‘The Travel Brief’, the weekly Head for Points travel trade newsletter

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• Save East Coast Rewards says:

  5 Dec5 December 02:05

  The early reviews on FlyerTalk of these new lounges (particularly Chelsea, the CCR equivalent) have not been as positive. Hopefully these issues now they’ve gone live are mostly teething issues (common complaints were they’d ran out of champagne or if they had any it was warm and also similar availability issues with food).

  A few criticised other things such as the brightness of the lights in the lounge (hard to please everyone but this can be tweaked) and others didn’t like the lack of windows in Chelsea.

  They’re currently short staffed too (again according to FlyerTalk) so that doesn’t help.

  I’m hoping they can resolve the supply and service issues and become a truly great set of lounges.

  One of the things I didn’t like when Virgin ran what is now LNER is that they overhyped anything they did. Everything was awesome so they raised expectations and it led to disappointment. I wonder if BA/AA have fallen into a similar trap and wowed the press (who were invited in just before opening) and now our expectations are too high?

  If they hadn’t made this announcement I would have been happy with LPGS in the Chelsea lounge, I think that’s what most people were expecting.

  • Andrew J says:

    5 Dec5 December 06:42

    The JFK lounges sound best avoided for a few months while they sort out these issues.

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    5 Dec5 December 08:16

    It’s clear to me that some of those posts are from people who have yet to visit the new lounges and are relying on photos (in a comment on his review page Rhys said the sofas weren’t as dark as the photos made them appear to be)

    Likely the same people who complained about club suites before they had even sat in them.

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:

      5 Dec5 December 10:36

      That could also be the case, although one person seemed to be giving a live commentary of their experience. It’s always best to make up your own mind after all. A lot of people said the Aspire lounge in Sofia was dreadful, so I went in with my expectations lowered, but I thought it was fine for what it is (a contract lounge) to me it seemed much nicer than the Aspire in Newcastle.

  • Rhys says:

    5 Dec5 December 10:45

    Short staffing is true at most if not all airport lounges this year, so that’s not new.

    As for lighting/windows – I think these are minor points in the grand scheme of things, and also hugely subjective!

    I have yet to see anyone genuinely dislike the lounges and think they are worse than what existed before, because they just aren’t. They are real upgrades to the JFK experience for BA and AA.

    • Chris says:

      5 Dec5 December 12:39

      Almost every review of lounges with good windows e.g. Qantas Sydney First even those with mediocre ones like Cathay First in T3 compliment the views.

      Those without them e.g. Qantas/ Oneworld First TBIT, BA Concord Cupboard at Changi, BA lounges in T3, emirates first in Dubai get called out for it.

      • Rhys says:

        5 Dec5 December 13:01

        If you read my review of the Chelsea Lounge I called it out, too. But it’s still really impressive.

        I’ve been to many, many lounges. I don’t think any of them have been perfect!

• Simon Schus says:

  5 Dec5 December 03:19

  I very much like the Cotswold Airport Christmas 747!!!

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.