Qatar Airways will open its first-ever U.S. airport lounge in New York.
The Doha-based airline announced Monday that it’ll officially move to the new Terminal One at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) when the facility opens next year.
As part of the move, Qatar will open a 15,000-square-foot lounge in the new Terminal One.
While details are still limited — no renderings were provided — the airline promises direct boarding from the lounge, as well as a handful of other top-notch amenities, including a premium dining experience, relaxation rooms and children’s play areas.
While the lounge will be primarily designed for Qatar’s multiple daily flights to Doha, other Oneworld business- and first-class flyers leaving from JFK’s Terminal One will have access to the space.
That said, it remains to be seen how many other Oneworld airlines will move to Terminal One. American Airlines’ Terminal 8 is already home to the overwhelming majority of Oneworld airlines at JFK, including Qatar.
(The only current exceptions are Royal Air Maroc and Alaska Airlines, the latter of which is in the process of moving to Terminal 8. Royal Air Maroc will move to the new Terminal One when it opens.)
This makes for a far more seamless connecting experience for travelers transiting through JFK, especially if they’re taking an American domestic flight to JFK and then connecting to a long-haul flight operated by a partner. Plus, the existing premium lounge setup in Terminal 8 is actually quite nice, especially if you’re a Oneworld Emerald member and can access the Soho Lounge.
In this case, you don’t need to clear security, and you don’t need to hop on the AirTrain to transit between terminals. Once Qatar moves to Terminal One, anyone flying Qatar and connecting at JFK will need to do both of those steps. That said, Qatar likely figured that many of its New York flyers are starting or ending their journeys in the Big Apple, limiting the number of travelers that’ll be affected by the new convoluted connecting experience that will result from the move.
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Many international airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic like to operate their own lounges at outstations. This allows them to control the end-to-end travel experience and offer more consistent ground transit, no matter if you’re flying from a hub or outstation.
Qatar’s existing lounge footprint outside of Doha includes Bangkok, Beirut, London, Paris and Singapore.
Meanwhile, JFK’s new Terminal One will be home to Air France, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Etihad, Korean Air, EVA Air, Air Serbia, Scandinavian Airlines, Neos, Philippine Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air New Zealand, Royal Air Maroc, Air China, China Airlines, Gulf Air and, now, Qatar Airways.
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