1st look: American Airlines, British Airways unveil 3 gorgeous lounges in JFK’s Terminal 8

Revamped premium check-in facility

The premium experience begins the minute you enter Terminal 8 with two all-new, wood-lined premium check-in facilities.

The more exclusive area is reserved for a few select flyers (details below), and it offers the most private check-in experience in the entire terminal.

After verifying your eligibility, an agent will escort you through frosted glass doors to one of the roughly 10 check-in desks.

There aren’t any traditional counters here — you can complete check-in formalities while you’re sitting or relaxing. Not to mention, your checked luggage will be carted off to the baggage system without you lifting a finger.

Chelsea Lounge at JFK

After clearing security, you’ll make your way to one of three lounges.

The fanciest and most exclusive is dubbed the Chelsea Lounge, and is located on the upper level above gates 14 to 20.

After verifying eligibility (details below), you’ll be escorted to the lounge’s signature circular Champagne bar. The bar seats about 15, but the servers would be happy to bring a crystal flute to wherever you choose to sit.

There’s no doubt that the bar is one of the snazziest I’ve ever seen in an airport lounge. Hanging from the ceiling are 150 hand-molded pieces of frosted glass, which were created exclusively for American and BA in the Czech Republic.

Of note, Krug Champagne will be on offer, along with a long list of other labels, all of which you can find below in the menu.

The Chelsea Lounge measures about 10,000 square feet and has seating for 128 flyers. There are a variety of seating options lining the perimeter of the space, ranging from individual recliners to couches to comfy chairs.

Each seat is within arm’s reach of a power outlet, as well as a USB-A and USB-C port. The walls are lined with a live digital “wallpaper” that changes settings throughout the day, which should help set the mood before your flight.

Unfortunately, this space doesn’t have any windows or natural light.

In addition to the Champagne bar, there’ll be a fireplace in the center of the lounge, but it wasn’t installed yet during TPG’s tour. There are a few workstations built into the wall toward the back of the lounge, and there’s also a dedicated relaxation area in the far back corner.

You won’t find any nap rooms or phone booths in this space, but you will find the most exclusive restaurant in the entire terminal.

There are a variety of two- and four-top tables in the dining room, and you’ll be treated to a multicourse, restaurant-style meal if you decide to dine here. The menu will feature a mix of American and British classics.

In addition to a signature afternoon tea service, you’ll enjoy some delicacies — such as bagels and lox, Reuben sandwiches and shepherd’s pie — which were displayed during the media tour. James Beard Award finalist chef Ayesha Nurdjaja (of New York’s Shuka and Shukette fame) is curating the menus in both the Chelsea and Soho lounges.

You’ll find the full menus in the gallery below. There’s also a small drink station near the dining room that’ll feature a variety of soft drinks and bottled water.

The Chelsea Lounge features gender-specific restrooms, which are lined in wood and marble; they feature three to four stalls and urinals each.

There are also three average-size shower suites in the lounge, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For all intents and purposes, the Chelsea Lounge merges the best of American’s Flagship First Dining facility and BA’s Concorde Room. It offers chef-inspired a la carte dining, as well as plenty of space to spread out and relax. The only downgrade is that it doesn’t offer any natural light, but the design is significantly more elevated than the existing Flagship First Dining facility.

Soho Lounge at JFK

The second-most exclusive lounge in Terminal 8 is now the Soho Lounge.

It shares a welcome area with the Chelsea Lounge. A friendly receptionist will usher you to the appropriate space when you enter the upper-level lobby near Gate 14.

Within seconds of entering the Soho Lounge, you’ll quickly realize you’ve entered one of the most stylish and beautifully designed spaces in the airport. The lounge measures 12,000 square feet and has seating for 282 travelers.

As you walk inside, you’ll be in the cocktail and bar area, which is decked out with some high-top seating, as well as a variety of dining tables and bench seats.

From there, you’ll find yourself in the main lounge area, which offers a dining room, living area, private workstations and a so-called library.

If you’re looking to grab a bite to eat, you’ll likely want to pick a table in the center of the lounge. There’ll be a buffet serving a range of light bites, as well as a la carte service available to order via a QR code.

We couldn’t get a sense of the quality of the food and drinks in the Soho Lounge, but we’ll be sure to follow up with a detailed review after it opens.

That said, representatives for both airlines promised delicious fare and sophisticated drinks, including a cocktail menu designed by Richard Boccato — the man behind Queens’ famous bar Dutch Kills. Gotham Coffee Roasters will provide the coffee in the lounges.

There’ll even be a wine table built out of petrified wood, but that amenity wasn’t on display during the tour.

For now, you’ll find the food menus in the gallery below.

If you’d prefer to relax, you’ll have a choice of multiple areas. The lounge boasts impressive floor-to-ceiling windows with expansive views of the tarmac, so aviation enthusiasts will likely gravitate toward the individual recliners lining the perimeter of the space.

There are five private workstations toward the back of the lounge, and there are some communal co-working tables at either end of the space, too.

The carpet-lined “library” should offer a quieter and more relaxing experience, but you won’t find any books here. That said, it’ll definitely be the ideal place to cozy up with a book if you brought one yourself.

The Soho Lounge also features a relaxation area, but it wasn’t finished in time for TPG’s tour.

The space will be staffed by American and BA agents, in case you need some last-minute assistance with your travel plans.

There are both gender-specific and gender-neutral restrooms, all of which are designed similarly to the ones found in the more exclusive Chelsea Lounge.

Four individual shower suites are also available here — half of which are accessible to travelers who use wheelchairs.

Greenwich Lounge at JFK

The third and final “new” lounge in JFK’s Terminal 8 is the Greenwich Lounge.

This space isn’t actually new — it comprises the existing Flagship Lounge, Flagship First Dining facility and Concourse B Admirals Club. However, the current Flagship and Admirals Club marketing will be removed as of Thursday, and the entire space will then be rebranded as the Greenwich Lounge.

There’ll be no change to the design or layout of the space, and travelers will need to cross between the lobby area of the lounge to get between the old Admirals and Flagship sides of the lounge.

The renovated open-air bridge space in the center of Concourse B will also open in the coming months, and it’ll be folded into the Greenwich Lounge when it’s complete.

Altogether, the space will seat more than 590 flyers. Savvy travelers will likely camp out in the Flagship First dining facility once it’s decommissioned.

Bottom line

British Airways has a new home at JFK.

After more than 50 years in Terminal 7, the United Kingdom flag carrier will call Terminal 8 home as of Thursday. That’ll make for faster and more seamless connections for travelers hopping the pond. It also ushers in a revamped premium experience for flyers passing through New York, starting with an upgraded check-in facility.

The two brand-new lounges are stunning, and they’re definitely the two nicest ones in the entire American network. BA travelers will likely also appreciate the upgrades — especially the exclusive new Chelsea Lounge, which will replace the existing Concorde Room.

Even American’s existing Flagship Lounge is getting rebranded, and no amenities are getting cut.

With BA and Iberia co-located as of Thursday, and JAL moving in next year, Terminal 8 is quickly becoming the Oneworld alliance hub in New York. That’s great for most flyers, but especially those who have access to one of the terminal’s snazzy new lounges.