American Airlines brings grab-and-go lounge to New York’s JFK

American Airlines is planning to open a new grab-and-go lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport by the end of this year, its first new facility at the airport in more than four years as it continues its fight for high-paying customers to close a profit gap with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

The new lounge, a 3,700-square-foot space, will include a barista bar with hot and iced coffee drinks as well as hot and cold food travelers can grab.

Airlines have been adding more of these short-visit lounges in recent years to give credit card holders and big spenders access to spaces without crowding larger airport clubs. United announced its first in late 2022, for Denver International Airport.

Airlines and credit card companies alike have raised the entry requirements or scaled back on freebies like guest passes to avoid overcrowding.

American opened the first of its grab-and-go lounges, which it calls Provisions, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, last year.

American operates out of JFK’s Terminal 8, which is shared by its Oneworld Alliance partners, Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways and others.

It has a trio of high-end lounges for business-class travelers, first-class passengers and other frequent flyer elites for long-haul trips, which the airline opened there in 2022. It also operates an Admirals Club there that is used more for lounge membership customers. American hasn’t updated its New York space lately like it has with those in other cities like Chicago and Austin, Texas.