First Class is only offered by Qatar Airways on their Airbus A380 and selected routes in the Middle East. In other words, free admission to Al Safwa First Class Lounge is for the privileged few. The lounge can however accommodate far more guests than there are First Class seats available with Qatar Airways. Therefore, the airline started selling lounge access for their business class passengers last year. Recently, Qatar Airways also started offering their top tier Privilege Club members access when traveling in business class.

• Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge
• Guide: The Ultimate Guide to Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Buying access to Al Safwa First Class Lounge as a business class passenger will cost you 600 Qatari rials, or around $165 USD. That’s actually a reasonable price and in my opinion, well worth it for a long layover.

First impressions

The Al Safwa First Class Lounge is located between A and B gates above the shops in the departure area. To get to the lounge, take the escalator to level 3 above the security check in the transfer area. My last visit here was just after they opened for paying customers and I had to wait at the front desk for several minutes before the staff could find someone who knew how to charge the lounge access. This time however, everything went smooth.

Al Safwa is impressive and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The lounge is huge! It’s almost the same size as Al Mourjan, but the minimalist interior and open areas makes it seem even bigger. I feel like I’m in a crossover between a luxury hotel and a museum. The design is inspired by Doha’s iconic Museum of Islamic Art, with sandstone and marble details. The main hall and hallways have several art installations on loan from the museum.

Seating for 500 guests

The centerpiece of the lounge is a huge water installation that looks like a fountain. However, it’s not really a fountain, but rather a pond with a transparent tube with water flowing down from the ceiling. The light is reflected from the water onto the walls across the room. The main hall has different types of seating, open and fully private, for groups or solo travelers. It might not look that way as the seats are scattered over such a huge area, but the lounge has a total seating capacity for more than 500 guests. And we seem to be the only guests.

Most seats have a power outlet and a small monitor that displays airport and flight information.

There’s also a separate cigar and smoking lounge.

Catching up on some work during your stay? The business center offers private offices with iMacs for everyone.

The restrooms are first-class too, of course.

Restaurant and sushi bar

At the heart of the lounge is the huge bar and main restaurant. The restaurant offers a la carte dining only, but the extensive menu has something for everyone. There’s no buffet as you will usually find in any airport lounge. The kitchen is partially open towards the restaurant. You can watch your food being prepared while enjoying a drink.

We were only in the lounge during breakfast service, but long enough to try both the middle eastern and western offerings of the menu.

The bar has a far more extensive selection than what you will find in Al Mourjan and the champagne is upgraded as well. The Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut 2006 turned out to be a great pairing with our breakfast.

There’s also a snack and sushi bar, but it was closed during our stay.

Spa and private duty-free shopping

The Al Safwa First Class Lounge also has its own duty-free shop. If you’re traveling in First Class you may appreciate being able to do your shopping in peace and quiet. Here you will find a selection of items from shops in the departure hall, from jewelry to fragrances and cigarettes.

The Qspa features nine treatment rooms with jacuzzi, relaxation room and a rich selection of treatments to choose from. The spa treatments are, however, not included with the entrance fee.

Family section and playrooms

If you’re traveling with your family, the family section of Al Safwa First Class Lounge offers private living rooms, media room and playrooms for children of all ages. The family section has three separate playrooms for children aged 0 – 5 years, 5 – 10 years and 10 – 15 years (and above).

Sleep rooms

The Al Safwa First Class Lounge has 12 sleeping rooms, four of which are double rooms. The rooms are like basic hotel rooms with comfortable beds and a bathroom.

Why $165 for lounge access is a bargain

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge is arguably among the best first class lounges in the world. The hard product is second to none, the service is both professional and personal, and the food and beverage is first-class. In my opinion, free admission to Al Safwa is one of the main reasons for chasing Platinum tier in Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Paying $165 for lounge access when you’re in business class may not seem like a great deal. Considering what you get, however, it’s definitely worth it for a long layover in my opinion. For instance, a room at the Oryx Airport Hotel will set you back at least $250. What’s more, they will charge you extra for champagne and food. For a shorter stay Al Mourjan is a great business lounge. For my next eight-hour layover, however, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase access to Al Safwa again.

More lounge reviews

• Air China First Class Lounge, Beijing Airport Terminal 3
• Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge
• The Suite at Brussels Airport
• The Loft by Brussels Airlines and Lexus

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First Class for everyone! A unique feature of the Air China First Class Lounge at Beijing Capital International Airport is that it’s open to Priority Pass members. As far as I know, this is one of the very few international first class lounges you can access with priority pass. Of course, the lounge is also open to Air China First Class passengers and Phoenix Miles Gold and Platinum Card holders.

I didn’t have high expectations for this lounge, but to be fair it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

First impressions

It’s still pretty quiet when I arrive at Beijing Airport at 5AM. After a somewhat confusing immigration and security check I found my way to the lounge, which is located on the upper level next gate E20. It’s quiet at the lounge reception desk as well. After scanning my boarding pass, I’m allowed to enter the lounge.

The Air China First Class Lounge in Beijing is by no means as fancy and polished as other first class lounges. It’s quite basic and more like your average business class lounge in terms of interior and furnishing. The furniture looks slightly different from reviews I’ve read in advance, and seems to have been upgraded recently. The lounge area is quite large with tons of seating, consisting mostly of rows of seats with tables in between.

The lounge is open towards departure hall. It can get quite noisy when traffic picks up during peak hours.

Food and beverage

Since I was going be stuck here for a while, I had the opportunity to sample both the breakfast and lunch offerings. The quality of the food is actually not bad. If you like Chinese food you should have no trouble finding something that suits your taste. Both the breakfast and lunch buffet offers a decent selection of hot dishes, but the lunch offering is slightly more extensive. You can also have salad, bread, simple maki rolls and noodles cooked to order. It’s really not first class, but for a businesss lounge this wouldn’t be bad at all.

The beverage selection however would hardly pass as business class standard. The non-alcholic offering is limited to Coca Cola, Sprite, Schweppes, juice and water. If you want beer or wine, there are two different local beers available and wine from China Great Wall Wine Company. Again, neither the beer nor the wine is horrible. I can also understand their desire to offer local products, but this is supposed to be international first class and there is nothing first class about it.

The bar in the dining area leaves much to be desired. There’s not much to choose from and what’s available isn’t exactly to shelf.

There are also a few snack bars with coffee, soft drinks, packaged snacks and fruit.

Amenities

This is where the Air China First Class Lounge really falls short. Coming from a red-eye flight from Bangkok I haven’t had much sleep and I’m really craving for a nap before my next flight. However, I cannot find the nap rooms the lounge is supposed to have. Trying to ask the lounge staff doesn’t help me either, as I cannot find anyone who speaks English. The lounge seating is comfortable enough for sitting in, but not suitable for resting your eyes. I suspect the nap rooms might be closed for renovation, because so are the showers and restrooms. The nearest restrooms are actually near gate 17, which is quite a distance away from the lounge.

The lounge has an entertainment room, but it seems to be out of service as well. There’s a wide selection of newspapers and magazines available, but if you’re not fluent in Chinese there’s not much to choose from.

Internet is as you might suspect extremely limited. Forget about Google and Facebook. Instant messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram are blocked as well. Not even my VPN service in super obfuscated mode is able to penetrate the great firewall of China. The public WiFi will even disconnects me for trying.

Air China First Class Lounge – Beijing Capital International Airport

I find it a bit hard to rate the Air China First Class Lounge. As a Priority Pass lounge, it’s probably one of the better ones I’ve visited. It wouldn’t be bad as a business class lounge either. But I’m holding a first class ticket with Air China and there is nothing first class about this lounge. The food is average and the beverage selection is poor. The amenities you expect to find at an international first class lounge are closed, out of service or simply not there to begin with.

The lounge isn’t bad, but it doesn’t even come close in comparison to the first class lounges of airlines like Lufthansa or Qatar Airways.

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In recent year we have seen airlines move towards offering their premium lounges for business class travelers only, regardless of membership tier. This is understandable and fair in my opinion. It is from these customers the airlines make their money. I have visited Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge before, but this this time I had set aside plenty of time to experience everything the lounge has to offer.

• Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Hamad International Airport opened just six years ago, and it still looks spotless. The airport is frequently rated as one of the best airports in the world.

First impressions

Al Mourjan Business Lounge is located between A and B gates above the shops in the departure area. To get to the lounge, take the escalator to level 3 above the security check in the transfer area. Your boarding card is checked for eligibility to access the lounge at the bottom of the escalator. You are then checked in at the reception desk outside the lounge.

The lounge is open to business and first class travelers with Qatar Airways or a oneworld member airline, but if you are in Doha, you most likely got here by Qatar Airways. Your frequent flyer card will not get you in here, regardless of membership tier. Oneworld elite member traveling in economy class will have to make do with the regular business class and first class lounges.

You can’t help but be impressed when you enter the Al Mourjan Business Lounge. With more than 100,000 square feet of floor this is biggest airport lounge I’ve ever seen with a good margin. It’s probably also the most stunning lounge I’ve ever seen. The design and the quality of furniture and finishes with marble surfaces, glass and dark wood gives an immediate sense of luxury. Still, it feels modern and not too flashy.

Seating for more than 1,000 guests

The main floor area alone is equivalent to ten Olympic swimming pools. The entire lounge has enough seating to accommodate more than 1,000 guests. The dimensions of this lounge are hard to describe, you just have to experience it yourself.

To the right as you enter is a small “pond”. Small fountains periodically emit a small spray of water which creates rings on the surface. The gentle sound of water helps to give the lounge a relaxed atmosphere. In this area you will also find private recliners where you can relax. There is also smoking lounge on the opposite side of the pond.

Various types of comfortable seating is scattered around the open area of the main floor. For families or groups traveling together, there also seating units the offer more privacy. Most seat have a power outlet and a small monitor that displays airport and flight information.

The main floor also has a separate business center with additional seating, recliner cubicles, desks, workstations and a meeting room.

Family rooms, quiet rooms and showers

For longer layovers, the Al Mourjan Business Lounge also offers a quiet area with private alcoves. The alcoves are furnished with a comfortable sofa, recliner and a TV. Perfect if you feel like taking a nap or just want some private space between your flights. Here you can also have a shower in the nice and clean shower rooms. Be aware that there may be a waiting list for showers and alcoves during the peak hours, so be sure to book a slot as soon as you get there.

Qatar Airways has acknowledged that business class travel is no longer just for business travelers. The Al Mourjan Business Lounge offers great facilities for families with family rooms, nursing rooms, changing rooms and playrooms that will keep children (and adults) occupied for hours.

Dining

The Al Mourjan Business Lounge offers two dining options.

On the second level, above the pond and the amazing chandelier, you will find the buffet restaurant. The bar at the center of the restaurant offers a decent selection of wines, beer and cocktails, as well as brut and rose champagne. The wine selection is similar to what is offered on Qatar Airways flights in business class, which is not a bad thing at all.

The restaurant has three separate buffets. A vegetarian buffet, a buffet that also offers meat and seafood and dessert buffet (highly recommended). The quality of the food is good, and you should have no problem finding something you like here. Especially if you enjoy Middle Eastern food. Although there is plenty of seating in the main room of the restaurant, it can be crowded during peak hours. The restaurant also has a large family section with even more seating and VIP room for specially invited guests.

In the other end of the lounge there is a slightly smaller a la carte deli serving sandwiches and other small dishes. The restaurant is surprisingly quiet despite it’s high ceilings, and one of the highlights of the lounge in my opinion. The soundproofing towards the large open area outside is really impressive.

The evening menu was served in both restaurants during our stay. Breakfast starts at 3.30 am and lasts until 11am. There are at least 15 employees at work in the restaurants at any one time, up to 25 during peak hours. The menus are changed every 15 days.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge

This lounge is arguably the most impressive business class lounge I’ve ever visited. With the stunning architecture and furnishing, great showers, delicious food and well-prepared drinks, the lounge itself is a destination when traveling with Qatar Airways. The lounge can be crowded during peaks, but it’s not unbearable.

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With most airlines you can expect their lounge offering for intercontinental business class flights to be superior to what you will get before a regional flight. Unfortunately, The Suite at Brussels Airport is an example of the opposite. Unlike Brussels Airlines flagship lounge The Loft, The Suite is a huge disappointment.

The Suite at Brussels Airport – First Impressions

To get to The Suite at Brussels Airport, follow the signs to airline lounges after exiting passport control. One floor above the departure area you will find the lounge at the very end of a long corridor.

The Suite is open to passengers flying business class with a Star Alliance carrier and Star Alliance Gold members. You can also purchase access to the lounge for €29 if you have a Flex&Fast, Flex or Premium Economy ticket with Brussels Airlines.

My first impression is that this lounge is something completely different than The Loft. And not in a good way. Take to the right after entering the lounge, and you will enter a seating area that reminds me of classroom more than a dining area. Even with floor-to-ceiling windows along the entire long side of the room, the room still feels quite dark. The room is simply completely devoid of any atmosphere.

At the other end of the lounge, there is a smaller area with more comfortable furniture. However, the room doesn’t offer much in terms of capacity. There is also a small working area without windows.

Food and beverage

The food and beverage selection are also inferior to what you will find in The Loft. The buffet offers simple hot dishes, cold vegetables, pasta, hummus, bread and soup.

The selection of beverages is not that different from The Loft, but somewhat more limited and far less inviting.

Amenities

Apart from the working area, a few magazines and some TV screens, there isn’t much to write home about. You will find no shower rooms with Aquasymphony shower systems, nap rooms with twinkling galaxy ceiling or premium meeting rooms here.

Bottom line

Even if you are travelling out of the Schengen area, you will be better off spending as much time as possible on the Schengen side. A suite might sound fancier than a loft, but at Brussels Airport it’s not. Brussels Airport is a relatively small airport with short walking distances. With a European passport it took me less than two minutes to get through passport control. On my next Non-Schengen flight from Brussels I will stay at The Loft as long as possible and go straight to gate before boarding.

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Brussels Airlines’ lounge for business class and Star Alliance Gold passengers is called The Loft. The lounge is located on the opposite side of gate A42 and is open daily between 5AM and 9PM. The Loft is open to passengers flying business class with a Star Alliance carrier and Star Alliance Gold members. You can also purchase access to the lounge for €29 if you have a Flex&Fast, Flex or Premium Economy ticket with Brussels Airlines.

First impressions

The Loft is a quite spacious, at least considering that Brussels Airport isn’t that big. The interior is bright and modern, with windows from floor to ceiling facing the tarmac on one side and the airport departure hall at the other.

The lounge has several different types of seating areas suitable for dining, working or relaxing. There is plenty of electrical outlets and USB sockets for charging your devices available throughout the lounge. There is also a separate restricted area reserved for HON Circle members.

I know from experience that the lounge can get pretty crowded during rush hours. On Christmas day however, most people seem to have better things to do than flying and visiting lounges.

Food and beverage

For a European Schengen lounge, the selection of food and beverage is pretty good. The lunch selection consists of different types cereals, bread, salads and various hot dishes. The buffet area also has colorful selection of fruits and pastries.

The self-service bar area offers four beers on tap, several types red and white wine, sparkling wine and an alright selection of liquor.

Amenities

The Loft offers several amenities that you usually won’t find in a European business lounge, such as a meeting room, board room and a large working area with both clean desks and workstations.

The lounge also six shower rooms, which I didn’t have a chance to check out during my stay If you want to relax you can use one of the five nap rooms with daybed and twinkling galaxy ceiling, or one of the Panasonic relax chairs.

The restroom area appears clean and fresh, with super high-tech restrooms.

Is there someone at home waiting to receive a small treat from your trip? There is no need to wander around the airport duty free stores. The lounge has its own outlet for exclusive Belgian chocolates.

Bottom line

THE LOFT by Brussels Airlines and Lexus is in my opinion one of the best business lounges in Europe. The quality and selection of food and beverage is good, and there is ample seating for every need. There are also shower rooms and nap rooms, and several other useful amenities that may come in handy during your stay at the airport.

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Location

The Wingtips lounge is located on the upper level of Terminal 4 at JFK, airside.

I suppose they try to make the lounge look inviting with all the banners near the entrance.

I decided to put my Priority Pass to use here.

The Wingtips lounge is a busy lounge.  I didn’t take a picture of the seating area as most of the seats were occupied.  There is a row of more private seats facing the tarmac.

If you get one of those seats, it’s comfortable and you get a decent view.

Food

I like to visit lounges to explore the food option. Trust me, I’m not a foodie.  I know people who are, but I know to stop and enjoy good food when I see them.  Let’s put it this way:  The food spread at this lounge did not look … particularly fresh or appealing.  I skipped it.

Thankfully, the snack section at Wingtips is slightly better.  There is a coffee machine so you can make your own coffee, if that is your cup of tea.

Random:  Why is the outlet is positioned horizontally on the wall ?

In Summary

This is the JFK airport so I am not surprised that lounge got quite busy (and even noisy) at times.  While I enjoyed the sitting space facing the tarmac and the light snacks, it’s not a lounge that I would otherwise want to pay for access to.  In fact, on the return, we had the option to stop by the lounge for a break.

We opted to skip it instead.

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A high quality property, it was completed at the end of 2015, replacing the former hotel on the site. Happily it is not showing its age, being very well kept as you will see in this review.

Check-In and Luggage Storage

There was little hope of checking in on arrival at 9:30am as the official time is 2:00pm. The desk agent did check for me, but I was told no room was available but one should be ready at 1:30pm.

From there I headed to the baggage room, where a friendly attendant took my bag and in exchange I received a paper tag. All of that sorted, I went off to meet friends for brunch in Amsterdam.

Hilton Hotel Amsterdam Schiphol Runway View Room

Returning to the hotel at 2:30pm found my room ready. After signing three times and having my credit card pre-authorised for any additional costs, I was given my key. Next, I retrieved my luggage, which happened after a short wait for a staff member.

When booking, you can select an atrium view room or, for a little extra, a runway view room. Naturally that is the room type I chose and my room was on the eighth floor.

Everything you need is contained in the space, with a decent size bed, chair, desk, television and more. Hidden into a curve in the wall is the minibar and tea making station.

Of course, things like Snickers and Mars bars were priced at €3.50 each. I’d be more inclined to go to a shop or supermarket a short walk away in the train station, rather than pay this. I still ate them both though!

How About The Bathroom?

I found the bathroom to be pretty impressive. The walk-in shower could take a family of five with room to spare. What I liked was a very high spur coming out of the wall. It came in handy to hang my suit on so I could steam the creases out when I showered, so that was a great piece of forward thinking in the design!

There was also quite a lot of space on the counter top as it is quite long. Another thoughtful touch really and probably very handy for when more than one person stays in the room.

Breakfast Is Superb!

Served in the restaurant on the ground floor, breakfast was nothing short of astonishing. Everything you could ever want was available, from a continental breakfast to a fully cooked meal.

I chose a few continental items such as some salami and danish. Next, I went for a sausage, bacon, egg and stuffed tomato. Following that I found the Dutch pancakes and restricted myself to just four.

Also available were a range of decent looking fresh fruits, cereals, yoghurts and it looked like they made omelettes to order. Drinks included pineapple and cucumber infused water, as well as a range of juices.

Servers come around with an offer of american coffee, and there is also a coffee machine and barista made coffee also. I was really impressed!

Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed my stay at the Hilton Hotel Amsterdam Schiphol airport. All the employees I interacted with were very friendly and my luggage was quite safe in their storage area.

You don’t need to check-out either. Guests are welcome to leave their room cards for the maids to collect and the bill will settle automatically. That was a nice touch!

The bed was firm and the pillows not too soft, so I got a decent amount of sleep. You can hear some rumbling from the airport, but the sound proofing is very good. Anyone staying would also be crazy not to have breakfast in the hotel.

Have you stayed at the Hilton Hotel Amsterdam Schiphol airport? What did you think of it? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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The Good: Fresh sushi, anyone?

The Bad: Small-ish lounge, with limited facilities, showers are not as glamorous as in other lounges, no sit down table service.

The Noteworthy: In early 2017 (if I remember correctly) JAL removed spa services from their First and Business class lounges, and replaced them with mechanical massage chairs.

Arrival at NRT

My inbound flight to Tokyo was quite early, which meant that I had enough time to go through the duty free shops before heading to the lounge. When I arrived at the lounge, a friendly agent pointed me in the direction of the first class lounge when she realized I was a oneworld Emerald member.

Lounge Areas

The lounge itself is not too large. It feels large enough when there aren’t that many passengers heading out on departures, but it can get crowded. There are two main seating areas. One is alongside the entrance, which also has some cubicles with massage chairs. Then there is the main seating area, which consists of one large space with tons of chairs. The cream colors of the furniture contrast well with the dark colors of the wood floors and panels. In the morning there is a lot of natural light coming through, even when the translucent blinds were lowered. It is also worth noting that there is a fairly large baggage storage room, which I found to be empty when I was there.

Lounge Area

Massage Areas

There are a few massage areas. Some are located along the entrance, in the cubicles along the hallway to the main seating area. There are some in what once were actual massage rooms. This made me quite sad, as a chair massage is not as good as a real massage. You could still clearly see that these rooms were meant to be used as proper massage rooms. This was a real let down on the airline’s part, it sets them apart from the business lounge.

Massage Area

Food

The only real highlight of the lounge is in the food. I love Japanese food, especially sushi. They have a sushi bar with chefs making fresh sushi. I ordered a plate, and then another, and finally another. There is also a buffet that has curries, other Japanese delicacies, and some Western options. Drinks are self serve, and there is a wine and champagne area. There was a cool looking machine that turned out to be an automated beer dispenser. It looked cool, but I didn’t try it because it was too early for drinks (for me at least).

Japan Airlines Lounge Food

Landing Thoughts

I was quite disappointed by the JAL First Class Lounge Narita. It could have so much potential. The airline is A-MA-ZING in the air, but their ground product is arguably one of the worst First class ground services I have ever experienced. They should have a sit down dining area, and should have kept the massage service for First class passengers (even if it was a short 10 minute treatment). Mechanical massage chairs are not a replacement, and are subpar when you think that Thai Airways has a full hour massage for their First Class passengers.

Overall, the lounge is ok. I would not make it a point to visit it the next time I go to Narita. It is better than waiting at the terminal, but at most it is as good as a normal business class lounge.

What do you think? Have you visited the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge NRT? What was your experience like? Let us know! 

Here is a list of all my flight reviews: The Millennial Traveler Flight Reviews

Here is a list of all my lounge reviews: The Millennial Traveler Lounge Reviews

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DFW Centurion Lounge Location

 The lounge is a bit easy to miss, given its second-level location and some confusing signage. We walked by it a couple of times before noticing the sign pointing us up the escalator.

Inside The Lounge

Once upstairs, you’ll see the entrance to the lounge and living wall directly ahead of you. The woman at the desk was very friendly, gave us a short introduction to the club and advised us to come earlier next time so we could use the spa. Don’t have to ask me twice.

The lounge was well-lit and had hallways that almost formed a square, giving it some design panache. There were working areas to both sides of the front desk, but if you want to get work done, turn right upon entry. Otherwise, you’ll end up with the masses attacking the food. Naturally, they had the funky green chairs that are somewhat of a signature for the lounges.

Food

 The DFW Centurion Lounge spiced things up a bit with “local” foods. Choices included smoked pecan crusted chicken thighs, Texas spiced meatloaf and Corn Pablano chowder (Somebody else will have to judge whether these are actually local dishes.). If you do not want the hot stuff, there are plenty of other choices, including a reasonably good salad bar. The menu is one of the main areas in which the Centurion Lounges attempt to differentiate themselves, and they do a reasonably good job, at least in terms of variety.

Amenities

 There is plenty available for the business traveler. In addition to ample seating, there were computers and good Wi-Fi, there are a couple of showers available.

The post Lounge Review: DFW Concierge Lounge appeared first on InsideFlyer.

Overview

The club is located right after security, on the left. It’s tough to miss the entrance, as there are signs all over the place and two or three ways to get up to the club, which is a floor above the concourse. The space is not huge, but American does a good job of packing numerous amenities into the lounge.

Service

Generally good. The agent did exactly what I would hope when I arrived. She called me over, checked me in and told me about the amenities of the club. As an added bonus, she also told me about the amenities of the remote club, noting that her club had more showers, but the other one has more space. I thought it was a nice touch that she did a little advertising for Team AA as a whole.

Amenities

AA did a nice job of packing in everything you would need. There’s a conference room, a few showers, a work area and plenty of space for the rest of us. There are also a couple of quieter “nooks” off to the side, where I saw families gathering. For those of you with little people, there is also a small children’s area with a TV, a few computers and, most importantly, a door.

It didn’t have some of the entertainment or business options that other clubs have, but they managed to get most of the necessary, and a few of the unnecessary, amenities in there.

Food

American has definitely fallen behind its peers when it comes to food options. The lounge offered two types of soup, cheese and crackers, the usual desserts and some veggies. Pretty much what you see in the photo is what you get. Since JFK is not exactly known for its fine dining selection, if you want something more substantial, you may end up buying a meal at the bar.

The Bottom Line

The JFK Admirals Club did exactly what I expected it to: It provided a quiet place to get some work done and have a light snack. It is open daily from 4:15 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

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