The Chase Sapphire Lounge at New York JFK is in terminal 4, just past security. It’s right next to the American Express Centurion lounge above gate A2, and very close to the new Capital One lounge.
You can enter with a boarding pass within 3 hours of travel and a Chase Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve, or Ritz-Carlton Reserve Card 9and bring in two guests) or enter using a Priority Pass provided by someone other than Chase (limited to one visit across all U.S. Sapphire lounges per year).
At 7,600 square feet the lounge is undersized, half the space of the American Express and Capital One lounges, and certainly gets busy in the early evening before peak transatlantic departure time. It also tends to get busy on Sunday afternoons.
Like the Washington Dulles location, they renovated the Etihad lounge and share the space. So Etihad passengers with lounge access have priority. The lounge now offers a modern design, and it features floor-to-ceiling windows over views of the tarmac. The lounge features,
- Central long sofas along the wall opposite individual chairs with tables
- Dining-height tables near the buffet
- Bar seats facing aircraft
- Lots of rounded chairs
- A living room section with an electric fireplace
Lounge décor uses natural wood tones, light colors, occasional orange/red accents, and a lot of Chase-blue furnishings plus curated artwork and shelving.
The buffet features individually plated hot and cold items, and there’s a la carte ordering via QR code throughout the lounge (the standard Sapphire burgers, noodle dishes, etc.).
The bar offers the usual accompaniment of craft cocktails, non-alcoholic options, wine, and spirits. And there’s self-service coffee and tea. They could have done more with their coffee setup, to be honest.
The lounge actually has space that we don’t see, and that isn’t available to Chase guests. The former private Etihad Residence lounge is actually to the right of the front desk. That wasn’t demolished during the buildout or included in the larger lounge. Instead, it still exists.
Etihad Residence Lounge, 2016
Etihad kept exclusive control of that 350 square foot room. It’s separate from the rest of the 7,600 square foot lounge. Most of the time it remains locked. (The en‑suite shower that once sat inside the Residence lounge was rebuilt as one of the three public shower rooms just off the main restrooms, however.)
Staff open that side door when Etihad has a Residence or VIP passenger. It’s also used for back‑of‑house storage as I understand it, and that the airline can go weeks without using it.
Ultimately New York JFK is a rare instance where there is both a Sapphire lounge and a Centurion lounge, and the Centurion lounge is arguably better. The Amex lounge is twice the size and offers better coffee service and more varied food items.
@Gary – Why are all three credit card lounges in the same area? That seems like an extremely poor idea, packing them into one area rather than spreading out into different terminals. Was there simply no space elsewhere or are the existing lounges elsewhere so good that terminal four seemed like the best option?
Great review Gary. I assume Cap one lounge is the winner?
I’m taking a Tracon on American from JFK to LAX leaving at 3:30 from terminal eight. if I want to visit the cap one lounge, after I check in, how much travel time in addition to the 90 minutes in the lounge should I allow for the round trip, T8-T4 and back plus security at t8 (with clear and precheck) . I’m assuming you also made the track over to terminal eight after the lounge.
We are staying at the Hyatt at JFK so pretty easy to get over early. The wild card my wife is not a big lounge hopper and add may just want the flagship lounge. Thanks in advance.
As far as Sapphire lounges go, I’d say LGA and BOS are better than JFK. As far as JFK is concerned, if I don’t have access to DeltaOne, Centurion and Emirates would be my preferences at T4, and, if flying AA, of course, Chelsea, then Soho at T8. This Sapphire at T4 is quite small and underwhelming. Still, T4 has an abundance of options, so it’s really one of the best terminals in the country for lounges at the moment.
@Beachfan — I’ve never tried accessing a different terminal airside for a lounge at JFK, but if TSA will let you through, and if you have the time and interest to do so, I say, go for it. CapitalOne is brand new, and @L737 visited recently, spoke very highly of it. If T8 is your only option, I hope you get access to something better than the Admirals Club (on the other side of the tunnel), because that thing only has somewhat nice views (food is lacking).
I should have said Soho, not pflagship. Traveling in J.
@Beachfan — If you’re already AA Flagship Business transcon, I’d say, your wife is right; skip T4, enjoy Soho. Like, it’s got better food than Sapphire already anyway. And, save CapOne and the others for when you’re actually flying via T4. The AirTrain runs like every 5 minutes between terminals, and if you have CLEAR, T4 security is quick; of course, T8 only has PreCheck; unless it’s ‘crazy busy’ you probably can get between terminals in 10-15 minutes at most, and another 5-10 for security at each (again, if TSA lets you in at T4, and they may not, their discretion). If you really want to ‘hop,’ I think you’ll ‘pay the price’ if your partner just wants to ‘get to Soho and chill.’ You do you, hope it goes well, either way, and safe travels!
I was in this lounge 2 weeks backm flying F (but NOT Residence) out. It was ridiculously crowded. I finally found a table where I could sit and eat. A staff member came and tried to shoo me out of there to a pure chair area (with side table). I resisted and also mentioned that I was traveling F until he said that a family with a baby wanted to sit at the table. At that point, I gave it up.
No, he didn’t open the secret room. 350 square foot (especially if it’s got no windows ) isnt exactly Paradise, but it would be a relief after how crowded the place is; Couldn’t wait to board!
MY recollection is that Emirates lounge is much better. I was traveling F class then too, but I think J uses the same lounge
@Beachfan – actually i was flying delta jfk-austin, since the flight times were better.
I would say capital one > amex > chase [the rare instance where amex > chase] https://viewfromthewing.com/first-look-inside-capital-one-lounge-jfk/
Trains are every 7 minutes during the day, and travel time is 4 minutes on the train. Assume 3-5 minutes walking on each end to/from the stations. So probably 15-20 minutes between terminals. And of course clearing security an extra time. I’d board the first train that arrives – regardless of direction – since the loop is fairly short.
@Christian – a few things… mostly, they take the space they can get… Delta invested in space that was quite expandable for lounges. Amex focuses on a lot of Delta terminals at Delta’s insistence (Amex originally focused on places Delta didn’t have lounges, since Amex Platinum got Delta access, but Delta made them pivot due to crowding).
@Jon F — Yes, Emirates combines First and Business Class passengers at their JFK T4 lounge. It’s a decent lounge with good food. The only shame is that they have the built-in jet-bridge for boarding directly from the lounge to the second level of the a380 (on the west side), but EK rarely uses it.
And I haven’t forgotten your recent journey! Glad you made it back safely, even with the delays in AUH. Wild couple of weeks there!
Thanks Gary.
Where would you put SoHo in the rankings (for food, not liquor).
@Beachfan – SoHo food is the same as Greenwich (except for the QR code ordered items), pretty similar to Flagship lounge standard. I’d rate Capital One and even Chase ahead of it, though SoHo will have more choices.
Have to disagree with you Gary. The Sapphire lounge is much better than the Amex lounge. The Amex lounge at JFK feels so beat up. And the long space makes it seem smaller.
@1990, I’m still out of the country (in South Asia now). Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I’m still going to fly bad via the Middle East, likely Etihad. Although I’m doing to try and avoid Doha this time if for no other reason then that it means an additional hop.
I will say that Mumbai has a pretty nice airport. If Mumbai, even more crowded (the airport is iterally in the middle of a huge slum) than NYC (and poorer) can build a fantastic new terminal in place, there is no excuse for the perennial disaster that JFK is. It’s not like comparing with fabulously rich, autocratic, thinly populated Abu Dhabi or Qatar — of course those countries can build airtport taht are showpieces like AUH or Hamad. But so can Mumbai!
I mean ‘fly back via the Middle East’
@Beach Fan
I agree with your wife.
You may waste time taking the AirTrain back and forth from Terminals 4 and 8. The AirTrain is super-crowded these days because of massive construction at the airport. The AirTrain is half price this summer because parking and drop-off areas are more limited, and passengers are encouraged to use the AirTrain as a result. More are parking their cars near AirTrain stops now, and boarding with a lot of luggage. Luckily, there’s no construction at Terminal 8 and the passageway from the AirTrain stop to Terminal 8 isn’t bad.
I would stay in Terminal 8 and use the Flagship lounges there, right after TSA Security check. Flagship flights have their own check-in if you’re going First Class or are CK, and after a quick check in, you are escorted to a separate TSA line. I prefer the Soho Lounge because it is roomy and has a terrific view. The Greenwich Lounge is consistently more crowded and louder, in my personal experience. The Chelsea Lounge does have a champagne bar and a la carte dining, but there are no windows. The Chelsea and Soho Lounges’s elevator is by Gate 14. The Greenwich Lounge has it’s own elevator.
Even if the Soho food isn’t as customized as the Chelsea food, it’s better than anything you’ll get on the plane or the Admirals Club. I wouldn’t waste time at the JFK Admirals Club if you have access to the Soho and Chelsea.
I also think the sapphire lounge is better than the Amex lounge. QR ordering is much nicer than waiting 10 minutes at a bad quality buffet.
Sapphire lounge at JFK is much better than Amex lounge (as other commenters also note). I’ll take a made to order burger and champagne any day over the Amex buffet fare. It’s small but the staff do a good job managing the queue and actually seating you (which some may not like, but I think contributes to a premium feel). Staff are lovely as well.
Have not tried Capital One yet but looks great.
As for T8 – Soho looks nice visually and is comfortable to sit in, but the food is not good (95% equivalent to Greenwich and the Chase made to order is much better) and the staff are, um, off-putting? I’ve made the mistake of asking servers how their day was going…