Review: American Flagship First Dining JFK Airport

"there was a British couple ... he stormed out of the lounge saying “this is freaking ridiculous""

I don't think I've ever heard a British person use the coy euphemism "freaking", so I'm not sure I believe this vignette.

The interior design of this looks much better than the other new US lounges you've reviewed over the past few days.

Nice! I’ve dined in Flagship Dining three times so far, but all were for breakfast. I’m dying to go back to try lunch or dinner. Like you, Lucky, I found few faults. The only misstep I can remember is that for breakfast, the cheddar biscuits were a bit rubbery, not soft or fluffy (or even crumbly, really).

Kudos to Scott for the honesty about the bass. Great experience all around.

@Paul

Yeah, "freaking" isn't a word one usually associates with the British.

I bet you waste a lot of food. You can't be thin and eat all the food

I ordered that same burger from the small section of the Flagship Lounge where you can order from a much smaller menu, and it took 32 minutes to arrive, so I believe the story. Why is it so slow?! (It wasn't at a busy time -- around 3pm on Labor Day.)

What if your flying let's say MIA to LHR via JFK, when the lounge at MIA opens; do you get to use the flagship lounges at MIA and then again at JFK during transit ?

I was there on Tuesday of last week in the mid to late afternoon. I stayed in a booth for several hours after I had eaten to work. No issue at all from the servers to stay there long term.

Presumably, those flying in three cabin first on the same day, even if not necessarily from JFK, also have access, no?

@ Andrew -- Correct, so if you're flying JFK-DFW-HKG, for example, you'd get access.

I visited the JFK Flagship lounge yesterday which I was quite impressed by (alas no FC this trip). Funny story as I was leaving though and waiting for the elevators I noticed there was a family checking in. The DrAAgon goes along the lines of you are eligible for both lounges. Points to FL and goes this one is a buffet and then points to AC and goes this one you can purchase food off a menu. They ultimately chose FL so I didn’t butt in but it was amusing to see the agent seemingly equate the two.

Unfortunately, I don't really see this amenity lasting much longer in this format given how underutilized it is.

Ben,
i was recently in the lounge as well and had a great experience. i gave a tip b/c of the quality of service. did you? do you think a tip is necessary? i noticed no one else did but i cant imagine the staff gets paid appropriately for the high touch service.

@ Steve Alderson -- Happy to hear you had a great experience! Yep, I absolutely did tip. I don't think it's required or necessarily expected (especially given the number of foreign guests who have different cultural norms), but it's certainly appreciated. It's my understanding that servers here have higher base pay than in normal restaurants, though not to the point that they could make as much as they'd otherwise make in a good restaurant, so tips do make a difference.

Nice review. Not sure when I will get a chance to utilize this lounge in the future given the limited availability of it since I don't see needing to head to the west coast anytime soon. Maybe Sao Paulo though...

OK so I have done professional food work and while I can very much appreciate what an awesome perk this is and how nice the views and room are, I certainly have a few issues with the menu and presentation of the food. The menu sounds like food you'd get on a plane. Not necessarily a bad thing, but given it's not on a plane, but in an actual restaurant maybe they could come up with something other than a Sundae for dessert? I don't fly AA but United and Continental before them have done Sundaes to death. And what on earth was that on your chocolate trio? Did some micro greens fall off another plate onto your dessert? Which to my eye was not a great presentation. I'm just saying if you eat out in New York at a certain level you expect the food to look a certain way. This all looks fine, very hearty and filling but kind of midwestern. Ditto their wine list: Here have big naked Californian wine we have Chardonnay or Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc that tastes like a Chardonnay. Same with the reds: No subtly.

Sorry I know how some of you must respond to this, but my point is they must have hired someone to guide them and maybe this menu hits all the buttons of AA first class fliers. It just seems from this sampling not very well thought out, diverse or particularly well presented. Thin about the Cathay first class passengers who are going to experience better food on the plane and then dine at the Pier in Hong Kong while waiting for their flight home? I mean looks at Ben's one review and the way that food is plated, how that menu is composed. Sure this is an amazing leap forward, but from the pictures and menu as shown here it looks more like a dressed up Olive Garden than a fine dining experience.

Nice review!

Random thought: I wonder if Cathay was involved in the design/concept of this. When I visited the incredible Cathay F lounge at LHR this March, the waiter told me that all of Cathay's F lounges globally were being redesigned along the same concept as The Pier.

This lounge seems to have a similar "clubby" feel to The Pier's restaurant area, and a similar menu (although the decor is more mod). And it's serving as Cathay's F lounge at JFK. Maybe it's AA's version of The Pier, or the closest thing we'll ever see to that in our space-time continuum? 😉

Ben, do you realise how often you describe food as phenomenal? Love reading, but since it's the food I'm usually interested please review with a bit more depth. A phenomenon is by definition a rarity so not sure it applies to anything in a menu 🙂

Ben, Did u tip at the end?
If yes, how do u calculate the appropriate number?

I'm confused with that menu. How can starters be followed by entrees? An entree IS a starter. Entree is a French word that literally translates to entrance, hence it is used to denote the first meal.

@ John -- While that's the case in other parts of the world, in the US it's common to use entree to describe main course.

An "access" question, award ticket through AA flying Etihad First Apartment AUH - JFK- First only to DTW. Clearing customs in AUH. Would we be able to experience both the Etihad lounge and Flagship at JFK, or are there certain rules for changes in carriers?

@ Cheryl -- Nope, no Flagship First Dining unfortunately, since only American three cabin first class and international customers get access to it. Sorry.

If I'm flying JFK-YVR on CX F, will I have access?

I echo ildc's question - just out of curiosity, and per Ben's earlier comment about CX F customers having access, do CX F pax flying JFK-YVR get access? It's mighty hard to find out from either CX's or AA's websites. Thanks!