There are some new lounges open at New York JFK Terminal 8, which coincided with British Airways moving from Terminal 7 to join American Airlines. One of these is the Soho Lounge, which is for passengers flying first class or those with oneworld Emerald frequent flyer cards.
This lounge is located above Gate 14 and you can see the American Airlines lounge eligibility here. Those flying British Airways should check here to see who is permitted inside.
Soho Lounge Entrance
When you’re in Terminal 8 at JFK, there is plenty of signage indicating where the lounge is. These also outline the access requirements, so it should be pretty straightforward.
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- Terminal signage is clear.
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- The elevators are also marked.
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- Inside are the airline logos.
Once you exit the lifts, you will be able to see a desk attendant who will let you in. There are a number of desks so I was seen and given access without further ado.
Lounge Decor
As soon as you enter, you are facing the bar and some bar seating, with the rest of the lounge to your right. It was fairly busy when I arrived, though there were still plenty of seats available.
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- Bar seating, the entrance is at the back right.
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- The lounge proper from the back.
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- A light feature, reminiscent of jellyfish.
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- Seating at the rear.
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- Inside the library area type thing.
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- Little booths.
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- Another view.
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- A table for working.
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- Dining tables.
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- Phone booths to take your call privately.
Most of the lounge is given over to the food service areas and the seating for same. There are sweeping views over the airport, which is always nice. Everything is comfortable and in good condition since the lounge is just a few months old.
“Like A Nun Breaking Wind”
I headed to the bar and was seen by a very friendly staff member who happily poured me a glass of Piper-Heidsieck. When I remarked at her opening the bottle quietly without a the big pop you would expect, she advised they had been trained to open the bottles so it sounded like a nun breaking wind!
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- Wine and beer options.
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- Private seats at the back facing the windows.
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- You can see what I could see.
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- Champagne for me!
Glass in hand, I toddled off to find a seat down the back and connected to the Wi-Fi. That was nice and fast as one would expect from a new lounge, then it was time to explore the dining options.
Eat For Days
My flight from New York to London was in Club World, so I elected to eat sparsely. That being said, you could really go to town and eat as much as you liked. There are options to suit all tastes here.
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- This is the main food area.
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- All the condiments you could want.
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- Find your plates here.
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- Infused water and some coffee.
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- Breads and a toaster.
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- Yoghurt melt, chocolate kisses and mixed nuts.
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- Miss Vickie’s crisps.
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- Shrimp Newberg.
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- New York roasted root vegetables.
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- Farro with herbs.
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- Cheese Tortellini with tomato basil sauce.
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- Chicken “Pot Pie” (the inverted commas are on the sign!)
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- Prosciutto di Parma and Hudson Valley Salami.
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- Maytag blue cheese, Old Chatham creamery Camembert and New York State Cheddar cheese.
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- Some other bits!
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- New York Feta cheese, Eggs and Cucumber.
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- New York tomato, carrot, chickpeas and olives.
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- Romain and Green Goddess dressing.
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- Lentil Salad with Carrot and Sherry Vinaigrette, Beetroot, Apple and Cranberry Slaw, Greek Salad and Shaved Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad.
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- Chocolate Fudge Cake and the Lemon Squares.
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- Chocolate Chip and Sugar cookies.
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- Meyer Lemon Yoghurt and Cabot Low Fat Yoghurt.
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- Mustard, Mayo, Jalapenos, Hummus and more.
In addition to all of the above, there was Chicken Noodle Soup and Butternut Squash Bisque. See what I mean? Plenty of options to suit even the fussiest eater.
Time To Eat!
As I planned to save myself for the inflight catering on British Airways, I decided not to go hog wild on the Soho Lounge fare. I had a little bit of each of the hot dishes, just to sample them. Plus the desserts, of course!
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- Time to dive in!
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- Both desserts.
Quite frankly the food was tasty, warm and well worth sampling. I happily chowed down on what I had chosen and found it all to be flavourful and delicious.
Now, About Those Bathroom Taps…
Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the lounge is the design of the taps. When you’re in the bathroom, it all looks rather chic as you’d expect for a lounge aimed at the well heeled first class passenger and frequent flyer.
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- A thone fit for a King… or Queen!
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- Look closely at the taps!
The taps though, are bordering on the ridiculous. There is one curved spout on either side, with the taller of the pair seemingly for the water. Try to wet and wash your hands without getting water on yourself, I challenge you. It seems to be a case of design over function, and I found the experience bewildering.
Overall Thoughts
The new American Airlines and British Airways Soho Lounge at New York JFK is a perfectly lovely place to spend before flight. It’s relaxing and chill inside, with lovely decor and of course views over the airfield.
There’s food aplenty for the hungry passenger, and you could happily have dinner here before sleeping for your entire eastbound transatlantic flight if you wished.
I was quite happy with the experience overall and of course the friendly bar tender helped keep things amusing for me. While it was busy – with most of the prime seating along the windows taken – it was still nowhere near full, which is always nice.
What do you think of the new BA and AA Soho Lounge? Have you visited and if so, what did you think? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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