Recently my husband and I flew to Washington DC out of New York-JFK. It was an early flight, departing at 8:55AM on a Delta E175. Since we had some time to kill after security, we headed for the Chase Sapphire lounge in Terminal 4. We had been here once before in the evening, so a morning visit was something new to us. I thought I’d give my thoughts on this lounge in this post.
- Lounge choice at Terminal 4 is great, and keeps expanding
- Location of the Chase Sapphire lounge
- How to gain access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge
- Seating areas
- Food and drinks
- Other amenities
- Summary
Lounge choice at Terminal 4 is great, and keeps expanding
The truth is that there are a whole lot of lounges at Terminal 4. From the Amex Centurion lounge to a handful of airlines lounges, not in the least the new Delta One lounge and Delta SkyClub, there is a whole lot of choice for passengers. And choices are expanding, as a Capital One Lounge is also being constructed in Terminal 4, marking yet another linge that will comes with a popular rewards credit card. So, competition is pretty fierce – or at least, it would be if these lounges were about monetization – which I believe they are not. Various issuers are trying to one-up each other, trying offer ever better amenities, and us customers are reaping the rewards of that. As such, the more the merrier, for as far as I’m concerned!
Location of the Chase Sapphire lounge
This lounge is located beyond security, before going down the stairs to the main level of the concourse. After you pass through the security checkpoint, take an immediate left and keep walking. You’ll pass the Amex Centurion lounge first, and will find the Sapphire lounge right after it.
How to gain access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge
The Chase Sapphire Lounge is a little different in that it’s actually not entirely ‘it’s own’. This lounge was Etihad’s premium lounge, before being offloaded and taken over by Chase for its Chase Sapphire lounge network, in partnership with The Club. However, the collaboration with Etihad has continued, and their premium passengers gain access around the time of Etihad flight departures. Besides those, holders of a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card can access the lounge for free, with up to 2 guests per card. Further, if you have priority pass, you can access this lounge once per calendar year. Unfortunately, holders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card do not get access to the lounge, as per the lounge’s access rules.
Apply for the Chase Sapphire family (Preferred or Reserve) here!
Seating areas
The lounge is not all that big, but has a number of distinct seating areas, depending on what you’re in the mood for. When you enter, you will first enter a large bar area with comfortable chairs around smallish tables. These seats would be most comfortable to lounge with a drink, rather than working or eating. High-top stools are present along the bar, which itself is of a very nice, golden and marble design.
More traditional, higher chairs are arranged along the wall, with higher tables more comfortable for eating, rather. All the way to the right from the bar is a smaller, somewhat secluded area that allows more lounging options.
If you keep walking further into the lounge, you’ll arrive in a section that appears most fit for dining. Several tables are arranged along the terminal windows, from where you have an excellent view of the Terminal 4 airside ramp, with its bustling activity. If you like looking at the business outside, the tables at the window would be your bets bet, though I found these chairs to not be all that comfy. I also didn’t like how these tables were placed rather close to one another. However, on the other side, towards the wall, is a long couch with similar tables and chairs, which I thought was more comfortable. These tbales are larger and would sit a larger group of travellers.
At the end of this section is another area that seems most fit for lounging. However, being further away from the bar, this section was quite a bit quieter, with less people passing through. This may be a good place to do some work, or read a book.
Finally, backtracking a little and going left after the bar and turning left again, you’ll find a longish corridor with more tables and seats which seem best suited for dining or working. I didn’t particularly like this hallway, as it felt a bit claustrophobic to me.
So as you can see there are a variety of seating options throughout this lounge. It’s certainly not a big lounge and in my experience it can become somewhat crowded. However, I thought the design was thoughtful, with tables and seats that are tailored to different purposes depending on your intentions. I would guess that about half would work for dining, whereas the rest would be more for lounging purposes, or ends that don’t need an actual table.
Food and drinks
The food options of a lounge are a major part of the experience. Good food can really turn around the experience of a lounge. I’m happy to say that the Sapphire lounge at JFK does a good job on the food and drinks front. You’ll find that the experience is broken up into four areas: an (alcoholic) drinks bar, a casual (non-alcoholic) drinks and snacks buffet, a buffet with (small) cold and warm food options, and a QR code-accessed menu that allows you to order various foods from the kitchen.
The most prominent drinks ‘venue’ in the lounge is no doubt the bar, which is positioned front and center when you enter the lounge, with the terminal 4 apron as its backdrop. Sitting here with a cocktail no doubt is a fun way to pass the time. I’m not much of an expert when it comes to liquor and cocktails, but my impression was that this bar is well-stocked to suit anybody’s tastes. Since we were here between 7-8AM, it didn’t seem the bar was open, since the entire time that we were here I didn’t actually see anybody staffing the bar. However, on a previous flight, in the evening, my husband and I had both ordered the signature Sapphire cocktail, which was delicious.
Moving on, there is a self-service buffet with some pastries and such snacks, as well as cold and warm non-alcoholic drink options.
I tried some of the pastries and quite liked the chocolate croissants. There were also plain and a few almond croissants. The jar contained biscotti, and on a plate that was a little to the right, seen on the second picture, were also saran-wrapped apples. I thought the wrapping was a little odd, as it doesn’t particularly scream a premium experience, but there you go. Right next to the apples was a station with various kinds of cold drinks, including a tap that poured orange juice (on the far right on the first picture) and three large containers that poured ginger orange water (left), Harney and sons ‘Paris tea’ (middle) and Joe Coffee cold brew (right). And then to the right of this station was a fairly run-of-the-mill coffee machine with various options, as well as various thermos hot water, milk, etc.
Around the corner is what I’d consider the main event: the food buffet. This buffet primarily offers small plates, divided into three sections: the first two sections contain warm plates, whereas the last one offers select cold options. Much of these items rotate depending on time of day.
The warm options during this morning included a small pancake, what apears to be some kind of chickpea puree, a small borl of home-style fried potatoes, what I thought was turkey bacon of some kind, some tomato/cheese bread and mini-pita-like bread. Of these I only tried the pancake, which unfortunately was not too good. It was weirdly crispy, rather than soft. I probably should have had the potatoes instead!
The cold options included avocado toast (though the bread wasn’t actually toasted, it seems), a small bowl of yoghurt and a fruit bowl. I enjoyed the avocado toast and fruit bowl, and thought they were nice, refreshing options for a morning breakfast.
Finally, the last option is a little bit hidden: the made-to-order menu with a variety of warm and cold options spanning appetizers, mains and dessert, as well as a selection of alcoholic drinks that will be brought to your table from the bar or the kitchen. However, there are no signs or paper menus – rather you scan a QR code, available at every table. These appear to be unique as they contain an identifier that allows staff to recognize from what table you are ordering. This morning, the choices included a cheese and bacon bao, a salmon eggs benedict, a brownie, among a few more options. When we were here for an evening flight earleir in the year, the benedict was replaced by a delicious hamburger.
I much enjoyed the benedict, which did not come as a surprise. We had been here before around dinner time and had a very nice hamburger, so I was fully expecting the benedict to be quite tasty as well. Fortunately, it did not disappoint. I appreciated the modest portion size as well, since the morning is not a time when I can work down large portions of such meals. The poached egg was deliciously runny, and I enjoyed the greens on the side to add some freshness to the dish. I did not partake in the boa, but my husband said it was tasty as well.
Overall, I like the food at this lounge. I wouldn’t say all the options are consistently good, but you will certainly find a few dishes that should be to your liking. I also like how they try to cater to various pellets and dietary needs.
The one thing to note is that the service, meaning the waitstaff bringing food to your table, can sometimes be a little bit slow, and I sometimes ferlt as if they were not so sure that they were approaching the right table. They were never wrong, actually, and always delivered us what we had asked, even if usually ordered foods came through one at a time, rather than all at once. And to be clear, the waitstaff certainly is perfectly nice and generally friendly.
Other amenities
In terms of other amenities, of course there is complimentary wifi available, and it is easy to access it. The lounge also offers a shower. I did not check these out myself, since I had no need for it, and it doesn’t seem they need to be specifically reserved. It seems you could just go in whenever you’d like. The restrooms were otherwise kept very clean, and while we were there there was in fact a janitor hanging around who seemed to be keeping an eye on the cleanliness.
Summary
The Chase Sapphire Lounge JFK Terminal 4 is a great lounge, with good food, nice drinks, and comfortable seating options. We had a relaxing time both occasions that we visited. However, it is a little on the small side and during peak hours there may be a wait to get inside. Case in point, for our first visit, around 8pm, we had to wait about 30 minutes to enter. The silver lining is that the staff ensures that the lounge does not become overcrowded, although it will understandably get busy. So, depending on the time of your flight, be prepared for a wait. But once you enter, you should be able to find a spot and enjoy the complimentary food and drinks.
Points to Seats 
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