Review: AA & BA Chelsea Lounge New York (JFK)

Review: AA & BA Chelsea Lounge New York (JFK)

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NAME: Chelsea Lounge
Airport: JFK
DATE: February 2023
REVIEW RATING:
BEN SAYS: The Chelsea Lounge JFK has gorgeous decor, a champagne bar, and an extensive a la carte menu. While I'd argue this is one of the best lounges in the United States, there are also some major shortcomings.
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For the next portion of my review trip, I checked out the three “new” American Airlines & British Airways lounges at JFK’s Terminal 8, prior to my British Airways first class flight to London. In this post I’ll review the Chelsea Lounge, and then in separate installments I’ll review the Greenwich Lounge and the Soho Lounge.

The Chelsea Lounge is the most premium of the three lounges, and is intended to replace both American Flagship First Dining and the British Airways Concorde Room. This is an incredibly elegant lounge with a beautiful champagne bar, a dining room with table service, a relaxation area, and more.

While there’s a lot that impressed me about this lounge, it’s not perfect. The lounge has no windows or natural light, which I’d view as a major downside, given that this is also the most premium lounge. Furthermore, I found the food and service to be a mixed bag, and the champagne selection isn’t as impressive as I was expecting.

Basics of American & British Airways JFK lounges

To provide a bit of background, in late 2022, British Airways moved to Terminal 8 at JFK. American Airlines and British Airways have a lucrative transatlantic joint venture, and New York to London is one of the most important air markets in the world. As a result, this terminal move was a big development for the two airlines.

Given how big the combined presence of the two carriers is at JFK, we’ve seen major lounge investments at Terminal 8. There are now three premium lounges in the terminal — the Greenwich Lounge, the Soho Lounge, and the Chelsea Lounge.

While it’s cute that they’re named after neighborhoods that exist in both New York and London, the names don’t do a whole lot to tell you which is most premium, and which you have access to.

To briefly summarize the basics of the three lounges:

  • The Chelsea Lounge is the most exclusive lounge, and is roughly 10,000 square feet with seating for 128 passengers, and it’s an all-new space; it’s open to select first class passengers on American and British Airways, and it replaces the former Flagship First Dining facility
  • The Soho Lounge is the next lounge, and is roughly 12,000 square feet with seating for 282 guests, and it’s an all-new space; it’s open to oneworld Emerald members on select itineraries
  • The Greenwich Lounge is the final lounge, and is roughly 27,000 square feet with seating for 590 guests, and it replaces the former Flagship Lounge; it’s open to select business class passengers on all oneworld airlines, plus oneworld Sapphire members on select itineraries

I’ll go into more detail on each of the lounge’s entry requirements with the individual reviews, but wanted to provide a basic overview. Note that in addition to this there’s the Admirals Club, which has standard Admirals Club access rules.

Chelsea Lounge New York location

The Chelsea Lounge New York is easy to find. Once you clear security at JFK Terminal 8, just walk down the main pathway toward the gates, past the Bobby Van’s Grill (which is on the right).

JFK Terminal 8

You’ll see signage above the walkway pointing in the direction of the various lounges, and as you can see, the Chelsea Lounge and Soho Lounge are to the right.

JFK Terminal 8 lounge signage

When you turn right toward gates 14-20, you’ll immediately see the elevators to the Chelsea Lounge and Soho Lounge to the right (meanwhile if you turn left, you’d immediately see the elevators to the Greenwich Lounge to the left).

Chelsea Lounge New York elevators

There are signs on the terminal level explaining the access requirements for the two lounges, since this can obviously cause some confusion.

Chelsea Lounge New York elevators

Once you’re up a level, you’ll see the entrance to the Chelsea Lounge to the right, and the entrance to the Soho Lounge straight ahead.

Chelsea Lounge New York entrance

Chelsea Lounge New York hours

The Chelsea Lounge JFK is open daily from 4:30AM until 11PM, covering virtually all departures from the terminal. If you’re departing on a oneworld flight, then the Chelsea Lounge should be open.

Chelsea Lounge New York entry requirements

The Chelsea Lounge has the strictest entry requirements of any lounge in Terminal 8. This is intended to be the premium international first class lounge. The Chelsea Lounge can be accessed by:

  • American Flagship First passengers; this includes those on premium transcon flights (to LAX, SFO, and SNA), as well as long haul first class flights
  • American Flagship Business Plus passengers; this is a special fare bundle that American sells with some business class fares
  • British Airways first class passengers
  • American Concierge Key members traveling on a Flagship international itinerary, premium transcon route, on a qualifying flight to Hawaii, or on a British Airways long haul flight
  • British Airways Gold Guest List members traveling on any American or British Airways flight

Transcon first class passengers are allowed no guests, long haul first class passengers are allowed one guest, and Concierge Key and Gold Guest List members are allowed two guests.

Before I get into the review, let me note that if you have access to the Chelsea Lounge, you can also access the Soho Lounge and Greenwich Lounge. I can definitely see value to splitting time between the Chelsea Lounge (for the superior food and drinks) and the Soho Lounge (for the natural light and airport views).

Chelsea Lounge New York layout & seating

The Chelsea Lounge JFK is 10,000 square feet, with seating for 128 guests. The lounge feels intimate and elegant. When you first enter the lounge, your eyes will be drawn to the beautiful circular champagne bar, which is where all drinks are served from.

Chelsea Lounge JFK bar
Chelsea Lounge JFK bar

There are rows of seats along the exterior of the lounge by the bar, as well as couches, with plenty of power outlets. As I mentioned above, the lounge frustratingly lacks natural light, though at least there are some backlit panels with scenery, which at least help a little bit in that regard.

Chelsea Lounge JFK seating
Chelsea Lounge JFK seating

Deeper into the space is the general area for lounging, featuring couches and chairs with tables. I like how the space is sectioned off, so that it feels like the lounge has a few distinct areas. There’s also a fireplace in this area.

Chelsea Lounge JFK seating
Chelsea Lounge JFK seating
Chelsea Lounge JFK seating
Chelsea Lounge JFK seating
Chelsea Lounge JFK seating

Also in this area are a few workstations, which have booths with tables.

Chelsea Lounge JFK seating

In the very back of the lounge is the dining area, with just over a dozen tables.

Chelsea Lounge JFK dining area
Chelsea Lounge JFK dining area

There’s also a relaxation room to the side of the lounge, which has daybeds separated by drapes. As is the case for the relaxation area in the Soho Lounge, it would be nice if there were some bedding here as well, so you could really get cozy.

Chelsea Lounge JFK relaxation area
Chelsea Lounge JFK relaxation area

All-in-all, this lounge has stunning decor, and looks even better in person than in pictures, in my opinion. Nonetheless if you have an extended layover, I’d absolutely also spend some time over in the Soho Lounge, to enjoy the views and natural light.

Much like the other lounges at Terminal 8, this lounge was deserted in the mornings and early afternoons. When I was here at 12PM, I was the only person in the lounge. Meanwhile it can get a bit busier in the evenings, before all the long haul flights to Europe and beyond.

Chelsea Lounge New York food & drinks

The Chelsea Lounge almost exclusively has a la carte dining, intended to differentiate this lounge from the others. The only self-serve food is from a small buffet that’s near the bar. This area just had some sweets, chips, and whole fruit.

Chelsea Lounge JFK buffet

Breakfast is served at the Chelsea Lounge from opening until 11AM, and you can find the menu below.

Chelsea Lounge JFK breakfast menu

Then the all-day dining menu kicks in at 11AM until close, and you can also order afternoon tea between 3PM and 6PM.

Chelsea Lounge JFK all-day dining menu

I dined here on two separate occasions (once at around 5AM, and once at around 12PM). For breakfast, I had the acai, granola, and berry bowl, and then I had the sourdough avocado toast.

Chelsea Lounge JFK breakfast
Chelsea Lounge JFK breakfast

Then for lunch I decided to order three different appetizers, though that ended up being way too much food, as the portions were bigger than I was expecting. I ordered the prawn cocktail, wild mushroom toast, and honey roasted beets.

Chelsea Lounge JFK lunch
Chelsea Lounge JFK lunch
Chelsea Lounge JFK lunch

I thought the food was… good(ish). It felt to me like a downgrade compared to the Flagship First Dining facility that used to exist. I’ve certainly had more exciting avocado toast, the prawn cocktail had way too much mayonnaise for my liking (or whatever the base in that sauce is), and the toast for the mushroom toast was very hard, crunchy (but not in a good way), and dry.

So while I thought the presentation was nice, the quality left a bit to be desired, at least based on my taste buds.

Now let’s talk a bit about drinks. Below you can also find the drink menu for the Chelsea Lounge.

Chelsea Lounge JFK champagne menu
Chelsea Lounge JFK cocktail menu
Chelsea Lounge JFK wine & beer menu

As you’d expect, champagne is a big focus in this lounge, to the point that there’s even a champagne bar. When this lounge first opened, there was heavy emphasis placed on how there would be well over a dozen different kinds of champagne, including Krug.

Well, as it turns out, that’s not the case. The selection does apparently rotate over time, though during any given visit, the choices are much more limited. During my visit there was no Ruinart available (despite being on the menu), so there were four different champagne choices, all from Moët & Chandon (there seems to be a partnership there, as you can tell).

Chelsea Lounge JFK champagne

I also ordered a cappuccino during my visit. Unfortunately there’s no barista-made coffee here, so the lounge just has mediocre, watery machine cappuccinos. I don’t understand why American invests so much in lounge alcohol, but so little in lounge coffee.

Chelsea Lounge JFK coffee

While I’m a fan of the a la carte dining concept, unfortunately the execution left a bit to be desired.

Chelsea Lounge New York bathrooms & showers

The Chelsea Lounge JFK has bathrooms and shower suites in the very back. The men’s room had three sinks, three stalls, and three urinals.

Chelsea Lounge JFK bathroom
Chelsea Lounge JFK bathroom
Chelsea Lounge JFK bathroom

There are also a few pretty nice shower suites, each with a toilet, sink, and walk-in shower.

Chelsea Lounge JFK shower suite
Chelsea Lounge JFK shower suite
Chelsea Lounge JFK shower suite
Chelsea Lounge JFK shower suite

Just like in the Soho Lounge (and unlike in the Greenwich Lounge) toiletries are in unbranded reusable containers.

Chelsea Lounge JFK shower suite toiletries

Chelsea Lounge New York service

As you’d expect, one of the key features of the Chelsea Lounge is supposed to be much more attentive service, given that you can’t even serve yourself. I had a mixed experience when it came to the staff in the lounge.

During my morning visit, I found the staff to be top notch. The gentleman who seemed to be managing the lounge was hands on, would constantly see if anyone wanted anything, etc. He seemed to set the tone for the service in the lounge, as the staff in the restaurant area were excellent as well.

Then there was a shift change, and when I had lunch in the afternoon, service was pretty awful. I was literally the only guest in the lounge, and the server never came to check on me after serving me the meal, to see how everything was, or if I wanted something else to drink. I even struggled to flag her down, as she was playing on her phone and not looking up.

Usually I like to tip in lounges in the United States when there’s a la carte dining, but I didn’t feel that was appropriate for her given the lack of service, and that I couldn’t even get her attention.

So yeah, there’s definitely some inconsistency when it comes to service in the lounge.

Bottom line

The Chelsea Lounge is in many ways spectacular. The United States doesn’t exactly have many great airport lounges, and this is among the best in the country. The design is stunning, and it’s nice to have a proper a la carte dining experience. To get an experience like this while flying American Airlines is awesome.

At the same time, this lounge isn’t perfect. The lack of natural light is a major drawback for those of us who are solar powered avgeeks. Obviously there’s nothing that can be done to fix that at this point. What can be fixed, however, is the service and food quality, which I found to be variable.

Despite the lounge’s shortcomings, this is still one of the best lounges in the United States, and is a treat to visit. Personally I think it’s better than the former British Airways Concorde Room, but not quite as good as American Flagship First Dining. Then again, Flagship First Dining was designed as more of a restaurant than as a separate lounge.

What do you make of the Chelsea Lounge JFK?

Conversations (36)
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  1. jallan Gold

    Ben's review of JFK Flagship First inspired me to use miles for a flight in early 2020 (pre-covid) in F on American's a321T JFK-LAX, just so I could try out the lounge. It was every bit as fantastic as I had hoped. Nothing in this review makes me want to do the same just to visit the Chelsea Lounge.

  2. W Ho Guest

    Cheapo champagnes, not FCL at all

  3. Konrad Guest

    Just a quick heads up they have a lot of higher end champagne that isn’t listed that they keep behind the bar. They don’t keep it out since they had issues with people getting drunk properly in the lounges. I had champagne tasting last time LPGS, KRUG, Ruinart; all a week ago

  4. Phillip J Guest

    I was underwhelmed by the service during my visit to the Chelsea lounge. Lacked the polish and tight execution I have experienced at Qantas First (LAX). Felt slow and a little sloppy. AA/BA needs to jump on this fast. The shower arrangements were lacking too. They had three showers but share cleaning services with a neighboring lounge. Had to wait for someone to come back onto the Chelsea side to give me access. The whole...

    I was underwhelmed by the service during my visit to the Chelsea lounge. Lacked the polish and tight execution I have experienced at Qantas First (LAX). Felt slow and a little sloppy. AA/BA needs to jump on this fast. The shower arrangements were lacking too. They had three showers but share cleaning services with a neighboring lounge. Had to wait for someone to come back onto the Chelsea side to give me access. The whole shower area was stark, dark, and a little beaten up for a space that was so new.

  5. Masterhedge Guest

    Most journos who write about these BA/AA lounges will never give an honest opinion because they don’t want to lose future invitations. Take it from me they are crap especially if you were use to the Concorde lounge. Not even close and a further decline in service and standards. Find a better service carrier.

  6. JAXBA Member

    The prawn cocktail, while the menu doesn't specify the dressing, it does look more like a UK prawn cocktail (which uses thousand island dressing) than a US one (watery tomato 'cocktail sauce').

    Shame that server was playing on their phone instead of being attentive.

  7. Jamie Guest

    First glass lounge. Poor champagne rubbish coffee and no service. Again, this isn’t first class. Not by a long way…..

  8. rji Guest

    @lucky-
    It doesnt seem like you asked about the rotating selection of premium champagne. From reading the comments here and elsewhere, besides the 4 moets and ruinart listed, there should have been something off menu. Did you Inquire?

  9. Carrie Gold

    I find Moet to be an appalling offering for a premium Lounge ...... and yes, I am looking at you, Emirates Dubai F Lounge!

  10. iamhere Guest

    It's an airline lounge and not a five star hotel or restaurant!

    1. RichM Diamond

      That would be true of a Business Class or contract lounge.

      However, a First class lounge such as this, which only has passengers flying in F, would be expected to have restaurant-quality food.

    2. Tom Guest

      And this is why almost every lounge in the US sucks…

  11. Rob in Miami Guest

    @Anthony: 100% agree!

  12. BW Guest

    I recently visited the SOHO lounge and found the entire naming convention incredibly confusing. I always try to view it with the lens of what my parents would think- they’d definitely be confused on many levels as to who gets in where. Stupid move on AA/BA’s past in terms of how they’ve branded these lounges. Business, Emerald and First. I suspect they avoided this approach as Emerald members are technically supposed to access OW first...

    I recently visited the SOHO lounge and found the entire naming convention incredibly confusing. I always try to view it with the lens of what my parents would think- they’d definitely be confused on many levels as to who gets in where. Stupid move on AA/BA’s past in terms of how they’ve branded these lounges. Business, Emerald and First. I suspect they avoided this approach as Emerald members are technically supposed to access OW first lounges- therefore Emeralds not actually flying first are getting the short end of the stick here.

  13. GreyhoundGal Guest

    I’m a fairly frequent BA First flyer and for leisure, not business. Despite these new lounges opening to fanfare by the travel trade, all I have read since is damming criticism about the food and disappointment regarding the range and quality of champagne available. BTW a welcoming glass of LPGS is generally served before takeoff on BA First and readily refilled. I enjoyed spending time in the previous Concorde Room at JFK, although access via...

    I’m a fairly frequent BA First flyer and for leisure, not business. Despite these new lounges opening to fanfare by the travel trade, all I have read since is damming criticism about the food and disappointment regarding the range and quality of champagne available. BTW a welcoming glass of LPGS is generally served before takeoff on BA First and readily refilled. I enjoyed spending time in the previous Concorde Room at JFK, although access via a smelly food court was a trial and so will remain open minded and hopeful for a positive experience in the Chelsea lounge in a few weeks time.

  14. Anthony Diamond

    Again - it is disappointing that American Airlines domestic elites will have very limited access to this club. American is removing first class from its metal over the next year, right? And elite access on certain routes is only available to Concierge Key members for this particular club. It's pretty poor, for example, that an Executive Platinum elite on a six hour domestic long haul flight from JFK to SEA will only have access to...

    Again - it is disappointing that American Airlines domestic elites will have very limited access to this club. American is removing first class from its metal over the next year, right? And elite access on certain routes is only available to Concierge Key members for this particular club. It's pretty poor, for example, that an Executive Platinum elite on a six hour domestic long haul flight from JFK to SEA will only have access to American's regular Admirals Club at JFK. IMO, such a customer should at least have access to the Soho Lounge, if not the Chelsea lounge as well.

    1. Tom Guest

      The Chelsea lounge has seating for, what, 80 people? There isn’t even space to accommodate all the OWEs on international business class itineraries - this is a stupid suggestion, sorry.

    2. Anthony Diamond

      1) If there isn’t enough space, then the space was badly designed or allocated.

      2) And if there isn’t enough space in Chelsea, allow more people into Soho

      3) And if they won’t so that, dramatically improve and expand the “regular” Admirals Club

      The fact of the matter is that domestic AA elites and flyers were given the short end of the stick here. As I posted in the other thread - AA...

      1) If there isn’t enough space, then the space was badly designed or allocated.

      2) And if there isn’t enough space in Chelsea, allow more people into Soho

      3) And if they won’t so that, dramatically improve and expand the “regular” Admirals Club

      The fact of the matter is that domestic AA elites and flyers were given the short end of the stick here. As I posted in the other thread - AA had a chance to gain more market share in NY with these lounges. It looks like they may have failed because AA elites and flyers can’t really access the lounges in a consistent way

  15. JS Guest

    I knew there would be avocado toast!! :)

  16. Anon Member

    I had the opportunity to visit the lounge earlier this year. The staff was attentive and I thoroughly enjoyed my choices (prawn cocktail and braised lamb) the lounge experience was not exactly a memorable one - felt like spa dining in the basement of an upscale hotel. My recommendation is if you want quiet time (though my stay was from noon to early afternoon, so not sure how busy it would get during evening peak...

    I had the opportunity to visit the lounge earlier this year. The staff was attentive and I thoroughly enjoyed my choices (prawn cocktail and braised lamb) the lounge experience was not exactly a memorable one - felt like spa dining in the basement of an upscale hotel. My recommendation is if you want quiet time (though my stay was from noon to early afternoon, so not sure how busy it would get during evening peak hours) and enjoy the food being served to you, eat at Chelsea, then move over to Soho lounge nextdoor.

    Ben, did you end up getting water splashes on your shirt when you washed your hands? Those bathroom faucets spouts are so high off tiny sinks, add to the fact I had to put my hands close to the faucet that half of the water ended up outside the sink.

  17. Mofly Guest

    The service and the food are disappointing. Been here three times and the service is consistently been off not because the employees are bad they are just overworked. More staff needed. NO natural light and a horrible champagne selection makes me question why this is a first class lounge. Flagship dining was better and this is not on par with the quantas first class lounge LAX. It’s a shame because they had a opportunity to...

    The service and the food are disappointing. Been here three times and the service is consistently been off not because the employees are bad they are just overworked. More staff needed. NO natural light and a horrible champagne selection makes me question why this is a first class lounge. Flagship dining was better and this is not on par with the quantas first class lounge LAX. It’s a shame because they had a opportunity to deliver the best one world lounge in North America but all in all so far this is a disappointment.

  18. Eric Guest

    Spent some time in Chelsea a few weeks after it opened and I agree the food looked great but ultimately was somewhat underwhelming. Definitely not as good as the food in Flagship First Dining.

    They did at least have LP Grand Siecle as the rotating premium champagne.

  19. greg Guest

    Can you elaborate on how you got access? I likely missed a few details from a previous post.. I know you are flying BA first but I thought it was out of Newark? Did you return to JFK for the lounges?

    1. Mike C Diamond

      If I recall Ben's posts correctly he was booked on BA F from JFK and visited the lounges, and then BA changed the operating aircraft for that flight, and he changed his flight to depart from EWR instead. Cue rapid Uber from JFK to EWR.

    2. greg Guest

      Thank you. Yep I reread it and you're right, a very rapid swap for him. It looks like the full story is going to be in the review post.

  20. AA70 Diamond

    Wow glad to see that same horrible coffee maker made its way from the Flagship Lounge. The barista made cappuccinos at the Polaris Lounge are pretty hard to beat

  21. Tom Guest

    I think there almost isn't a single British person who thinks this is better than the former BA JFK Concorde Room. Just like, e.g., Al Safwa, this is a lounge that looks nice in photos but is just not a nice place to spend time. Take a look at the thread on the BA Flyertalk sub-forum - just goes to show how different American expectations are of what counts as 'premium', I guess.

    1. Creditcrunch Diamond

      Couldn’t agree more, I was sad when the Concorde Room closed and I am yet to experience the new offerings so have to reserve judgement, but Bens observations so far point towards a below par offering in the food and drink areas.

  22. Andrew Guest

    I thought Chelsea had fish and chips. It looks like from the 2 reviews only Soho has them.

    1. Chris Guest

      Fish and chips were available during my visit in late January...they were pretty good too. Service...not so much!

  23. Daniel from Finland Guest

    Great review, and a very impressive and un-American lounge!

    However, I would say that I probably like the Soho lounge better. The à la carte menu here seems impressive and the food looks good, but am I the only one who feels that a lounge with only à la carte food is not the best option? I'd like there to be a buffet as well, because that means I can pick what I want and...

    Great review, and a very impressive and un-American lounge!

    However, I would say that I probably like the Soho lounge better. The à la carte menu here seems impressive and the food looks good, but am I the only one who feels that a lounge with only à la carte food is not the best option? I'd like there to be a buffet as well, because that means I can pick what I want and how much I want – maybe just a small snack, or perhaps a bowl full of blueberries, if that's what I want at the time.

    This is why I am not a big fan of the QF F LAX lounge, either. I miss the buffet.

  24. Daniel from Finland Guest

    BA lounges have BA staff who can help with rebookings etc. Similarly, AA lounges have AA staff. What about these new JFK lounges that are supposed to be a collaboration between AA and BA? Are there dedicated desks for both airlines in the lobby to handle rebookings?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Daniel from Finland -- There are indeed. There are several American agents in the lounge at reception, and then prior to British Airways flights there are also British Airways agents.

    2. Daniel from Finland Guest

      That's great! I am dreaming of Finnair adding their own agent there, too, but I know it's just a dream :)

  25. Johhny Guest

    The wine selection seems out of an Olive Garden…

  26. T_ Member

    Whilst I was disappointed when this lounge opened, I have to admit it's grown on me. The lack of natural light is a big miss, but the bar area is absolutely gorgeous, and the rotating premium champagnes can be very good (Dom Perignon on my last visit). I haven't found it to be too crowded even in the evening peak.

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Carrie Gold

I find Moet to be an appalling offering for a premium Lounge ...... and yes, I am looking at you, Emirates Dubai F Lounge!

2
BW Guest

I recently visited the SOHO lounge and found the entire naming convention incredibly confusing. I always try to view it with the lens of what my parents would think- they’d definitely be confused on many levels as to who gets in where. Stupid move on AA/BA’s past in terms of how they’ve branded these lounges. Business, Emerald and First. I suspect they avoided this approach as Emerald members are technically supposed to access OW first lounges- therefore Emeralds not actually flying first are getting the short end of the stick here.

2
RichM Diamond

That would be true of a Business Class or contract lounge. However, a First class lounge such as this, which only has passengers flying in F, would be expected to have restaurant-quality food.

1
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