Why would you want to visit the AA First Lounge?A solid, if unexciting, option if you’re flying first from T3
If you think of the world’s best lounges, they’re probably not run by AA. What the airline does well is produce lounges that are solid, reliable and tick a lot of boxes. The AA arrivals lounge in T3 isn’t stunning but it’s perfect. This lounge is equally useful to travellers, without winning any awards.
Why would you want to visit the AA First Lounge?
With so many other lounges in Terminal 3, there’s a question mark over why you would end up here. I’m guessing a lot of travellers on AA flights will assume that this is the only lounge they can access.
A business class ticket gets you into the BA lounge, Cathay Business lounge and Qantas. A First Class ticket will get you into the BA First Lounge, Cathay Pacific First Lounge and the Qantas Lounge, plus the business class lounges.
The reason why you would want to end up here is because the lounge is quieter than the others in T3. It’s also bigger than the Cathay First Lounge. The dining area is bigger than the BA First Dining. It’s really not a bad choice, especially if you just want somewhere to sit and eat.
Finding the AA First Lounge
We visited this lounge as part of a lounge-hopping morning at Terminal 3. I’ll be releasing more of the lounge reviews over the coming weeks.
Once you’re through security, follow the signs for the lounges. The AA lounges (both business and first) are past the main seating area, and you’ll find all the lounges in T3 are in a long row, making it easy to jump between them.
Getting into the AA First Lounge
This lounge is open to anyone flying in First Class with AA or another oneworld airline, plus anyone with oneworld Emerald status.
Business and First passengers use the same reception to check-in. You’ll be directed to a sliding door to your right to access the First lounge.
The lounge attendant who checks you in will open that door for you. It’s easy to miss if they don’t point you in the right direction. If you take too long to take a photo of the door, then it’ll close automatically, and you have to ask the attendant to open it a second time.
The first thing you’ll see when you enter the lounge is a table with pick-and-mix sweets. It’s a cute touch. Just before we left, my wife went over to grab some, but she couldn’t find anything to put the sweets into, so she came back with a champagne glass filled with jelly beans.
As you pass the sweet selection you’ll see a trolley with champagne options to your right. Walk straight ahead to get into the lounge, and keep walking straight on if you want to use the bathrooms. They’re at the far end of the lounge, on the left-hand side.
There are three zones in this lounge. A small a la carte seating area, with twelve tables, a long high table with bar stools next to the self-service food bar and then a more relaxed seating area by the windows at the far end of the lounge.
The views from the lounge are limited, but it’s still possible to plane-watch. I’m not sure if it was by luck or by design, but the first plane you can see out of the windows was an AA jet.
Food and drink at the AA First Lounge
The self-service food options are reasonable but limited. I’d say it’s the same across all the lounges in T3. Maybe I’ve been spoilt in T5, but it felt like the focus in T3 was quality over quantity. The options in the AA lounge covered most bases: hot English breakfast options like beans, sausage, and bacon.
There were also small containers of orange juice, and a berry smoothie was on offer, along with fruit salad and granola pots. Cereal and a selection of bread rolls and pastries were also on offer.
There was a fridge with soft drinks and beers, plus two coffee machines. I had a flat white, and it was a solid nine out of ten – one of the better coffees I’ve had in an airport.
We sat in the a la carte area and ordered the American-style pancakes with compote. They were delivered in nine minutes. It was a touch greasy, and the compote a little too thick, but overall, it was a really good breakfast. If I ended up in this lounge again for breakfast, I’d go for the same dish.
What I did find interesting was the volume of choice on the breakfast menu vs the lunch menu, which I’m guessing overlaps with dinner as the menu states that lunch runs up to 6:30pm. The breakfast side of the menu had eight options, whereas the lunch menu (active from 12 noon) had just three: Filet Mignon, Tuna Tataki and Mushroom Risotto. All solid choices, nevertheless.
Bathrooms and facilities
If you judge a lounge by its bathrooms – and some of the BA ones in Terminal 5 are screaming out for a refresh – then the ones in this AA are more than passable. They are perfectly clean and modern, and whilst they won’t win any awards, they are better than most airport bathrooms.
There are no showers in this lounge. There are showers next door in the Admirals Club, and if you can access the First lounge, you’ll be able to get into that lounge. There’s no direct connection between the lounges. You’ll have to go back to reception (and then back again when you want to return to the first lounge.
The lounge was pretty quiet, at its peak around 20% full. Service in the a la carte dining section was prompt – both taking our food order and the delivery of it.
Verdict on the AA First Lounge
I was pleasantly surprised by this lounge. It always helps if a lounge is quiet (it was) and if it’s more than just a room stuffed with chairs.
The AA lounge was an interesting place. There’s enough space and zones in this lounge in here to keep you entertained for a few hours. Perhaps eating in the dining area first and then heading over to the window for the more comfortable seats with views.
If you have a few hours to waste before a flight this is a good space to spend some time. The seating is comfortable, it’s well-spaced, and despite the colour scheme being a bit drab, it doesn’t feel too corporate.
Ratings for the AA lounge at T3
