2 new lounges at JFK are now accepting Priority Pass members
Priority Pass members, rejoice. Two brand-new lounges just opened at JFK that now accept your membership.
The lounges, one located in Terminal 1 and the other in Terminal 4, are operated by TAV Airports Holding. The 5,120-square foot lounge in Terminal 1 is called the Primeclass lounge, and the 2,396 square foot lounge in Terminal 4 is branded as the Air India Maharaja Lounge.
Both lounges are now accepting Priority Pass members as of earlier this week. Priority Pass, Lounge Key, Diners Club, Dragon Pass, Lounge Pass, Lounge Club and Lounge Me customers can now access both lounges. The Priority Pass website hasn’t been updated yet, but we’ve confirmed the news with the Primeclass lounge manager.
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TPG's got a full guide to Priority Pass membership. Many of our top recommended cards include Priority Pass membership, and the addition of two new lounges at JFK makes the membership even more valuable.
In addition to Priority Pass customers, the lounges will also welcome premium-cabin customers of certain airlines. At the moment, the Primeclass lounge in Terminal 1 is welcoming Cayman Airways passengers, while the Terminal 4 lounge is welcoming Air India and Egypt Air customers.
Children under six enter the lounge for free, and you’ll receive two drink vouchers when entering the lounge. Note that Priority Pass holders are limited to a four-hour maximum stay. You can bring guests into the lounge depending on which Priority Pass membership you have.
The Primeclass lounge in Terminal 1 is open from 5:30 a.m. until 12 a.m. on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays and from 9 a.m. until 12 a.m. the rest of the week. The Air India lounge in Terminal 4 is open from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. every day.
I flew through Terminal 1 a few weeks ago and had the opportunity to check out what’s in store for Priority Pass members. Since I wasn’t flying Cayman Airways and the lounge doesn’t yet accept Priority Pass, I paid $59 to enter.
Primeclass Lounge Review
The nondescript entrance to the lounge is located all the way at the end of the main pier of Terminal 1, in between Gates 10 and 11.
There's a small entrance lobby with reception desk on the departure level of the terminal, and the rest of the lounge is located down one flight of stairs.
Immediately upon entering the lounge, you’re greeted by the bar. Each of the drink vouchers can be used for any of the liquors on a menu that’s specifically for use with drink vouchers.
Although the bar has a pretty extensive selection of spirits and liquor, the menu for use with drink vouchers was noticeably bare-bones. (And poorly written, including misspellings of "chardonnay" and "Sangiovese".)
There weren't many cocktails listed, but the bartender was happy to make custom cocktails upon request.
There's also a separate top-shelf liquor menu that isn't eligible for drink vouchers and features some fancier drinks like Grey Goose and Macallan 12 year.
The bar also has seven wines and three beers on tap, and each pour requires a drink voucher.
In a nook just to the right of the bar was the small business center and printer. There were three HP computers that looked brand new.
There were also a few seats next to the business center, in case the main lounge area is crowded.
The long buffet began just across from the bar. The food selection was quite good for what's ultimately a contract lounge. There were two soups, though only one was labeled (potato leek).
The rest of the buffet featured three hot dishes, some breads and a colorful fruit and salad bar. All the food I tried was quite fresh and tasty.
The fusilli vodka pasta may not have been the most gourmet, but it certainly hit the spot after spending hours in traffic getting to JFK.
Right next to the bar was a high-top table with lots of counter seating.
The rest of the seating area alternated between tables and comfortable swivel and high-back lounge chairs.
Behind the bar was an L-shaped counter with various light foods and non-alcoholic drinks. There were a few hard fruits, some mixed nuts, cans of Coke-branded sodas, 8-ounce bottles of Poland Spring and a two proper WMF coffee machines.
The lounge had three unisex restroom stalls, and one stall had a shower. For a lounge with the capacity to hold 202 people, I think three individual stalls is way too few. I've got to imagine there will be a wait when the lounge is at capacity.
The bathroom stall with the shower was the largest, but the other two stalls were also nicely sized and well appointed.
The lounge is so new that they haven't even filled the shower toiletry containers.
I really loved the design of the lounge, especially the contrast between the dark wood tones and the vibrant yellow accents from the carpet.
Furthermore, the hanging posters of The New Yorker magazine covers added a local flair to the lounge.
There was also relaxing background music playing throughout the lounge that made me feel like I was getting drinks at a fancy country club, not getting ready to board a long-haul flight.
As you'd hope for a brand-new lounge, there was plenty of power and USB outlets. Each outlet around the lounge had two AC outlets, as well as two USB ports. Unfortunately, the outlet wasn't wide or long enough to fit both a MacBook charger and an iPhone USB cable, but at least there were plenty of outlets!
Wi-Fi required logging in on a landing page with a provided username and password. The Wi-Fi worked quite well, but wasn't fast enough to upload photos to the cloud. A Speedtest returned just 4.66Mbps of download speed and 4.95 upload.
Bottom line
The opening of two brand-new lounges at JFK is great news for frequent travelers. Now that both lounges have opened to Priority Pass members, it’ll be interesting to see how crowded they get. Regardless, I’m always a fan of having more choices, so I’m thrilled to report that these new lounges have officially joined Priority Pass.
Related: Choose this, not that: JFK Priority Pass lounge edition
All photos by the author
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.