British Airways Is Giving Its JFK Terminal a Royal Makeover
British Airways has shared renderings in a press release of planned upgrades to its flagship airport space in the USA — Terminal 7 at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. The airline will spend an estimated $65 Million on the updates.
"We are currently working behind-the-scenes with top architects and designers to create a beautiful new space for our customers to relax, dine and work in before they take off. The new environment at Terminal 7 is designed for our customers to enjoy a smoother, faster and more relaxed airport experience. This will involve significantly increasing the number of people we can seat for in-flight dining, re-styling the space and adding new lighting, bars and furniture," said Abigail Comber, British Airways Head of Customer.
The airline trumpeted the opening of its new lounge in Boston, and said that it'll be making upgrades to its lounges in Aberdeen, Rome, Geneva, San Francisco, Chicago, Johannesburg and Manchester.
According to the airline, these are all the changes it's making at JFK T7:
- An enhanced, spacious check-in area for a fast, efficient customer journey.
- An exclusive new premium check-in zone with fast-track security lane.
- Redesigned and updated lounges with more space to relax, dine, and work.
- The introduction of an authentic New York culinary experience with local food and beverage concepts to satisfy a variety of tastes.
- An immersive retail environment for duty free shopping and concessions.
- New gate seating areas with additional power outlets, designed for customer comfort and convenience.
BA has been making an effort to invest in its top customers — including a new first-class check-in area at London Heathrow (LHR) and a re-designed Club World (business class) product to roll out in 2019. In June, new catering will be introduced at the Heathrow business lounges, and breakfast service will be extended until 11am. Starting in July, fresh new linen, bigger pillows, a soft mattress topper and duvet will be introduced on board to increase passenger comfort.
However, BA has also been downgrading the economy product in some cases. Last year, it replaced the customary second meal in World Traveler (economy) on long-haul flights under 8.5 hours with a meal replacement bar. Some snacks, such as Pringles, are now available for purchase. Earlier this month, CEO Alex Cruz said BA may consider charging World Traveler passengers for meals on long-haul flights, following a "rough start" in introducing buy onboard meals on shorter flights.
Would these updates make you more likely to fly British Airways to London?
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month