Quick Visit: American & BA’s New Soho Lounge at New York (JFK)

Background:

The Soho Lounge is a premium lounge collaboration between American Airlines and British Airways. This is the first time AA and BA have worked together to launch a lounge together. There are a total of 3 lounges with this collaboration, the Chelsea Lounge, Soho Lounge and Greenwich Lounge. The Chelsea Lounge is the first class lounge, the Soho Lounge is the new mid-tier lounge for elites, and the Greenwich Lounge is the business class lounge that took over the existing American Flagship Lounge space.

I flew Flagship First on American and visited the Chelsea Lounge first. To me, the Chelsea Lounge was a bit disappointing for a first class lounge, and if you’re interested you can read my full review here. I actually enjoyed my short visit to the Soho Lounge, and I’d like to come back here in the future.

Location and Details:

The Soho lounge is located above Gate 14, just past the security checkpoint at JFK’s Terminal 8. It is open daily from 4:30am to 12:30am. It’s co-located with the first class Chelsea Lounge.

Access the Soho Lounge is available for those who are:

• Concierge Key members flying in any cabin on oneworld, AA or BA.
• Elites: AAdvantage Executive Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro, MVP Gold 75K departing, arriving or connecting on a qualifying same-day international flight on AA or oneworld airline.
• Flying oneworld First class internationally
• Oneworld Emerald flying any oneworld flight

The Soho Lounge New York JFK:

I quickly visited the Soho lounge after my dinner at the Chelsea Lounge. It was about 10pm on a Tuesday, and it was not crowded. Upon entering, you pass by a nice bar, and then plenty of seating and a buffet area on the side. My first impression was that this lounge felt a lot larger than the Chelsea Lounge, and more airy. Additionally, they have windows (thank goodness!). The lounge boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with nice views of the tarmac, for those who love airplane spotting like me.

Dining:

If you want to dine here, you have two options. There are dining tables at the center of the lounge, and there is a buffet as well as a la carte service available to order via a QR code on the table.

Interestingly enough, the a la carte dining here had most of all the same main course options as the more exclusive first class Chelsea Lounge! The battered cod and mushy peas was the same, the butternut squash curry, burger and impossible burger. They also had additional options like a K-Town Dog and Pastrami Reuben Sandwich. For dessert, I only saw a “build your own ice cream cookie sandwich”. You could also order beer, cocktails and wine as well.

For the buffet, there was a pretty good spread I think!

Hot dishes included honey garlic chicken, miso salmon, potatoes and heirloom carrots. There’s also an extensive salad bar. I was already full from my meal at the Chelsea Lounge, so I didn’t partake in any eating here.

Between the a la carte options, and extensive buffet, you will not starve here. 🙂

Other Areas:

The lounge also has 4 shower rooms that are designed exactly like the Chelsea Lounge and similar bathrooms as well.

In the back is a “Library” and this is where I hung out for a bit. It was a nice space to chill out.

Also, on the other side of the library, there are semi-private workstations for those who want to work in peace.

The Verdict:

On my quick visit, the Soho Lounge New York looks like a nice premium lounge to relax before a flight. It has plenty of seating, large windows to look outside and both buffet and a la carte dining options.

 

Have you visited the Soho Lounge at JFK yet? How was your experience? Comment below!

 

Cheers,

Ty

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Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!