Review: British Airways Lounge New York JFK

Lucky,

Have you been to Todd English's resturant Bonfire in Terminal 7?

Another plus is that ANA (random) also shares the BA F section of this lounge which means fairly decent sushi and Japanese snacks if you're there early enough.

@John I've been there a couple of times. It's nothing special. Standard airport food.

I have a soft spot for T7 as I associate it with CX and back in the day, my UA flight to LA to connect onwards to NZ. But it's in bad need of a makeover. The staff at the Galleries Lounge were somewhat surly last time I was there as well.

Iberia doesn't have an A340-500 in their fleet. They have an A340-600. Inthink you mislabeled

Pavel,

How does it compare to the lounge finger sandwiches?

BA doesn't own IB... Separate companies, run separately but owned by same company, IAG.

"While I love Japanese culture, the noodle slurping and snoring really got to me."

The noodle slurping I get, but what does "Japanese culture" have to do with snoring? Do gaijin have some kind of genetic indisposition for snoring that nobody told me about?

@john honestly? i'd probably pass on both. the supper room actually has decent food, though. iirc, T7 airside food offerings are pretty dismal. burger king, bonfire, a pret-like sandwich place. that's about it.

@Jason Iberia names his A346 with new bussines product as A340-500, but yes technically is an A340-600

This is a pretty SAD lounge. Poor lighting, poor selection of food, dated furnishings. I expected more from BA and CX.

In a weird way I love the livery on this Iberia plane, I had a toy bus when I was a child in the 1980s in the same colour scheme. I'm guessing it's like this as they haven't got around to repainting it yet but I personally think it would be cool if a few airlines gave their planes the retro paint schemes. There's something really appealing about the silver unpainted AA planes, although the last one I was on between MIA and LIM could have done with a refresh of the interior.

I've been to this lounge several times flying on CX flights. I agree that the F class section is fairly dreary. But at least it's quiet. I spent a little time once in the business class section and found it to be too busy and cluttered with lots of empty dishes laying around.

I love the macadamia cookies though.

At least the lounge is a million times better than the AA Admiral Lounge.

No mention of the terrible wifi and nearly complete lack of power outlets?

Been there many times; it's somewhere to get away from the crowds. The food is definitely snack food only, and you need to be your own cocktail waiter, so learn what goes into your fave drink! You can ask (nicely) for proper champagne, which will appear from behind the scenes. It sure beats the detestable prosecco, a vile sparkling wine which the British who can't afford champagne have embraced enthusiastically. The lounge needs a total refurb, but have heard nothing about whether this may happen. As Ben says, don't bother getting here especially early for a luxe lounge experience; it's not on offer!

I usually buy a pretzel first from Auntie Anne's then head back to the lounge to grab a beer or some juice. If i'm still hungry, I get some nuts, Oreo's, pretzels or some biscotti. Can't go wrong with those. Sometimes I even get some sandwiches as well. Sometimes I'll have some quinoa salad if they have it available. I miss the shortbread they had and the Lays chips they had on offer.

With regards to the terminal, while I don't like it since its pretty basic and run down, I appreciate the fact that its small and the walk is not long. I also like the premium security lane they have. I don't have to go through those body scanners.

BA just renewed its lease for another 7 years with the Port Authority. Hopefully, they are working behind the scenes with AA to move in and expand at terminal 8.

In the introduction you mentioned you'd do a quick review of the Sheraton. Change of plans?

Well that looks pretty hideous. All I could think was: If I was flying first class on Cathay and this was the lounge the provide I'd be pretty disappointed. But it's only the first class passengers to Vancouver the ones going all the way to Hong Kong get a better lounge? Probably the Concorde I'd imagine.

Hey Lucky,

I have a question not related to this topic but I'm having trouble acquiring Ethiad seats via AA. Ethiad website shows Guest First availability for flights this upcoming July, but when I inquire with AA (2 reps in a row), they see 0 space. They see the flights but it shows no space. Should I wait and continue calling over the next couple weeks? TIA.

@Mark

Passengers on CX for both Vancouver and Hong Kong bound use the Terraces lounge. The Concorde Lounge is strictly for BA passengers flying in F.

The pre-flight supper is available for F passengers regardless of destination. Had a chance to try it a few months ago prior to my flight to HKG with CX.

"...several of them fell asleep after their noodle soiree, and snored in unison."

ROFL

I used all the various JFKBA lounges in July last year when I flew BA F. I arrived early to maximise lounge time, but before the Concorde Room opened, so started off in Galleries F, where there was a similar selection of sandwiches, which were decent. I also saw the ANA pax, with the NH agents stationed at the lounge desk. I noticed that about the time the NH pax left, the food offering was expanded, and a few extra things were put out, getting closer to the BA wave of departures. Still hor d'oeuvre type items, but double the choice there had been while NH were using the lounge...

I moved to the CCR shortly after and made use of the dining area there, which is more in line with what one should expect from a focus city F lounge. I did pop back to Galleries J for my massage, which was great, then stayed in the CCR until flight time. Overall, I enjoyed my visit 🙂

As a OWS, do I get access to the premium check in?

I've only been in BA's business lounge after dark--natural light does improve thing!

The food has improved a tiny bit over the last year and a half, though I hadn't realized one can still ask for champagne. The lounge really is worn and grubby, though; the wifi is pathetic and I regularly spend several minutes looking for a comfortable chair next to a power outlet. What century is this?

Earlier this month I used the showers in the Elemis spa, and was further appalled at the rude and indifferent service. One desk attendant was fixated on clipping his nails; two others were deeply engrossed in a printer issue. There were several people waiting. When finally someone deigned to respond to my request for a shower, I was waved over to the sign-up list (there was no one there). Finally someone unlocked a shower room for me. Like the rest of the lounge, the facility is tired and rundown. But the rudeness was the depressing part.

Sadly, it's still better than the Admiral's Club.

Thanks for the pictures of the departure and arrival screens. Very nice. I like the fonts.

@ avery111 -- Yep, you should, I believe.

@ Steven H -- Calling Etihad's call center in Australia should do the trick:
https://onemileatatime.com/redeeming-american-miles-on-etihad-trick/

Does British Airways have any plans to leave Terminal 7? It's kind of a sad and old terminal.

@ Veritas -- Nope, don't think there's another terminal with enough room for all their flights.

@Veritas

Just to add, if you read my post above, they renewed their lease with the Port Authority. And at the same time from what I've heard, there are talks with AA to expand terminal 8 and move in there. I hope they're working behind the scenes to make it happen.

Way better than the Admiral's Club.....

You know, IF I planned to have a big meal onboard (which may mean sacrificing sleep on a short transatlantic) the drinks + bar snacks model isn't too bad. I'd rather have a great food spread of course, but I think I prefer their extensive snack selection to a subpar hot/fresh selection.

@Lucky BA does not own Iberia, both airlines are owned by IAG (International Airlines Group) there is no cross shareholding between the companies.

Hi Lucky,
I like how you note how sad and pathetic the First Class lounge is. The last time I was there it was not even clean. Really shocking. Your pictures of the "Galleries" lounge though are hard to believe; I've never been in that lounge without a crowd. It's always so, so busy. And, this really needs to be said, there is one men's washroom with two urinals which is woefully insufficient for the volume of traffic. It's a really unpleasant setup. However, access to the pre-flight meal, that area is probably the nicest of the lot. The showers are not bad either.

Can you tell me if a IB Business Class pax can use the shower service in the lounge? Or is just for BA First Class? Thanks for your answer.
Great report by the way,

glenn t says:
February 23, 2016 at 9:29 pm
If I can pay £4000 or £5000 for a business class flight Glenn, I think I can probably afford Champagne too!

Thanks for your review. Can one purchase a pass to use the lounge? If so which lounge and do you know how much? Thank you!

We visited the BA business class lounge at Terminal 7 in JFK airport a few days ago, and were not impressed!! No hot food, soup available after 4pm, dried up sandwiches and a few crisps! Get your act together British Airways! ! The seating was very uncomfortable, and no mobile charging stations by tables. The only place available to re-charge phones etc.was a tiny area on a stand about 3 inches x 12 inches, in the middle of the lounge, where people had piled phone on top of phone ...not good!
All in all, better facilities in the economy departure lounge! !