- Introduction: Four Times Across The Atlantic
- Review: ITA Airways Business Class A350 (MIA-FCO)
- Review: ITA Airways Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: Prima Vista Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: ITA Airways Business Class A320 (FCO-CAI)
- Changing Terminals At Cairo Airport: Still Complicated
- Review: EgyptAir Lounge Cairo Airport (CAI)
- My Rough Night At Cairo Airport, Made Better By EgyptAir’s Osama
- Review: EgyptAir Business Class 787 (CAI-CDG)
- Review: Sheraton Paris Airport (CDG)
- Review: YOTELAIR Paris Airport Priority Pass Lounge (CDG)
- Review: Air France Lounge Paris Airport (CDG)
- Review: New Air France Business Class 777-300ER (CDG-JFK)
- Review: Hyatt Regency JFK At Resorts World New York
- Review: AA & BA Greenwich Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: AA & BA Soho Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: AA & BA Chelsea Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: British Airways Lounge Newark Airport (EWR)
- Review: New British Airways First Class 777 (EWR-LHR)
- Review: Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel (LHR)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: No1 Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic A330neo Upper Class Business Class (LHR-MIA)
- Is Virgin Atlantic’s Retreat Suite Worth It?
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 Soho Lounge, and then in separate installments I’ll review the Greenwich Lounge and the Chelsea Lounge.
The Soho Lounge is intended to be somewhere between a first and business class lounge, as it’s primarily for oneworld Emerald members, which is the top-tier elite status in the oneworld alliance. Overall, this lounge impressed me. It has gorgeous decor, an elevated selection of food & drinks (including a limited a la carte menu), and some further amenities, like a relaxation area and shower suites.
In this post:
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.
Soho Lounge New York location
The Soho 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 Soho Lounge and Chelsea Lounge are to the right.
When you turn right toward gates 14-20, you’ll immediately see the elevators to the Soho Lounge and Chelsea Lounge to the right (meanwhile if you turn left, you’d immediately see the elevators to the Greenwich Lounge to the left).
There are signs on the terminal level explaining the access requirements for the two lounges, since this can obviously cause some confusion.
Once you’re up a level, you’ll see the entrance to the Soho Lounge straight ahead, and the entrance to the Chelsea Lounge to the right. I have to acknowledge that the staff working the front desk were super friendly during my visit. They took time answering each guest’s questions about the new lounges, and even provided tours, to give guests a sense of the layout.
I also couldn’t help but laugh at how one of the employees described the new lounges to a passenger — “yeah it’s all a bit elevated compared to before, you could say we married British Airways, and they classed us up a bit.”
Soho Lounge New York hours
The Soho 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 Soho Lounge should be open.
Soho Lounge New York entry requirements
The Soho Lounge New York is a totally new concept for Terminal 8 at JFK. While the Greenwich Lounge is for premium business class passengers and the Chelsea Lounge is for premium first class passengers, the Soho Lounge is somewhere in the middle, and is intended primarily for top-tier elite members. The Soho Lounge can be accessed by:
- American AAdvantage Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members, as well as Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K members, on any same day long haul oneworld itinerary
- American Concierge Key members on any same day oneworld itinerary, even if it’s domestic
- oneworld Emerald members with foreign frequent flyer programs on any same day oneworld itinerary, even if it’s domestic
- Passengers traveling in oneworld first class on the same day (however, those flying on American Airlines and British Airways in first class can use the Chelsea Lounge, so I can’t imagine many people access the lounge using this method, given how few other oneworld first class products there are)
Anyone eligible to access this lounge can also bring one guest with them.
Soho Lounge New York layout & seating
The Soho Lounge JFK is 12,000 square feet, with seating for 282 guests. Physically this is my favorite of the three lounges, as I love the combination of the elegant decor and the great views (the decor is much nicer than in the Greenwich Lounge, and the Chelsea Lounge doesn’t have any windows or natural light).
When you enter the lounge, you’ll first find the bar area, featuring a variety of cafe-style tables, booths, and even high-top seating at the bar counter.
When you go a little deeper into the lounge, you’ll find some communal tables, as well as rows of seats by the windows, which are of course the best for plane spotting.
Next in the lounge is the dining area, featuring both tables and booths that seat anywhere from two to four people. As you’d expect, this place tends to get the busiest, since most people have at least something to eat.
Past the dining area is another space with more seating, including communal tables, booths, and more.
Lastly, there’s a cozy room in the very back of the lounge with a fireplace.
There are also a couple of workstation booths in the back, as well as some phone booths.
The Soho Lounge also has a hidden relaxation area, which you honestly wouldn’t find unless you knew to look for it. The door to this is just inside the entrance and to the right (in front of the buffet). There are day beds as well as a couple of chairs, with drapes between each of them. It would be nice if there were some kind of bedding here that could be borrowed, even if it was just the standard business class pillows and blankets you get onboard.
Avgeeks will love the views from the lounge, as you’re right on top of gate 14, which almost always has a heavy aircraft parked there.
Honestly, what a gorgeous lounge. I’d note that for the mornings and afternoons, this lounge remains ridiculously quiet, since there are fairly few passengers eligible for access to the lounge during those times.
However, in the evenings the lounge gets busy, given the number of oneworld Emerald members traveling on long haul flights from Terminal 8, especially to Europe. So you’ll have a very different experience if you’re visiting this lounge at 8AM vs. 8PM.
Soho Lounge New York food & drinks
The Soho Lounge JFK has an elevated food & beverage selection compared to what you’ll find in the Greenwich Lounge. As far as food goes, there’s both a buffet, and a limited selection of a la carte options. I had the chance to check out both breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast included a variety of fresh fruit, yogurt, cold cuts, smoked salmon, salad, cereal, bagels, bread, pastries, oatmeal, mixed nuts, chocolate, and a handful of hot dishes, including scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, and more.
Lunch included a variety of salads and veggies, cold cuts, cheese, a handful of hot dishes, lemon squares, chocolate cake, and cookies.
In addition to the buffet, there’s also a small selection of a la carte dining. When you’re in the dining area, each table has a sticker with a QR code and a table number. You can open that website, enter your table number, and then you can order something.
The options change over time, but during my visit included battered cod and mushy peas, burger and fries, butternut squash curry, a kale salad, a pastrami sandwich, and more.
I decided to order the kale salad and the build your own ice cream cookie sandwich. I found the ordering process to be easy, and within 10 minutes both items were correctly delivered. Both dishes were fairly tasty.
I found service in the lounge to be friendly. For example, the server proactively brought me silverware when delivering this food, and also asked if she could get me something to drink.
As far as drinks go, all wine and liquor are available at the bar, unlike at the Greenwich Lounge, where it’s self-serve. While there’s one of those wine fridges in the back of the lounge, this seems to be for display purposes only.
You can either go to the bar to order a drink, or you can order drinks to be delivered to your table via the QR codes on the tables. Below is the drink selection that was displayed via the ordering system.
It’s bizarre that there’s only sparkling wine in the Soho Lounge, while the (inferior) Greenwich Lounge serves Piper-Heidsieck. I have to imagine that’s a fluke, or something.
Beyond that, there was a coffee machine, some juice, drip coffee, tea, and a fridge with beer, soda, and soft drinks.
All-in-all, I thought that the selection was marginally better than what you’d find in the Greenwich Lounge, so I was impressed. My only real critique is how American seems to hate decent coffee. None of the carrier’s new lounges have barista-made coffee, which seems like a reasonable expectation for a premium lounge.
Soho Lounge New York bathrooms & showers
The Soho Lounge JFK has bathrooms and shower suites in the very back. The bathrooms are quite elegant, in terms of the lighting and sinks, though I didn’t find the sinks to be particularly practical to use.
There were also several stalls and a few urinals.
The Soho Lounge also has a few shower suites, each featuring a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower. While the shower suites are different than in the Greenwich Lounge, I can’t say that one is necessarily better than the other.
Given how much effort airlines put into having branded products, I was a bit surprised that the reusable toiletry containers weren’t branded.
Bottom line
I had a great experience at the Soho Lounge, both in absolute and relative terms. The lounge has a gorgeous and luxurious design, lots of natural light, an extensive selection of food (including a menu you can order off of), cocktails made by bartenders, a comfortable relaxation area, and great shower suites.
Also, I think it’s important to note what an incremental improvement this lounge represents. Terminal 8 didn’t previously have a dedicated lounge for oneworld Emerald members, so it’s nice for these members to have access to a special space. Furthermore, this is way better than the oneworld Emerald section that British Airways used to have in its Terminal 7 lounge.
I do want to acknowledge that both the Soho Lounge and Chelsea Lounge seem to be really polarizing among frequent flyers. I’ve seen people rave about these lounges, and I’ve seen people heavily critique these lounges. I imagine that also largely reflects the time of day that you visit.
What do you make of the Soho Lounge JFK?
Can I access the lounge if I'm on standby? With foreign OW Emerald.
Had the pleasure to enter and take a guest on a recent internal from JFK to CLT. I would say it's head and shoudlers above any other AA lounge I have been in. Really enjoyed the ambiance, surroundings and selections.
There is perhaps a good point re self seve v bar service.
I have not visited either lounge, but from the reviews the Greenwich lounge looks nicer from a food & beverage perspective - seemingly greater selection of food and more variety of beer in the pub and higher end champaign. Plus I like that the beverages are self-serve at Greenwich. Maybe the play for those who have access to both is to eat / drink first at Greenwich and then relax in the nicer environment at Soho? Thanks for both reviews and all the pictures.
I'm just confused, so please forgive this question. I'm on JFK-LAX transcon business. I'm also Alaska MVP 100K. Do I have access to the SoHo lounge?
Any idea which lounges Japan Airlines First passengers will get access to?
Wait how did you access these lounges, or even get through security? Didn't you end up flying out of EWR, did you change your ticket after you checked in and went through security?
I write this in the SoHo lounge, where I am staying today from 1 pm until 11 pm (having the AY flight to HEL at 11.45 pm). Long layover from South America.
The lounge is grea. In the early afternoon it was almost empty, now at 5 pm quite busy.
If they should improve something, it is the showers. There should be a seat outside the shower and you should have a place to hang...
I write this in the SoHo lounge, where I am staying today from 1 pm until 11 pm (having the AY flight to HEL at 11.45 pm). Long layover from South America.
The lounge is grea. In the early afternoon it was almost empty, now at 5 pm quite busy.
If they should improve something, it is the showers. There should be a seat outside the shower and you should have a place to hang your clothes (now you have to sit on toilet seat when putting your shoes on and this seat flushes automaticly every time you get up). This might be only a problem to people of my age (65+), but still.
The qr-code food order system did not work all the time, but then the staff took care of the order.
The bar personnell is very professional and so far I have got all the cocktails I have ordered. Maybe they should have a better single malt whisky collection, but I understand that this in also an ecenomical question. At least they have some single malts.
I'm flying to Tokyo on JAL in June and my flight leaves very late at 1:30am. Being Emerald, I'm hoping the Soho lounge will extend their closing time beyond 11pm (or at least one of the three lounges), I can't imagine Business and First Class passenger on JAL waiting at the gate for 2 hours!
Unfortunately, though oneworld, JAL operates from Terminal 1, not the AA facility (Terminasl 8). I have no idea what their lounge is like in T1. Safe travels.
JAL is switching to T8 in June
They do serve champagne but it is not listed on the menu. Last time I was there (mid-february) they served Nicolas Feuilatte Grand Reserve Grand Cru.
I agree that the personell is incredibly friendly and professional. The processes and staffing are not well thought out though: for me multiple orders got lost or mixed up, when the lounge was busy (i.e. in the evening).
Thanks for the nice review :-)
Were the bagels fresh? They looked good but other than the occasional pretzel bread, they are usually as hard as hockey
I had long layover yday in Jfk and chance use Soho lounge at 4:30 morning at opening and later at evening prior my flight to London, agreed at all about your experience, lounge layout very nice and brand new with open windows, buffet not that extensive but food of very good quality, relax room a kind weird bcs although offer some good beds for a nap, no blankets offer and also no chance to switch...
I had long layover yday in Jfk and chance use Soho lounge at 4:30 morning at opening and later at evening prior my flight to London, agreed at all about your experience, lounge layout very nice and brand new with open windows, buffet not that extensive but food of very good quality, relax room a kind weird bcs although offer some good beds for a nap, no blankets offer and also no chance to switch off light so need eyeshade for try sleep.
Toilet fair but sinks not most practical as mentioned, shower room big enough but in mine missing the controller for rain shower and surprisingly no any wall hangers for dress and only chance lying them close sink that not most useful.
Was in Chelsea last week and was disappointed- its pretty but compared to old Flagship First lounge there were far fewer food options out (I didn't see if one could order). No sushi (I was told Greenwich still has sushi), no ginger beer, no pretzel rolls, and the veggie option was mushroom strogonoff -blech!. Bland British food for BA customers?
no champagne either! at least w flagship that was there. to give emerald members no real champagne is crazy.
I agree, having no actual Champagne in the Soho lounge seems extremely odd, especially if the Greenwich lounge does carry Champagne. The selection of red wine also seems to be underwhelming, the Bordeaux is a basic Bordeaux Superieur that retails at $20 (and AA certainly pays much less obviously), a Medoc or St Emilion would have been more suitable for this tier. But AA has never been known for offering premium drinks...and this is not...
I agree, having no actual Champagne in the Soho lounge seems extremely odd, especially if the Greenwich lounge does carry Champagne. The selection of red wine also seems to be underwhelming, the Bordeaux is a basic Bordeaux Superieur that retails at $20 (and AA certainly pays much less obviously), a Medoc or St Emilion would have been more suitable for this tier. But AA has never been known for offering premium drinks...and this is not an Air France lounge after all. The general décor and setting seem nice, though.
My experience:
LOVE the SoHo lounge. It's gorgeous, awesome views, and food selection is better than I've seen at any other BA/AA lounge in the world (and I've experienced many of them; and hugely better tasing than even Qatar, for that matter). The AA service staff is superb; went chasing to get me their better champagne from the Chelsea Lounge, even though I made no request and wasn't even thinking about it. Overall, AA staff...
My experience:
LOVE the SoHo lounge. It's gorgeous, awesome views, and food selection is better than I've seen at any other BA/AA lounge in the world (and I've experienced many of them; and hugely better tasing than even Qatar, for that matter). The AA service staff is superb; went chasing to get me their better champagne from the Chelsea Lounge, even though I made no request and wasn't even thinking about it. Overall, AA staff seems super proud and enjoy showcasing all they offer at the SoHo lounge...they were like peacocks wanting to show off the beautiful plumage of the Soho lounge.
Now for practical stuff. It's for Emerald when traveling or connecting to/from an international flight regardless of class of service.
If Emerald, even on domestic transcontinental in Biz (don't know about First), you are shuffled to the Greenwich Lounge, FAR inferior to the SoHo. However, there are 2 sections. The main section to the left is a madhouse, to the point of unpleasant. The niche section to the right is super quiet...and though you have to go to the other section to get nibbles or even use the bathroom, it at least does have fully attended bar (not that I could use it recently due to a madly bad stomach).
Enjoy the SoHo!
curious about the champs getting switched. Did you just ask for real champagne? Shocked they dont have real champagne in the Soho lounge.
Hi RJI, I actually asked what they had for sparkling, and then they brought the champagne from the Chelsea Lounge. I think they do have champagne in the SoHo, they just wanted to serve the better from the Chelsea...they seemed to have fun trying to be over-the-top with service.
Was here last weekend. Space is nice but the shower suites’ rain showers weren’t working. One shower suite was also out of order. I was hopeful AA would’ve upgraded the experience from the FL where there was literally zero water pressure.
They don't serve avocado toast and you still gave it a 5-star review? HUH?? :)
What used to be in the space that the Chelsea and Soho lounges are now in? I don't think there was a lounge here before, right?
The Greenwich Lounge is the former Flagship Lounge, which was always there. The Chelsea and Soho lounges are housed in an expanded part of T8 that was built to accommodate a few more gates and are atop those.
Thanks. I knew about the Greenwich/Flagship history, didn't realize that the T8 expansion included these new lounges too, thought it was just a few more jetbridges.
How is that the inferior lounge (Greenwich) has a better sparkling wine option (Piper Heidsieck) than Soho?
I am wondering the same
Are there more Campagne options at the bar ?
I was there some 3 weeks ago and they were serving Nicolas Feuillatte Brut at the bar. It wasn't advertised on the QR code menu, you had to go there and ask.
quality wise piper is much better than feuillatte.
Wild tho.
The Galleries First lounge in London has an excellent champagne selection with 4 champagnes that retail for well over 70 bucks a bottle. This is pretty disgraceful to see such cheap italian fizz.
I have found a few Lounges only offering champagne upon request or at the very least, not proactively offering the premium bubbles ..... so maybe it is becoming a 'thing'.
The Soho 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.
I think you mean Soho?
Thanks for the review(S)Ben, I am looking forward to trying them out on my next trip. That wine station if it’s anything like the SFO lounge has glasses in a draw below and you select the wine you want and size (small/medium/large) by pressing 1 of the 3 little buttons.
Great review, and while the lounge does not appear to be more than marginally better than the Greenwich lounge, I suppose this one will be quieter. It must be one of the best lounges for OW pax in North America.
@Ben - I'm flying JL First. My flight is scheduled to depart at 1:30AM EST. Am I correct to assume that I'll be able to access this lounge that a few hours before I fly out even though it's technically the day before?
@ NG -- Absolutely!
That's what I figured, but thought I'd double-check. Thank you!
But isn't JL flying from a different terminal, at least for now?
Judging from departure time, it would be JL003, which will be resumed on May 28, the day JAL moves to T8 in JFK.
Finally - the biggest improvement American Airlines could make in terms of the lounge experience for domestic American elites... is building a nice, premium lounge in Terminal 5. That's where they really need a lounge.
It is somewhat odd to me, IMO, that despite this seeming big increase in lounge space at JFK that domestic American Airlines elites don't seemed to have benefited that much. For example - would it have been too much for AA Platinum and above, who are also traveling in business class (either domestic or international), get access to Soho lounge, while AA Platinum and above traveling in economy get access to the Greenwich lounge (as...
It is somewhat odd to me, IMO, that despite this seeming big increase in lounge space at JFK that domestic American Airlines elites don't seemed to have benefited that much. For example - would it have been too much for AA Platinum and above, who are also traveling in business class (either domestic or international), get access to Soho lounge, while AA Platinum and above traveling in economy get access to the Greenwich lounge (as they had before)?
I'm an AA Platinum, but also a Delta Diamond. At Terminal 4 at JFK, I have access to the Centurion Lounge and the SkyClub, regardless of class of ticket (or status, frankly, given I am a cardholder). Soon, if I am flying Delta One, I will also have access to a Delta One lounge as well. As AA Platinum with a Business Class ticket, I only have access to the Greenwich lounge, if I understand it correctly.
All in all, AA isn't offering a dramatically better lounge experience in their Terminal from what I can tell, unless I can get into Soho or Chelsea. With first class largely going away, it seems harder to get into those lounges as a mid level AA elite.
This isn't really a reasonable comparison.
First, you're comparing access for top tier elites on Delta to third tier elite on American. The fair comparison here would be Delta Diamond to American Executive Platinum, or Delta Gold to American Platinum. If you had equivalent status on American as on Delta, you'd have access to higher tier lounges.
Second, you mention the Centurion Lounge, but that's not a Delta lounge, and being a Delta...
This isn't really a reasonable comparison.
First, you're comparing access for top tier elites on Delta to third tier elite on American. The fair comparison here would be Delta Diamond to American Executive Platinum, or Delta Gold to American Platinum. If you had equivalent status on American as on Delta, you'd have access to higher tier lounges.
Second, you mention the Centurion Lounge, but that's not a Delta lounge, and being a Delta elite or premium cabin passenger doesn't get you access. An AA passenger with the proper Amex card could get in there as well.
Finally, you also mention the Sky club, but fail to recognize that AA also has an Admirals Club in the terminal, which is accessible to anyone who has a membership, any authorized user of the Citi Executive card, and any passenger who has access to the Soho, Chelsea, and Greenwich lounges, without the ridiculous restrictions that Delta has added to sky club access.
How odd to have the lowest (accessible?) urinal as the middle of the three?
Question - you mentioned in the trip introduction that you had to switch your TATL flight to EWR because of an aircraft swap. How'd you get into these lounges without an outbound ticket from JFK?
@ Alex -- I did have an outbound ticket from JFK, because as of the day I was traveling, I was booked in F on British Airways from JFK to LHR. I got to the lounge at 4:30AM (so I could get pictures while it was quiet), and my flight hadn't even left London yet.
I noticed after it was airborne that it had been swapped to an older aircraft, so I looked at award...
@ Alex -- I did have an outbound ticket from JFK, because as of the day I was traveling, I was booked in F on British Airways from JFK to LHR. I got to the lounge at 4:30AM (so I could get pictures while it was quiet), and my flight hadn't even left London yet.
I noticed after it was airborne that it had been swapped to an older aircraft, so I looked at award availability, and saw something out of EWR. So I rebooked out of there instead for the same day. Indeed, I wouldn't have otherwise been able to use this lounge when departing EWR.