American Airlines celebrated the opening of its new Flagship Lounge and Flagship First Dining facilities on Wednesday, January 17 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), offering customers several options to dine, relax and get ready for long journeys.
Suzanne Boda, American’s Senior Vice President – Los Angeles, joined Sean Burton, President of the Los Angeles World Airports’ Board of Commissioners to officially cut the ribbon on the more than 14,500-square-foot space.
“The opening of the Flagship Lounge and Flagship First Dining are the latest evidence of our increasingly strong position in Los Angeles,” Boda said. “We are setting ourselves apart from the competition by becoming the only domestic carrier to offer a sit-down dining experience at LAX.”
With the opening of Flagship First Dining, American customers can now enjoy a sit-down meal before boarding their flights — the first product of its kind at LAX. The newly renovated Flagship Lounge offers customers high-quality food and drink options and the space to unwind while waiting for their flight.
“As our West Coast gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, Los Angeles is where many of our customers begin long flights either internationally or across the U.S.,” Boda said. “We are proud to offer best-in-class lounge and dining options at the start of their journey.”
American’s renovations to its Flagship Lounges and its Flagship First Dining are part of a $200 million investment in the luxury travel experience. At LAX, dedicated investments include a new Admirals Club in Terminal 5, a refurbished Admirals Club in Terminal 4 and, now, the new Flagship Lounge and Dining in Terminal 4.
American is the largest carrier at LAX with more than 200 daily flights on peak days to 70 destinations on five continents. Last year, the airline announced that it would be investing more than $1.5 billion in improvements at LAX Terminals 4 and 5 for its customers and nearly 7,000 team members who work there.
“Building a world-class airport requires strong airline partners like American Airlines, and we are thrilled by the investment they are making at LAX,” Burton said. “Reimagining and modernizing our airport is just as much about creating exceptional amenities as it is about new construction, and the American Airlines Flagship Lounge is an example of the first-class facilities that travelers can expect from LAX.”
Since 2015, American has added service to 24 new destinations from LAX, including Sydney, Auckland, Hong Kong, Tokyo Haneda and, as of last November, nonstop service to Beijing. More than 500 new team members, including Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking flight attendants and customer service agents, have joined American at LAX since 2016.
Flagship Lounge
The Flagship Lounge at LAX allows customers flying in international First Class or Business Class or on nonstop transcontinental flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) to unwind, work or refresh before their flight with quiet rooms and showers. Customers will enjoy a range of food options including a robust hot and cold food buffet and a chef action station with freshly made-to-order dishes. They can pair their meals with premium wine, champagne, and spirits, or a refreshing drink from our “build your own cocktail” station.
Flagship First Dining
Customers traveling in First Class on qualifying international flights or on nonstop transcontinental flights to JFK will have exclusive access to Flagship First Dining, located within the Flagship Lounge. The tableside restaurant experience will offer customers complimentary, full-service dining with seasonal, locally-inspired dishes and drinks.
The LAX menu will feature ingredients from local purveyors and American’s signature Flagship Burger, as well as specialty cocktails designed by renowned New York mixologist Pamela Wiznitzer.
In addition to the LAX lounge, this year new Flagship Lounges have opened in Miami (MIA), New York Kennedy (JFK) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD), and Flagship First Dining has opened at MIA and JFK.