First Look: Inside the New British Airways Lounge at BOS
On our way to the Middle East to cover the new carry-on electronics ban, my wife Katie and I booked last-minute flights from Texas that had us connecting through Boston (BOS). After a disappointing visit to the Air France lounge in Terminal E, we decided to swing by the British Airways lounge we'd seen signs for. As Oneworld Emerald members traveling internationally on a Oneworld carrier, we knew we could get in — but we didn't expect to enter a brand new lounge that had just opened five hours earlier!
As it turns out, BOS recently renovated this part of Terminal E so it could accommodate up to three A380s at a time. As part of this renovation, it seems British Airways took the chance to close its lounge in the "Basement" and build a new one on the top floor of the new terminal.
To get there, turn left from the security area and walk down to the new portion of Terminal E, then take the elevator (or stairs) up to the top floor. You'll find the British Airways lounge entrance on the far end of the hall.
Once you walk down another hall, a sleek new check-in desk is there to welcome guests.
Right behind the check-in desk is a so-called "Bag Drop" room, which has space for you to leave your bags and coats unattended.
Further down the hall is the dining room. As our visit was immediately before a British Airways 777 boarded, the lounge was quite busy — as you can see in the photo, below.
On one side of the dining room, there's an area demarcated by multiple "Concorde Dining" signs. This area — reserved for British Airways First passengers only — features plated meals ordered individually from a menu.
For the rest of us, there's a variety of food options, including wraps, sandwiches, chips and other finger foods.
The salad bar didn't look too bad either.
Best of all were the options from the hot food bar, some of which were cooked/prepared in the open kitchen area directly behind it, assuring guests that the food is being prepared onsite and not simply reheated.
We regretted having snacked at the Air France lounge, but couldn't resist trying a few of the food options, you know, for research purposes. While it was all quite tasty, the "gemelli pasta, grilled chicken pesto, broccoli and mushroom" was especially tasty.
Next to the sandwich bar in the dining room is the self-serve beverage bar, providing a wide range of self-service wines, beers, sodas, juices, "cucumber, lemon agua fresca" and "tangerine strawberry agua fresca."
For cocktails and liquor, you're going to have to head to the back of the lounge, where you'll find a stunning bar. Large windows offer excellent views of the British Airways gate in the foreground and downtown Boston in the background.
We decided to toast the new lounge and our upcoming flight with some Champagne. Our level of excitement about both of these things led the bartender to ask if we were on our honeymoon, which was pretty amusing for both of us, having been married 7.5 years.
As for the rest of the lounge, there's a variety of seating areas with different designs and feels. Although it's not a large space, the designers really did a great job of providing passengers with plenty of options to choose from — areas with TVs, workstations, side tables or tables and chairs. Next to the dining room, there was a spot with comfy chairs as well as power plugs to charge up all your electronic devices before the flight.
Further back, there are window-side lounging chairs, seats at tables and a small work area with a printer.
In the middle section of the lounge between the dining room and the bar, there's a set of bathrooms and a single shower room.
Once it's time to board, there's no reason to go back out the front entrance, down the stairs/elevator and circle back around to the gate — British Airways actually built a dedicated gate 12 boarding area into the back of the lounge!
Bottom Line
This is an excellent lounge, providing delicious food, a variety of drink options, plenty of seating — except for in the dining room during peak times — and an attractive atmosphere. The lounge staff seemed to be excited about the grand opening, providing a palpable energy throughout the space. Hopefully, they'll continue to be just as friendly and welcoming going forward.
The comparison is night-and-day between this lounge and the Priority Pass-member Air France lounge we also visited during our layover at BOS. If you've got access to this British Airways lounge, we'd recommend trying it out yourself.
Have you checked out the new British Airways lounge at BOS yet? Tell us what you thought of it, below.
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