British Airways has announced that it has reopened Concorde Room at London Heathrow and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport as part of its phased lounge reopening plan.
Concorde Room reopens
Passengers flying in British Airways First Class from London and New York are once again in for a treat. The airline has reopened its famous Concorde Room with a number of enhancements.
The reopening of the airline’s two exclusive lounges, both of which have remained closed since March 2020, follows swiftly in the footsteps of the airline’s flagship US lounge at New York – JFK, that started to welcome back passengers from the start of August.
To coincide with both Concorde Rooms opening their doors once again, British Airways has introduced a new exciting cocktail menu, created exclusively for the airline by Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana), a figurehead in the global cocktail scene. He has carefully created an array of elegant cocktails for passengers to enjoy depending on their individual tastes and preferences, ahead of their flight.
The new menu contains 7 cocktails, with two unique British Airways serves designed in celebration of the airline’s heritage and iconic colleagues. The two special cocktails are named the Barton and Lawford after Lynn Barton, the first female British Airways pilot, and Bill Lawford, the first ever British Airways pilot in 1919. The London-based carrier states that the menu has been designed with a focus on the best of British seasonal ingredients that specifically embrace ‘in-flight’ and wind pollinated flavours. The Barton and Lawford will also be available in the Galleries Club lounges and First lounge.
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Passengers in the Concorde Room will continue to receive table service across the whole lounge. Passengers visiting other lounges will also benefit from using the airline’s new digital ‘Your Menu’ service which allows them to order food from the menu directly to their seat in the lounge with the use of a QR code close to them.
The airline will also be surprising a number of its Bronze Executive card holders on a daily basis in September and October with the taste of Silver Card benefits. British Airways will be inviting those who are close to the next threshold to use one of the airline’s lounge at Heathrow with a guest.
Tom Stevens, Director of Brand and Customer Experience, British Airways, 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.
Other enhancements to the passenger experience also includes the introduction of ‘Best of British menus’ on board the airline’s flights, focusing on seasonal ingredients and British provenance, ‘taking customers on a culinary journey across the British Isles’. The airline recently announced that the first edition of the carefully curated menus will include a traditional roast with all the trimmings.
British Airways passengers using the airline’s Concorde Room will also have access to the new ‘Forty Winks’ EnergyPods, to get some pre-flight shuteye if they wish to. Concorde Room passengers will be able book an EnergyPod via dedicated hosts, request a time to be woken and choose a hot beverage to enjoy after their rest. Water and hot towels will be provided to add to the refreshing awakening experience.
Meanwhile, Buy-On-Board has returned to British Airways’ short-haul flights and has also announced four new routes out of Belfast. The airline has reopened its First Class lounge at New York JFK for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began and has increased flights between India and London following a surge in demand. British Airways has also resumed flights to Phoenix, Arizona.
Featured image by British Airways
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