British Airways Galleries Chicago Lounge
After the rush of Chicago, it is a delight to know that there is a decent British Airways lounge at the airport. Indeed, there are two, for there is also a separate small First Class lounge, and it is one of the few locations outside London where you'll also find a separate First dining room.
Chicago British Airways Galleries lounge review
It pays to go prepared, for at Chicago the BAsetup is a bit odd, but with a really go-ahead BA team who genuinely go the extra mile laying on many more facilities than you might expect for the two (occasionally three) daily flights. For this reason (and the inflight service), many passengers prefer taking the BA flights over the much more regular AA services.
For a start British Airways flights from Chicago leave from the new Terminal 5, a quiet hush & world away from the manic AA terminal. Alas, there is little in this terminal apart from the two BA lounges, which are quite separate, on opposite sides of the concourse. Indeed, the British Airways Lounge Chicago is your only drinking option (apart from the SAS and JAL lounge) unless you want to visit the rather dowdy Host Bar. From the First lounge you even have the delight of boarding straight from the lounge.
The main Business Class British Airways Terraces lounge at Chicago ORD is both a welcome retreat, and a dingy hole. The main problem is the lack of natural light: not for nothing is it known to regulars as 'the cave', for that is exactly how it appears, as you walk through a sequence of small underground rooms. Starting at reception, on your left is the Club dining room, then there is a small blank door for the First dining room.
Further in are the bathrooms on the right, and then the main room, with 10 or so chairs and the only sofa in the place, and the usual curvy bar at the far end. Wiggle around this, and there are more seats down the corridor, then the computer shelf is straight ahead, left of this is the quiet room, three glass topped round tables, another (wall-mounted) bar, and finally at the far end the TV room, which is where families normally camp out.
Chicago British Airways First lounge review
The First Class lounge at Chicago is a little bit like a corridor stuck on the side of the airport terminal. This isn't a bad thing, as it has the joy that the Terraces on the other side doesn't have: windows.Great big floor to ceiling windows. Alas, other than that, it really is just long and thin, with just enough seating for twenty people: twelve in business, and a few more oneworld Emeralds. As a result, it can be hard to find a seat where you're not intruding on other passengers. To make it worse, sticking into the lounge is a huge curved wall behind the reception desk. This is used for a bank of phones, which makes it clear how long it is since this lounge was updated. Never the less, there is a very cosy atmosphere in here, particularly when all the BA staff at the outstation gather to wish passengers goodbye, as you walk straight from here onto the jetbridge: a real rarity Chicago, that requires you to hold a special laminated card.
Food in the First Class section at the BA ORD lounge is however restricted to just a few sandwiches, plus the usual slabs of cheese, crisps, packets of Orios and M&Ms and some addictive stem ginger biscuits. This is because in First you can use the First Dining room for full five course pre-flight dining. The First Dining room is however not in this lounge - it's over the concourse and in the middle of the main terraces lounge. To find it ask at the desk and you'll be admitted through the hidden door into a very small room with just eight tables. It's waiter service, but service is very slow. However in this dining room is where the really good wines are hidden, in the small refectory, and here there is also a small guest book.
The British Airways First Class lounge in Chicago of course has a bar, which is slightly uprated from the Terraces side. It has a bottle of the same Sparkling Wine you'll find onboard, as well as a couple of other whites, and two very good reds. There is a notably good selection of whisky. The lounge used to have 37.5cl bottles of Veuve Clicquot to help yourself with - alas, these are no longer here. Beer is naturally in the fridge below the counter, and includes some unusual Chicago varieties.
Food
Food at the British Airways Chicago Lounge is great. Because the two (or sometimes three) flights from Chicago leave late at night, and land early in the morning, most of them are designated as sleeper services, which means there is a large, good, pre-flight dining room. Indeed, there is a new theatre style kitchen is in place, where you can see food cooked in front of you.
The pre-flight supper can be quite filling, and they also do a nice in Salads as starters. There is also a soup of the day. Having said that, if all you want are sandwiches, they are left on the counter top by the main bar, and there are also racks of crisps, cheese, biscuits, and occasionally chocolate bars.
Bar
The bar is surprisingly good, with three good whites in the trough in the middle of the main curvy bar. There are two other bars one in the main room, and one in the back room, which are pretty similar. They are well known because of the unusual types of beer that are stocked, with eight different types of north American oddities, in bottles. There is normally a beer of the month promotion too: not that you have to pay for it. On the counter top are 15 types of free pour spirits, including Baileys, Pimms, Campari, Martini (3 types) Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Red Label.Business Facilities
All the PCs have been removed.Bathrooms
There is a bathroom in the lounge, but it is as small and dingy as the rest of the lounge. Newspapers are good, with most of the UK selection, and there is also a small magazine rack by the wavy bar, and in the dining room. There is free wifi.Access
First and Business Class British Airways, Gold and Silver members of Executive Club oneworld Emerald and Sapphire frequent flyers. Many Chicago BA passengers connect from AA, and to avoid the hassle of clearing security again, there is an airside bus transfer from Chicago Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 for passengers going through to Heathrow. It isn't very well publicised, but leaves from Terminal 3 gates G16 and K20 (right by the AA Flagship lounge). It leaves at x:40 and x:10 every 30 minutes, and is even a logoed BA bus, dropping you off at the foot of the M14 jetway. Alas, it doesn't work in the reverse direction.
View photos of British Airways Galleries Chicago LoungeChicago Airport Guide
| British Airways Galleries Chicago Lounge | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rating |
Image gallery by Loungeindex.com
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| Location | Terminal 5 airside, between gates M11 and M12 | |
| Terminal | 5 | |
| Opening hours | 1400-2035 | |
| Access | First and Business Class British Airways, Gold and Silver members of Executive Club oneworld Emerald and Sapphire frequent flyers | |