Yet another airport lounge is coming to John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York City, this time from the folks at Capital One.
Capital One announced Tuesday it's planning to open one of its branded lounges in Terminal 4 at JFK for travelers with *venture x* and *venture x business* credit cards. The lounge will be located in the Retail Hall, and at 13,000 square feet, it will be Capital One's largest airport lounge yet, according to a news release.
An opening date for the new lounge has not yet been announced. Capital One did not immediately respond to Thrifty Traveler's questions.
This will be Capital One's first foray into New York City, and its fifth lounge in the United States. Capital One has already opened lounges in Dallas (DFW), Washington, D.C. (IAD), and Denver (DEN), with another new location in the works at Las Vegas (LAS), too. While not a true airport lounge, a Capital One Landing restaurant concept is also planned for nearby New York City-LaGuardia (LGA) and at Washington, D.C.-Reagan (DCA).
The lounge will mimic many of the most popular aspects of Capital One's other locations. It will include a full-service coffee bar, grab-and-go food, complimentary food and drinks, shower suites, power outlets at every seat, free Wi-Fi, and more, according to the release.
Read our full guide to finding and accessing Capital One Lounges!
Like all lounges, this Capital One location at JFK will have some local flavor with an in-lounge bodega providing coffee and bagels and a “specially trained cheesemonger” offering local cheeses from the Hudson Valley. Capital One is partnering with local mixologists, coffee roasters, and bakeries for the new lounge and a brewery where the bank will forward its “Perfect Airport Beer” program, which is a brewer challenge to create the perfect airport beer to be exclusively served at the lounge.
Art and design elements will also nod to New York City, including numerous glass sculptures and original artwork made from wood, acrylic, silkscreen prints, paintings, and textile pieces from local artists.
Capital One's latest announcement inches – and I mean inches – the bank closer to its credit card company peers American Express and Chase when it comes to lounge offerings. Amex Centurion Lounges have long been the leaders in the premium lounge game, with Chase bolstering its lineup of lounges in the past few years as well for its top cardholders.
Amex currently has 16 Centurion Lounges (14 in the U.S.) as well as several other, smaller “Escape Lounges” under the Amex umbrella. Two new Centurion lounges – one in Newark (EWR) and one in Washington, D.C. (DCA) – are in the works as well. Meanwhile, Chase has four active Sapphire Lounges in Boston (BOS), Hong Kong (HKG), New York (LGA), and JFK – plus six others planned across the U.S.
Capital One is clearly behind: It currently has just three lounges open, with two more in the works. That said, Capital One's lounges are exceptionally nice inside – plus, the bank has been implementing anti-crowding strategies for its clubs that seem to be working far better than what you'll experience at competitors.
Whenever it opens, this new JFK Capital One Lounge will join a Murderer's Row of lounge options inside the airport's Terminal 4. It'll be the tenth lounge!
That includes the Amex Centurion at JFK as well as the recently opened Chase Sapphire Lounge nearby. But there are also two (and soon, three!) Delta Sky Clubs, an Emirates Lounge, a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, and several other Priority Pass options spread across the terminal.
Featured image courtesy of Capital One.
