15 feet. She gave a little briefing about what was open and how the bar situation worked, and told us to let a staff member know if we needed anything at all.
The lounge was not crowded at all, and pax seemed very respectful of the regulations, wearing masks when moving about and only removing them at their seats. There were a few attendants walking around offering to bring things from the bar, otherwise you could go up to the bar and ask for your snack bag or a drink. The snack bag basically contained the "greatest hits" of the normal AA club offerings (the infamous cubed cheese, some snack mix, a cookie, etc.). The lounge was absolutely spotless and continuously being cleaned - like you could eat off the floor spotless.
Definitely bizarre in many ways, but AA deserves a lot of credit for how they're handling this particular part of the experience.
I don't quite see the need to reopen Flagship Lounge for now -- at airports with a Flagship Lounge, it comes with a renovated Admirals Club (the only exception would be JFK's satellite Admirals Club) and the lounge space/seating of these renovated Admirals Clubs do match those of Flagship Lounge. With the buffet/shower etc remain closed and food/drink comes from goodie bags/bars, it could be easier to guard in AC as the bars in AC come with bartenders.
Seriously wear masks so we can really have places reopen.
Glad to see a few more lounges opening, but there's still some work to do...
I flew AA to LHR last week and was disappointed that they won't even offer premium drinks like they used to in lieu of the Flagship Lounge. There's really no legitimate way to spin that other than cost saving because they were certainly available for purchase.
Bravo AA, seriously.
And in other news...All Centurion lounges are STILL shut with no communication forthcoming from Amex on a reopening date...
Still no Flagship Lounges/Dining, still no differentiated international first class onboard experience, still no paid J for me. In this case, the egg (the full experience) must come before the chicken (my paid premium cabin revenue).
Nothing says "Let's reboot 2020" more than the return of avocado toast
That said, the nice lady who used to make afternoon guacamole at DFW was so wonderful
When are they going to open the lounge in Newark? I have to travel in there a lot for work and there is absolutely no where you can sit down and have a meal in that airport, everything is take away and try to eat in your lap in the no so nice terminal areas. I really would like to see that club open up; at least you'd have some privacy and more comfortable seat when you try to eat in your lap!
Avocado toast at Admirals Clubs? Lol
AA is trying too hard to be "cool"
Maybe they should consider upping the decor and changing the Admirals Club label to something a bit more contemporary instead.
I'm surprised RDU, TPA and ATL weren't on the list of full reopenings in October. Those tend to be very busy clubs despite their small size. At any rate as someone that uses the AC as another "office" I will be happy to see more ACs reopening to the public.
Does anyone know the exact date in October?
Ben
I am sure your happy , it can be stagnant in Mia. But you have the Ocean
and great restaurant . Staying in NYC has not been easy knowing or sensing
You like it along with your partner . Sincerely best wishes four your mom’s recovery. Best. PCC