Around the World & Nearly Dead –Korean Airlines Business Class Lounge JFK Terminal 1
In late October of last year, I embarked on a nearly three week around the world journey. Starting with a few days in Washington DC with my family, I eventually made my way up to New York before flying to Europe and then on to Hong Kong.
Some time between Amsterdam and Hong Kong, I developed a bad cough which ultimately morphed into a nasty flu by the time I returned home. (Hence the name.) Ultimately I was bed ridden for nearly two weeks upon my return, but it was still worth it.
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- Lounge Review – Korean Airlines Business Class Lounge JFK Terminal 1
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Overview
After spending just over a day in New York and visiting Ground Zero, the High Line and enjoying a little time with my friend, I headed out to JFK for my overnight flight to Milan on Alitalia. Alitalia flies out of Terminal 1 in JFK, so I was able to visit the Korean Airlines Business Class lounge in that terminal. I gained access with my Priority Pass card which I have through my Ameriprise Amex Platinum card.
Impressions
The Korean Airlines Business Class Lounge in JFK is pretty large overall. It stretches into a few different rooms, where the seating generally faces each other, which sort of ruins any privacy. I’m not going to lie. This lounge looks like it is straight out of the 1980’s.
From the dull carpeting to very worn furniture, it just doesn’t have anything modern about it. The only power outlets I could find were ones in the floor sporadically placed around the lounge. It just wasn’t very inviting, although the furniture while worn, was still comfortable.
Amenities
Like many other lounges, the Korean Airlines Business Class lounge in JFK has normal bathroom facilities, a business center with hard wired internet (WiFi works fine everywhere though), a nice selection of magazines and newspapers and even a private relaxation room. Unfortunately I took a look in the relaxation room and the chair appeared to be broken.
You can find a full list of this lounge’s amenities on the Priority Pass website.
Food & Drink
I spent a total of about 3 hours in the lounge waiting for my flight and the food selection changed over that time. At first the only food they had was a few pastries and noodles with hot water. As the evening went on, the lounge staff did bring out trays of small sandwiches which were fresh and tasty.
In the drinks category this lounge had the normal selection of tea and coffee along with a wide range of sodas, water and juice. They also had a few Asian brands as well. The alcohol selection while basic, is pretty much on par with normal business class lounges. The bottles were self serve which can be dangerous for those who aren’t careful.
Conclusion
The Korean Airlines Business Class Lounge in JFK Terminal 1 isn’t the fanciest lounge in the world. In fact, it is probably one of the more dated and worn lounges I have visited. With that said, they did have an average food spread and the furniture was comfortable despite being frayed. In the end, it was certainly better than having to wait 3 hours in the terminal.
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Alitalia lounge is a bit more modern with a bit better selection of F&B. If you have SkyTeam Elite Plus status when flying international, go to Air France lounge in JFK T1. It’s like 1000 times better than Delta SkyClub in T2 and T4 combined. The shower / restroom facility at Korean Air lounge in T1 is just nasty. I’d go nut-gate there too.