British Airways is starting the next phase of their lounge reopening plan, which includes added guest enhancements. The carrier will reopen their Concord Room at New York-JFK and London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on September 1st, 2021.
On Tuesday (August 31, 2021), British Airways announced the reopening of the Concorde Room lounges on September 1st, 2021 at New York-JFK and London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Concorde Room lounges are specifically for guests traveling in First Class. As the carrier implements the next phase of their lounge reopening plan, guests will be delighted by several enhancements. British Airways has partnered with Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana), a renowned mixologist, who has created new bespoke cocktail menus, including two exclusive signature beverages. Additional enhancements include ‘surprise and delight’ lounge access for selected Bronze BA executive card holders, as well as the introduction of ‘Forty Winks’ sleep pods in both Concorde Room lounges. Concorde Room lounges have been closed since March 2020, and their reopening follows that of British Airways’ Flagship U.S. Lounge, which reopened at the beginning of August.
In today’s announcement, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, Tom Stevens, said,
“As we start to gradually welcome back customers, we want to ensure that they have the best experience possible with British Airways. We are looking at every element of the customer experience, from sleep pods and signatures cocktails in our newly reopened lounges, to roast dinners onboard and additional benefits for our card holders - we want flying with British Airways to be memorable. Our teams will continue to innovate, and we look forward to sharing more exciting developments with our customers over the coming months.”
British Airways Concorde Room at Heathrow Terminal 5 and Celebrated Mixologist Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana) - Courtesy British Airways
Global cocktail scene figurehead Mr Lyan’s menu includes seven cocktails, with two created specially crafted for British Airways in celebration of the airline’s heritage and iconic colleagues. The two bespoke cocktails are named the Barton and Lawford after the airline’s first female pilot, Lynne Barton, and Bill Lawford, British Airways’ very first pilot in 1919. The Barton and Lawford cocktails will be available in the Galleries Club lounges and First lounge.
Concorde Room guests will continue to receive table service across the lounge, while visitors to other lounges will benefit from the airline’s new digital ‘Your Menu’ service, allowing them to order food directly to their lounge seat using a QR code. As previously mentioned, British Airways will be surprising a number of Bronze Executive card holders on a daily basis with a taste of Silver Card benefits throughout September and October. The carrier will also be inviting members who are close to the next threshold to use one of the lounges at London Heathrow with a guest.
Source: British Airways