The new British Airways First Class Lounge has opened at New York’s JFK Terminal 7

In April 2017 British Airways announced a £52 million refurbishment to its Terminal 7 at New York’s JFK airport.  This was to include an update of the check-in areas, lounges and departure gates.

The Concorde Room was refreshed earlier this year and so were the First and Club World check-in areas.  This included a new Premium Zone with direct access to Fast Track security for Club World travellers, and the new First Wing and First check-in for First Class passengers and BAEC Gold members.

For the rest of you, the main concourse has received additional seating in the gate areas and a number of new power outlets.

Earlier this week the new First Lounge opened its doors.  The pictures look very promising.

As a reminder, this lounge is not for First Class passengers who are able to use the Concorde Room.  The First Lounge is for British Airways Executive Club Gold card holders.

The new First Lounge is 60% larger than its predecessor and split into several zones.

There is a special wine room with fridges and shelves to keep every wine at the right temperature:

and

The new First bar is stocked with, apparently, ‘premium’ beverages:

The lounge has a dining room for (only) Club World passengers who would prefer to eat before an overnight flight and go straight to sleep on the plane:

….. and those who need to do some work before their flight can use the quiet work area:

Executive chefs Gavin Mackenzie and Waylon Walker have ‘created a boutique menu with seasonal dishes’ as well as a new ‘bowl food’ concept which was apparently designed to offer customers a chance for a lighter option before they fly.

A reader called Antony dropped us an email on Friday night to say that he had just been in and:

“Have to say, I’m super impressed with the variety and quality of food.”

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said – not entirely unpredictably:

“We fly thousands of customers between London and New York every week so we’re absolutely dedicated to making the experience as relaxing, comfortable and enjoyable as possible. We are investing £52 million in to our home at JFK this year as part of the £4.5 billion investment we’re making in our customer experience globally, and there will be further investments at JFK planned for the future. We hope our guests enjoy using the new facilities as much as we’ve enjoyed designing them.”

The refurbishment of Terminal 7 is due to be completed in 2019.  Next up is the upgrade of the Galleries Club lounge.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

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Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

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American Express Business Gold

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.