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2 American Airlines and British Airways operate jointly out of Terminal 8 at New York JFK .
3 4 5 The Chelsea Lounge is only for First Class passengers and features a superb à la carte menu .
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ON THE GROUND
On June 16 , I made my way to New York ’ s John F . Kennedy International Airport two and a half hours before my flight . After dropping off a rental car , I took the JFK AirTrain to Terminal 8 , where American Airlines operates alongside fellow oneworld Alliance members British Airways ( BA ), Qatar Airways ( QR ), and Finnair ( AY ). Recently , Terminal 8 underwent a US $ 400 million dollar redesign , reopening in November 2022 for joint operations for both British Airways and American , the two airlines that had broken ground on the new project in January 2020 . The revamp has brought five new wide-body gates , an enhanced baggage handling system , and almost 130,000sq ft ( 12,000m 2 ) of renovated terminal space .
My first stop was at the podium outside the Flagship First Check- In area , which , besides JFK , is
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available at only four other AA hubs : Chicago O ’ Hare ( ORD ), London Heathrow ( LHR ), Los Angeles ( LAX ), and Miami ( MIA ). In order to access it , you must be flying American ’ s Flagship First on a qualifying international or transcontinental flight , or be a ConciergeKey member .
After quickly checking in with an agent inside this private check-in area , I was escorted to the public TSA lines , where I was processed quickly thanks to PreCheck . From there , it was a quick walk to American Airlines ’ Chelsea Lounge . When British Airways moved to Terminal 8 , in late 2022 , the two airlines partnered to open three joint premium lounges in the terminal — the Greenwich , Soho , and Chelsea Lounges . The Chelsea and Soho Lounges are located right next to each other , above Gate 14 , while the Greenwich Lounge is above Gate 12 in the old Flagship Lounge space .
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The Chelsea Lounge , which replaced Flagship First Dining , is a true First Class lounge and the most exclusive of the three . It was designed to resemble BA ’ s Concorde Room . The Soho Lounge is an all-new space open to oneworld Emerald members on select itineraries and is akin to BA ’ s Galleries First lounge . Last but not least , the Greenwich Lounge is open to select Business Class passengers on all oneworld airlines , as well as to oneworld Sapphire members on select itineraries .
CHELSEA LOUNGE
I took the elevator up one level to the Chelsea Lounge , which is advertised as AA ’ s ‘ most exclusive lounge ’ and definitely lived up to expectations . As I walked in , I was immediately greeted by a beautiful Champagne bar with marble and gold accents . The lounge features elegant furnishings , seating areas , a fireplace , and a relaxation area .
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