Flying in April on AA frequent flyer business class tickets. Our return trip from Milan is MXP to LHR on BA, then a 4 1/2 hour layover, then return to PHX on AA via DFW. Question: during that layover, can we use the Admirals Club (or whatever it is called)?

Yes you can use the lounge. They will usually give you special tickets when you check in on the first leg. We have used the BA lounge in LHR on our way to India using FF miles and also in Ord on AA using FF miles for business class. The BA lounge in LHR is pretty sweet-showers,etc. Have fun!

Here are a couple of links that will help you.

The first one relates to elibibility.

http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...ungeAccess.jsp

Remember that if you are flying Int'l Business class, you have total eligibility for ALL Admirals Clubs, including all domestic ACs.

If you like to have a drink or so, when you are checking in, hit up the ticket agent for free drink chits. Do the same at the Admirals Club front desk. If you don't use them up on the way over, use them on the way back. Usually, the DFW AC folks are very nice about chits.

Alcohol is no charge at LHR. It is self service. The lounge at LHR is pretty nice, but not spectacular.

Here is a link to where AA clubs are. Find your airport(s). Click on the link for each airport to see where the ACs are located in the respective terminals.

http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...ations.jsp#CDG

So it sounds like we can use the AC at LHR> Basically just looking for a good place to hang out and kill time in LHR since we have a long layover.

Having flown through LHR on FF Business Class more than 10 times, that is a big yes!

The other good benefit is ability to visit all of the ACs in all of the domestic legs of your flight.

You are pretty much away from the maddening crowds of an airport, be it LHR, PHX or DFW.

Don't get too mellow at an AC. I almost missed a connection once because I didn't realize there was a schedule change. Talk to the front desk. At every AC I've been to, the front desk folks are most helpful.

Forget the AC at LHR. Worst OW lounge there.

Instead go to JL Lounge. Just around the corner, much better lounge. Your business BP will get you in.

So with an AA business class boarding pass, I can use a OneWorld partner lounge?

This is from www.oneworld.com

You must show your ticket or boarding pass and/or your current frequent flyer membership card to gain entry to any lounge.


Lounge Access by Class of Travel
Customers flying First or Business Class have access to the equivalent class of lounge regardless of their frequent flyer status. (First Class passengers may be accompanied by one guest travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld airline).

Customers flying in Economy class on the domestic or intra-European segment to connect to or from a oneworld longhaul First or Business Class flight can also use the lounge applicable to the class in which they are travelling the longhaul segment.

Exception: American Airlines AAdvantage® Program members, regardless of their tier status, may not use lounges when travelling solely on North American itineraries (defined as within or between the USA, Canada, Mexico [except Mexico City], the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean). In these cases, access rules are governed by American Airlines' own rules (ie paid lounge-access membership).

We were at the Admirals Club in Terminal 3 at LHR on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. I think it is lounge H. It is being renovated so the entrance has been moved and the interior space has been reduced quite a bit. Drinks are free; we had screwdrivers and bloody marys that we mixed ourselves. The only food that we found between 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM consisted of: croissants, packaged cake slices, cookies, crackers, and trail mix.

I hope the renovations will be completed before your visit in April.

The Admirals Club lounge was being renovated when we were there in December 2008, and because seating was scarce the hostess sent us instead to the (much nicer!) Flagship lounge. After a bit of arguing with the hostess there, who seemed determined to turn us away despite her colleague's instructions, we were allowed in and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was more like the BA lounge in Terminal 1 in terms of comfort and food.

Then again, there's the AA Admirals Club lounge at DFW, which has showers and seating but very little else.

Once again, forget the LHR AA lounges.

Enjoy the beautiful JL lounge.


btw <b>Underhill</b>, the D terminal AA lounge in DFW is a wonderful lounge.

Thanks. Any lounge at all is better than waiting in the general area, I'm sure. I appreciate your replies and advice.

I don't think we were in the Terminal D lounge--I remember one that was distinctly better than the one we were in, and D is probably it.

This is great! I'll be flying HNL-LAX-LHR in First Class--what is the difference between the First Class lounge and the AAdmirals Club?

Admirals Club is less fancy and offers fewer food options. But in both you get free drinks. The Flagship Lounge is the one for first-class passengers, and it's very nice.