AA new Flagship Lounge and Flagship First Dining

by MilesFromBlighty 2 Comments

Just before New Year I was set to fly from LA to Miami and then home to London, via Dublin.

I woke early, the effect of jet lag I am afraid. The fog was so thick at LAX that I couldn’t see the road from my twelfth floor room at the Hyatt Regency, LAX. I skipped breakfast to get to the airport in case delays were expected.

Having checked in and gone through PreCheck I popped in to the Terminal 4 refurbished Flagship lounge. This is combined with the Admirals Club.

a room with chairs and tables

As a OneWorld emerald AA let’s you use the nicer part of the lounge (in comparison to the Admirals Club). I asked about whether I could have breakfast in the new dining room, but was told no, as my First Class segment was only from Miami. (The AA Twitter team later confirmed this was an error.)

The lounge is large and has several seating sections.

a room with chairs and a tv a restaurant with tables and chairs

There are hot and cold food options available via self service stations. The units were topped up most of the time I was there and the food was generally good.

a buffet line of food a buffet table full of food

At boarding time I went to the gate and after various problems with firstly getting the previous flight out, and then our aircraft in, I had to much of a delay that I would not have made the connection in Miami.

I returned to the lounge where a great member of staff managed to rebook me on the AA flight from LA to London, keeping my place in First Class – even securing the same seat as I had from Miami to London.

Of course, now I was allowed in to the First Class Dining section. I waited until a couple of hours before my plane left so that I would not over eat, and would not need to eat on the plane.

a white envelope with a logo and a couple tickets

Located at the end of the corridor, the First Dining is a wholly separate area, accessible only if you are flying First on one of American’s international or three-class domestic flights. You won’t get in as a OneWorld emerald member.

a sign on a glass door

I was met by the member of staff and shown to a table. There was no one else in the area at the time. It felt very like a restaurant. Menu’s were provided and drink orders taken.

a room with tables and chairs

The views are out over the Terminal 4 and 5 gates.

a large white building with many trucks parked outside

a menu of a restaurant

The menu is pretty extensive, with a good wine selection.

I had the peppers, New York Strip and chocolate tart.

a collage of food on a plate

The food was excellent – very much better than an airline lounge usually offers. Bravo to AA for stepping their offering up a lot.

My flight was finally allocated a gate in the Thomas Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) and so left the lounge for the Qantas First Lounge in TBIT.

Overall, this is a great lounge, and well worth visiting even if you cannot get in to the restaurant.

 

 

Comments

  1. “As a OneWorld emerald AA let’s you use the nicer part of the lounge.”

    What exactly does this mean? Oneworld Emerald does not give you access to “the nicer part of the lounge” (Flagship First Dining) Oneworld sapphire and Oneworld Emerald get access TO the Flagship Lounge. You would only have received access to Flagship First Dining from your Miami flight if you were flying first class on the 3 cabin AA flight from MIA (F, J, Y)

    I think my quoted sentence from above is not accurate and misleading. There is already a lot of confusion with the new Flagship First Dining facility-

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