I just had the chance to visit the newly opened Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy (JFK). This is the fourth location in the Chase Sapphire Lounge network, following lounges in Boston (BOS), Hong Kong (HKG), and New York (LGA).
This particular Chase Sapphire Lounge is unique, as it’s actually run in partnership with Etihad Airways. You see, Etihad Airways used to have its own lounge in New York, but it had been closed for several years, presumably because the economics didn’t make sense.
So Chase and Etihad Airways partnered to revive this lounge, with a win-win arrangement — Etihad passengers continue to get access to a great lounge, while the Chase Sapphire Lounge network can expand to another airport, with a lot more people having access to the lounge.
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK is great — it has the excellent food we’ve come to expect from this lounge network, and it also has the typical decor. However, it’s definitely the least impressive Chase Sapphire Lounge location in the United States so far, and that comes down to the smaller size, and the fact that this wasn’t purpose-built by Chase.
Still, this is an excellent lounge, and is worth a visit, in my opinion.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy location
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK is located in Terminal 4. This terminal is home to Delta, along with a variety of international carriers, including Air India, EL AL, Emirates, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic, and many more. Terminals at JFK aren’t connected airside, so I’d only expect to use this lounge if you’re actually departing from the terminal.
Finding the Chase Sapphire Lounge JFK is easy. Once you clear security, just turn left, and don’t go down the escalators or elevators to the terminal level. Rather, stay on the same level as security, and keep walking. You’ll see the Amex Centurion Lounge JFK, and immediately past that is the Chase Sapphire Lounge. The lounge is located above gate A2.
While Chase completely redid the interior of the lounge, it’s funny how the exterior has remained unchanged, aside from the Chase Sapphire Lounge branding. I’ve gotta say, it looks great, though!
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy hours
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK is currently open daily from 5AM until 11PM, covering a vast majority of departures from the terminal. This is roughly the same hours you’ll find at most lounges in the terminal.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy entry requirements
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK is a Priority Pass lounge, though it works a bit differently than other Priority Pass locations. Here are the entry requirements for all Chase Sapphire Lounge locations in the United States:
- Those with a Priority Pass™ membership through the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) can access the lounge an unlimited number of times, with up to two complimentary guests
- Those with a Priority Pass™ membership issued through any other means can access any Chase Sapphire Lounge in the United States once per calendar year at no additional cost (that’s one visit across all lounges, not per lounge), and guests aren’t complimentary; subsequent visits, as well as guests, will be charged an entry fee of $75
- If you don’t have a Priority Pass™ membership, you can outright buy access to the lounge for $100 per person per visit, subject to availability
- Chase Sapphire Lounges are only accessible within three hours of departure, unless you’re connecting, in which case you can access it earlier
So as you can tell, while all Priority Pass members can visit this lounge once, those who have a membership through Chase’s premium cards get unlimited visits.
On top of that, since this lounge is run in partnership with Etihad Airways, premium passengers on the airline get access to the lounge. This includes first and business class passengers, as well as Etihad Guest Platinum and Gold members. Etihad has two daily flights to New York (in the early afternoon and late at night), so you can expect the lounge will be especially crowded around those times.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy layout & seating
The Chase Sapphire Lounge JFK is roughly 7,600 square feet, so it’s the smallest lounge in the network, and therefore will likely get quite busy. The lounge design was almost completely unrecognizable compared to back when it was an Etihad Lounge, and I was impressed by the modern design and thoughtful layout.
As you enter, you’ll find yourself in the main area of the lounge, which is in a rectangular shape. This area has some dining tables with chairs and benches on one side, sofas and chairs in the middle of the space, and then the bar on the other side.
Inside the entrance to the lounge and to the right is a somewhat partitioned off area, with lots of seating and plenty of greenery. I love how Chase Sapphire Lounges consistently have plants, as that’s something that’s missing in so many other lounges, in my opinion.
As you go deeper into the lounge, you’ll see more seating options with coffee tables.
Then as you keep going, you’ll find the main area with dining tables, which can each accommodate two to four people.
In the very back of the lounge, there’s another seating area with a fake fireplace.
There are also two desks here, which are great if you’re looking for a comfortable place from which to get some work done.
Lastly, back near the entrance, the lounge has a sort of awkward, narrow room, with tables on one side, and loungers on the other side.
That’s the extent of the lounge. It has a beautiful design, though it doesn’t have some of the amenities that you’ll find in other Chase Sapphire Lounges. Again, that’s fair enough, given the space constraints. One thing I love about this lounge is the views, as it has an amazing vantage point for seeing the apron of Terminal 4.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy food & drinks
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK has the food selection you’d expect from the lounge, though it’s perhaps not quite to the same level as the other two lounges in the United States. The lounge has both a buffet and a small a la carte selection. Breakfast is served from 5AM until 10:30AM, and then lunch and dinner are served from 11AM until 11PM. I visited in the morning, so I’ll share the breakfast selection.
You can find the entire breakfast menu below, including both the buffet and a la carte options.
The buffet had several options to choose from, including overnight oats, yogurt parfaits, cheese plates, shakshuka, tofu scramble, curry potatoes, and fresh baked focaccia.
Then there was the menu you could order off of. Each table has a QR code, and then you can place the order through there, and a server will bring it to you. I decided to order the salmon benedict (without hollandaise) and cardamon chabab. Both were excellent, though the portions were bigger than I was expecting, so I wasn’t quite able to finish them.
Beyond the food, the lounge also has a drink station, with drip coffee, espresso-based drinks, tea, cold brew, and soft drinks.
The station also has a variety of croissants, muffins, and pastries.
Later in the day, the lounge has a large selection of wine, beer, cocktails, etc. However, those weren’t available during my early morning visit. I’d expect both the food and drink selection to be much more impressive in the afternoons and evenings. Unfortunately barista coffee isn’t available in the lounge any time of day.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy bathrooms & showers
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK has gender segregated restrooms. The men’s room had two sinks, two toilets, and two urinals, and was spotless.
There’s also a single shower suite located inside the men’s room. It still has quite a bit of privacy, as there’s a separate door, and the shower room has a walk-in shower, a sink, and a toilet. Toiletries are from Apotheke.
Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy reflection rooms
The only other feature of the Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK is the two “reflection rooms.” Hah, these are of course prayer rooms that Etihad installed when it solely ran the lounge, but I guess this feature has been rebranded to be less specific.
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy is an awesome addition to the JFK lounge scene, with plenty of natural light, great food and drinks, and a modern design. It’s not quite to the same caliber as the other Chase Sapphire Lounges in the United States, but that’s just because this lounge is quite a bit smaller than the others.
Personally I’d visit this lounge over the Amex Centurion Lounge or Delta Sky Club®, which are the two other popular options in the terminal.
What do you make of the Chase Sapphire Lounge New York JFK?
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