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 Greenwich Lounge, and then in separate installments I’ll review the Soho Lounge and the Chelsea Lounge.
The Greenwich Lounge is an excellent business class lounge, with great views, comfortable seating, a solid selection of food and drinks, and two special amenities that set it apart. To many American fliers it should also look familiar, as it’s the former Flagship Lounge, and not much has changed.
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.
Greenwich Lounge New York location
The Greenwich 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).
You’ll see signage above the walkway pointing in the direction of the various lounges, and as you can see, the Greenwich Lounge is to the left.
When you turn left toward gates 1-12, you’ll immediately see the elevators to the Greenwich Lounge on the left.
It’s useful that there are signs on the terminal level that share the entry requirements for the lounge, though that didn’t seem to help a whole lot with avoiding confusion. I’m sure over time more travelers will get the hang of who can access each lounge.
Greenwich Lounge New York hours
The Greenwich 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 Greenwich Lounge should be open.
Greenwich Lounge New York entry requirements
Despite its name, the Greenwich Lounge is a Flagship Lounge for all practical purposes when it comes to entry requirements. The Greenwich Lounge can be accessed by:
- American Flagship Business passengers; this includes those on premium transcon flights (to LAX, SFO, and SNA), as well as long haul business class flights
- Long haul business class passengers on all oneworld partners, including British Airways, Qatar Airways, etc.
- American AAdvantage Platinum members and Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold members on long haul itineraries (this doesn’t include premium transcon flights)
- oneworld Sapphire members with foreign frequent flyer programs on any same day oneworld itinerary, even if it’s domestic
Note that those accessing the lounge based on flying in business class can’t bring any guests, while those accessing the lounge based on their status can bring one guest.
Greenwich Lounge New York layout & seating
While the Soho Lounge and Chelsea Lounge feature all-new decor, the Greenwich Lounge is just a repurposed Flagship Lounge, and the design reflects that. The lounge primarily consists of one huge room, with floor-to-ceiling windows that afford great views of the apron. I’d say the decor feels fresh but also a bit sterile.
In this section I’ll cover the main part of the lounge, and then below I’ll separately talk about The Tasting Room and The Bridge Bar, which are the unique new features of the lounge.
When you enter the Greenwich Lounge, there a variety of seats with side tables, and then also some dining tables with two to three seats each.
There’s then a sitting area with TVs, which is (fortunately) the only part of the lounge where TVs are prevalent.
Off to the side of the TV area is a quiet area, which is located in a separate room with a door. I find that this space tends to stay quietest, and many people don’t even notice this space.
When you go deeper into the lounge, there’s a central walkway with a bunch of dining tables and communal tables, and this is also where the self-serve wine bar is.
Then the back of the lounge has plenty more seating, with rows of chairs that frankly feel a bit like your run-of-the-mill Admirals Club.
There are also some cool x-shaped seating arrangements which can each accommodate four guests, as well as some booths that make good workstations (they’re the only cubicle-style seats in the lounge).
The best seating is by the windows, where there are plenty of chairs with ottomans. This is an ideal place to sit if you’re wanting to take in the views.
As far as crowding goes at the Greenwich Lounge, you can expect that it’ll be nice and quiet for the mornings and early afternoons, given that most long haul flights out of JFK Terminal 8 are to Europe. The lounge really gets busy in the evenings, starting at around 5PM, when passengers start to show up for all the flights to Europe.
Greenwich Lounge New York The Tasting Room
In addition to the main part of the lounge, The Greenwich Lounge also has The Tasting Room (otherwise referred to as The Brooklyn Brewery Pub), which is open to all lounge guests at no extra cost.
While The Tasting Room only has service starting at 10:30AM, you can sit there at any hour. This is in the space of the former Flagship First Dining facility, and the entrance is located right next to the main buffet.
This is a gorgeous space, with both high-top seating, tables, and chairs by the windows. The view from this part of the lounge are great, and because it’s hidden a bit, it tends to stay pretty quiet.
In The Tasting Room, you can expect a variety of beers on tap, which can either be ordered individually, or as part of a flight.
On top of that there’s a menu of bar snacks, ranging from charcuterie, to pretzels, to bratwurst, to grilled cheese.
This is such a well executed concept, in my opinion, and adds some personality to an otherwise sterile lounge.
Greenwich Lounge New York The Bridge Bar
In addition to The Tasting Room, the Greenwich Lounge also has The Bridge Bar. This is an open-air space overlooking the terminal, and it’s intended to have a mid-century modern design with a classic 1960s feel. The Bridge Bar has a variety of cocktails on offer, with a special focus on Aviation American Gin and Betty Buzz.
When The Bridge Bar is fully operational, it can be accessed by turning right at the Greenwich Lounge reception. However, that entrance is kept closed in the mornings, but this space is still accessible, though it’s mostly hidden. You can get there by walking through The Tasting Room, and then eventually you’ll find yourself in this space.
The Bridge Bar has some signature cocktails, which you can find below.
By the way, as part of the opening of The Tasting Room and The Bridge Bar, there’s a whole bunch of additional lounge seating beyond those two spaces. The former Admirals Club connects those two unique concepts, and that’s now part of the Greenwich Lounge as well. While there’s nothing remarkable about the space, this is great in terms of expanding capacity, given that this lounge can sometimes get crowded.
Greenwich Lounge New York food & drinks
The Greenwich Lounge has a large self-serve buffet, located toward the front of the lounge. I checked out both the breakfast and lunch selection.
The breakfast buffet had a yogurt parfait bar, a variety of fruit, cold cuts and cheese, pastries, bagels, bread, croissants, and several hot dishes. Hot options included scrambled eggs, baked beans, sausage, bacon, and potatoes.
For lunch, the selection included a variety of yogurt, olives, several types of salads, cold cuts, sushi, a variety of hot dishes, bread, and dessert, including chocolate squares, lemon bars, and cookies.
As far as drinks go, there was a Coca-Cola soda fountain and coffee machine (both of which weren’t working), a selection of beers, canned soda, bottled water, and juice.
Then in the center of the lounge was the wine selection, which included several white, red, and rose options, as well as champagne. Self-serve Piper-Heidsieck isn’t half bad, if you ask me!
There’s also a large selection of self-serve liquor. With the Bridge Bar having now opened, you can of course also have the bartender there make you a cocktail.
I think the food & drink selection in the lounge is solid, but also nothing memorable. This isn’t to the level of a United Polaris Lounge, where you get a la carte dining and barista-made coffee.
Greenwich Lounge New York bathrooms & showers
The Greenwich Lounge’s bathrooms are in the very back left of the lounge. The men’s room had half a dozen sinks, and several urinals and stalls.
The Greenwich Lounge also has six shower suites, which are excellent.
Each shower suite has a toilet, a sink, and a walk-in shower, with toiletries from D.S. & DURGA.
Bottom line
The Greenwich Lounge offers a pleasant experience for business class passengers and elite members, with a spacious layout featuring lots of natural light, a decent selection of food, a good selection of drinks, shower suites, and some special amenities, in the form of The Tasting Room and The Bridge Bar.
Personally I don’t think this lounge is quite to the level of a United Polaris Lounge, but then again, this is the least premium of the three lounges in the terminal.
In the context of the lounge changes we’ve seen, the Greenwich Lounge is largely unchanged compared to the former Flagship Lounge. However, it is a bit better than before, given the introduction of The Tasting Room and The Bridge Bar, which are two cute amenities that I think add a lot of personality and capacity to the space. Then again, a lot more people also have access to this lounge now.
This is definitely the least elegant of the three lounges, which isn’t surprising, since it wasn’t actually designed from scratch.
What do you make of the Greenwich Lounge JFK?
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