Inside the Greenwich Lounge at JFK

On a recent trip from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, I had the chance to check out the lounge situation at New York-John F. Kennedy for passengers flying American Airlines Flagship Business class. I ended up visiting the American Airlines Greenwich Lounge.

This was my first flight on American Airlines in almost 10 years. Usually, I fly Delta. I am familiar with Delta’s Sky Clubs and the new snazzy Delta One Lounge at JFK, so I was very interested to see how the lounges at JFK for American’s premium passengers compared.

My take: The Greenwich Lounge falls short. The lounge was spacious, and parts of it were elegant, but the food was just so-so.

American and Oneworld partner British Airways have three premium lounges at JFK, each named after neighborhoods that are in London and New York City. Access to the Chelsea, Soho and Greenwich lounges depends on the type of ticket, fare class or AAdvantage status.

While checking in for my flight using the premium lane at JFK’s terminal 8, I was told I could access the Greenwich Lounge. I was slightly disappointed because I had heard the other lounges were a bit nicer.

Access to the Greenwich Lounge is for passengers flying in the Flagship Business cabin on a same-day international or transcontinental flight, on some Hawaii flights, or in Oneworld business class. Some British Airways passengers also have access.

You can also get in with:

Passengers flying on British Airways gain access to the Greenwich Lounge by:

People accessing the lounge using AAdvantage, MVP, AerClub Platinum or Concierge member status can bring one guest. Oneworld Sapphire members can also bring one guest. Passengers with only a business class ticket cannot bring a guest.

For passengers who are not eligible for the premium clubs, there’s also a regular American Airlines Admirals Club in terminal 8 near gate 42 just after the security checkpoint.

The Greenwich Lounge is past security above gate 12 and is open from 4:15 a.m. to 1:15 a.m.

Signs direct you to the elevators, which will take you up to the lounge. The Chelsea and Soho lounges are nearby.

Once you are inside, several representatives will check your boarding pass and identification and let you enter the lounge by going down a hallway with a lit photo of New York City.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the lounge space was how big it seemed. Maybe it was the fact it was after 8 p.m. on a Monday, but there seemed to be plenty of space.

The total capacity of the lounge is 590, and the main room had several types of seating areas with many kinds of chairs. Some even had a view of the nearby gates and the planes outside.

One section seemed to be set up for watching a sporting event, with all the chairs facing one large screen.

There was a large buffet of hot and cold foods, including meatballs, pasta and chicken, as well as salads and cold cuts.

Off to the side was a cooler with beverages and a coffee station. In the middle of the seating area was a self-service wine bar.

Everything I tasted from the buffet was satisfactory, but nothing knocked my socks off. My friends who were with me said the same thing.

For people who want to freshen up, there are a few places with restrooms and 10 shower suites.

There’s also a kids’ room behind some glass doors with some small chairs in it, but no activities or play spaces.

In addition to the main seating and buffet areas, the Greenwich Lounge has another area with a buffet as well as two specialty spaces, The Tasting Room and The Bridge.

I wasn’t quite sure if I could go into the spaces, so I had to ask someone.

The entrance to The Tasting Room is right behind the main food buffet and features items from Brooklyn Brewery, a global craft brewer.

Several beers were on tap, and there was a separate food menu. The challenge here was finding someone to take the food or drink order.

I ordered both a New York-style hot pretzel and a brie and apple grilled cheese and was disappointed with both of them. The pretzel seemed to be the same kind that’s in the frozen food section of any grocery store, and it was difficult to find the cheese on the grilled cheese sandwich.

At the opposite end of The Tasting Room was another buffet and bar area with seating, some of which overlooks the gate areas. I thought this was the end of the lounge, but then I saw a sign pointing to The Bridge.

After weaving my way through a few hallways, I found myself in The Bridge area. I think this is the prettiest space in the entire Greenwich Lounge, with a midcentury feel, soft lighting, plants and seating overlooking the terminal below.

The area below was a construction zone when I visited, but once it’s finished, I imagine it will be nice to sit in the calming space sipping a beverage while watching passengers come and go.

The Bridge has its own cocktail menu featuring Aviation American Gin and Betty Buzz mixers and food designed to complement the drinks.

Again, maybe it was because it was late in the evening, but there was nobody in The Bridge area to make a cocktail for my friends and me. We almost felt like we were somewhere we weren’t supposed to be.

Eventually, someone arrived and we placed an order for some of the house-made salt and vinegar potato chips. I’m not 100% sure, but what arrived seemed to be the same chips that I had earlier with my grilled cheese.

Overall, I thought the Greenwich Lounge was a nice place to spend a couple of hours between checking in and boarding a long overnight flight. The food was OK but nothing special.

The seating was comfortable, and there were a variety of table and seat variations throughout the four defined areas. Compared to the Delta One Lounge in Delta’s terminal 4 with its fine dining, spa services and dedicated security line and what I have heard about the United Polaris lounges, the American Airlines and British Airways Greenwich Lounge was a bit of a letdown. I was expecting more.

Top photo by Tiffani Sherman.