These airport lounges are taking off.
Airport lounges are a great place to spend a layover or hang out if you have time to kill before a flight. While they’re mostly known for comfort, some lounges now offer top-tier dining experiences that have foodies flying high.
Experts at Dollar Flight Club have revealed several airport lounges around the world that stand out among the rest for their phenomenal food.
From Michelin-starred menus to regional specialties, some lounges introduce a new kind of pre-flight dining experience that will make flyers forget they’re in an airport.
Although New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport isn’t exactly a fan-favorite, flyers need to give credit where it’s due, considering the experts deemed one of the airport’s several high-end lounges to have some of the best world-class fare.
In Terminal 8 above Gate 14, the upscale Chelsea Lounge at JFK operates daily from 4:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The lounge’s food is curated by brilliant chefs affiliated with the James Beard Foundation. Some noteworthy menu options include curry sweet potato bisque, roasted salmon, olive oil cake, chilled English pea soup, rigatoni and more.
If people are looking for a pre-flight drink — you can sit at the champagne bar, located at the heart of the lounge. Of course, there is a wide selection of champagne offerings, but customers can also order just about any cocktail of their liking.
Sadly, the Chelsea Lounge is only offered to American Airlines passengers with Flagship First and Flagship Business Plus. British Airways First Class travelers on qualifying long-haul flights can access the lounge as they please. ConciergeKey members and British Airways Club Gold members are also granted access, according to the outlet.
Thankfully, this lounge isn’t the only swanky place to dine while waiting to board a flight at JFK — Capital One just opened its largest airport lounge last month.
The 13,500-square-foot space lives at Terminal 4. It offers cardholders delicious food — like a cheesemonger station and bodega-style deli — and 24-hour amenities.
“We really leaned into the New York area as inspiration in the design of the space,” Jenn Scheurich, vice president and head of Capital One Travel, Lounge, & Retail Experience, told Food & Wine magazine.
If you don’t own a Capital One card, but are flying Delta out of JFK — you can check out the 39,000-square-foot Delta One lounge.
In addition to spectacular offerings like luxurious spa treatments and on-location dry cleaning, travelers can fuel up before a flight with a delicious meal at the Brasserie restaurant, which offers dishes like corn agnolotti, hamachi crudo, steak tartare and Wagyu beef steak frites.
Aside from JFK — here are the other noteworthy lounges with delicious food offerings DFC included in their roundup.
Quantas First Lounge on level 5 of the LAX airport in Los Angeles has an à la carte restaurant with an open-style kitchen where guests can sneak a peek at the chefs making their Californian and Australian-inspired meals.
Qantas International First customers, eligible Qantas Frequent Flyer members and oneworld members can enjoy the lounge, according to the outlet.
Situated in the Flagship Lounge in Concourse D at the Miami International Airport is American Flagship First Dining.
Here, hungry travelers can enjoy South Florida meals like jumbo lump crabcake appetizers and masala-dusted salmon.
American Airlines passengers with Flagship First and Flagship Business Plus on qualifying international or transcontinental routes can access the lounge.
Flyers can also buy their way into this fine dining experience through a VIP package that’ll set them back $650 for the first person, $150 for each additional adult and $75 per child, as explained by the outlet.
The Air France La Première Lounge features unique dishes by Michelin-starred chefs that rotate seasonally.
This lounge is primarily for Air France La Première first-class passengers. However, business class travelers on long-haul Air France flights who have specifically flown La Première within the past year can purchase access if their aircraft lacks a first-class cabin.
Those who hope to buy their access will have to dish out around $1,070 per person, as explained by the outlet.
Istanbul Airport’s Turkish Airlines Business Lounge, located on the airside of the international departures floor, has an open layout where chefs prepare authentic Turkish dishes directly in front of the customer.
The lounge is available exclusively to international passengers. Business Class flyers with Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance Business Class ticket holders also gain complimentary access.
In Concourse A at Dubai International Airport, the Emirates First Class Lounge diners can enjoy delicious menu items like short ribs, baked dory fish, the Classic Wagyu Burger and fresh sushi, as well as baked goods from an on-site bakery.
The lounge is reserved for Emirates First Class passengers and Emirates Skywards Platinum members, though Qantas Platinum, Platinum One and Chairman’s Lounge members traveling on eligible Emirates flights are also able to gain access.
Paid access is also an option, which costs about $300 USD per person, or $250 for Emirates Skywards members.
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow in Terminal 3 has four different menus for diners throughout the day — breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea — yes, that’s a thing — and dinner.
Passengers with access to the clubhouse include passengers flying in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class, Flying Club Gold Members, Delta One members, Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Diamond members traveling in Premium, and Flying Blue Platinum members traveling in Premium.
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