On my recent Amsterdam to Las Vegas trip, I found myself at London Heathrow without a boarding pass for my flight to LAX. I was told by British Airways in Amsterdam that they could not issue my London LHR to Los Angeles boarding pass and I would need to get it at London Heathrow. That turned out to be a pain in the ass as I went through a couple of security checks upon arrival in London with no onward flight boarding pass in hand and ended up wasting about 30 minutes of my transit time dealing with American Airlines staff.
After two unsuccessful American Airlines staff encounters to get my boarding pass, I was eventually directed to go the Admirals Club lounge and get my AA boarding pass there. Turned out the boarding pass issue was the need for me to sign a paper authorizing the removal of one SWU from my account for my upgraded flight to business class. I am not sure why it did not happen automatically?
The LHR Admirals Club front desk staffer eventually took my passport and boarding pass from Amsterdam and buzzed me into the American Airlines Flagship Lounge, while the upgrade issue was processed. I had been waiting at the counter for about ten minutes. About ten minutes after entering the Flagship Lounge, an announcement called me back to the desk where I finally received a boarding pass for the LHR-LAX and LAX-LAS flight segments.
American Airlines Flagship Lounge Terminal 3 LHR
Lunchtime at London Heathrow Terminal 3 AAdvantage Lounge
On my last three trips through London LHR I have used the British Airways Galleries Lounges in Terminal 5. This was my first visit to the American Airlines Admirals Club/Flagship Lounge in LHR Terminal 3.
The Flagship Lounge is reserved for First Class ticket holders and Oneworld Emerald members (AAdvantage Executive Platinum members). I did not go into the Admirals Club section of the lounge.
Dining area of American Airlines Flagship Lounge LHR Terminal 3
Lunch menu read like a foreign language to me.
- Mediterranean mezze
- House cured gravlax plate
- Carrot and radish remoulade, wild rocket
- Heritage beetroot and quinoa salad
Mezze, gravlax, remoulade? Beetroot and quinoa are the only dish names I comprehend. My lack of culinary terminology even extended to the soup selections. The links are wikipedia pages for other culinary terminology idiots like me.
Soups of the day:
- Truffled celeriac
- Potato and sweetcorn chowder (now that sounds American)
Entrée
- Lamb rogan josh and aromatic pilau rice
Normally I do not eat red meat, but lamb rogan josh looked like the most appealing and filling food item to me for lunch after little to eat since waking up six hours earlier in Leiden, Netherlands.
There was also the option of ordering a meal from the menu.
Breakfast Menu served until 6:30 to 11:45am:
- Eggs Benedict
- Deluxe Full English Breakfast Bap (bacon, sausage, tomato and fried egg, toasted brioche bun)
- Eggs and toast
- American pancakes
- Avocado and scrambled eggs
Lunch Menu served 12:00 – 16:00
- Braised pork cheek, smoked garlic mash, glazed carrots.
- Goats cheese and Romanesco Mac ‘n’ Cheese
- Treacle tart
- Cinnamon ice cream
Magazine rack with toilets and shower in back.
Business center in AA Flagship Lounge LHR T3
There were probably 40 or so other seats in the lounge. People were spread out in different areas of the lounge and I make every effort not to include people in my photos, so this is the only guest-free angle I could snap.
There are also two small rooms back from the dining area with large screens for watching movies. Both rooms were empty when I was there. I had photos of these rooms on my phone, but somehow lost them in my photo transfer. You can see a photo of the movie rooms on One Mile a at a Time in the link below.
Overall, from what I have read in lounge reviews and comments on One Mile at a Time and Travel Codex, most flyers prefer the Terminal 3 British Airways Galleries Lounge or the Qatar Airways Cathay Pacific lounge is often cited as the best choice for OneWorld flyers in Terminal 3. I’ll see if I can visit those lounges next week when I pass through LHR Terminal 3 again. (According to reader comment below, Cathay Pacific lounge is currently closed).
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