While my Qatar Airways QSuites flight arrived at JFK’s terminal 8, my return flight to Doha departed from terminal 7. As such, after checking in, I was instructed to visit the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge.
The lounge was located right after security, a (broken) escalator “ride” or an elevator ride up from the main departures level.
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Lounge Overview
The lounge itself was located to the right of the reception desk.
Just past the reception desk, there was a room for storing baggage. There was also a mobile phone charging station and a selection of reading materials.
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Then, there was a fairly large seating area consisting of rows of sofa chairs placed around coffee tables.
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At the very end of that seating area, there was a children’s room and an Elemis Travel Spa – although that one was closed during my visit.
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The first large seating area was connected with another large seating area with a hallway that had the (breakfast) buffet on one side and a pair of communal tables with uncomfortable plastic chairs on the other. The restrooms were also in this area.
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Finally, the second seating area was made up of sofa chairs, dining tables and chairs, as well as high-top tables and bar chairs. All of those could be found around a fountain that decorated the center of this part of the lounge.
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And, the area also featured a self-service bar, a “Pub,” and a pre-flight dining area – although the last of those was reserved for British Airways passengers.
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Food and Drinks Selection
Both the buffet area as well as the bar area had refrigerators with canned soda. And, in the buffet area there was also (Twinings) tea and coffee. A selection of juices including apple, orange, grapefruit, and cranberry could be found in the “Pub.”
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As for alcoholic drinks, there was a fairly extensive selection of liquors in the bar area. There was also a selection of wine and bottled beer. More kinds of beer – including a pair on tap – could be found in the “Pub.”
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Given that I visited early in the morning, the buffet was stocked with breakfast items. There was an oatmeal station, and there was a selection of pastries, etc. Besides that, there were some cereals, a fruit salad, and both plain and vanilla yogurts. Finally, there were whole fruits.
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British Airways Galleries Club Lounge New York JFK Summary
When I arrived at the lounge shortly after 7AM, the lounge was more or less empty, and it stayed so until I left it about two hours later. I am not sure how the lounge gets later in the day, however, it seemed spacey enough to be able to manage even during busier times of the day.
As for refreshments, the drink selection was decent. At the same time, though, the breakfast buffet left a bit to be desired. While I didn’t expect anything mind-blowing, I thought they would at least have omelettes or something similar on offer.
While in my case, that was not a problem as I was keeping myself hungry for the 12-hour dine-on-demand flight to Doha, some might find that disappointing.
