Clubhouse

Hi Guys,

I apologise if this has been discussed before, but i thought i would jump in and ask my questions!

My partner and i are travelling to New York for my 30th on the 5th of May, and returning on Monday the 10th of May. We are travelling premium economy both ways.

I am pretty sure, correct me if i am wrong, the only way for us to gain access to the Clubhouse would be to purchase Virgin's guest list access. Without of course travelling Upper class. I don't really see the point of having the clubhouse going out (even though i have heard heathrow clubhouse is amazing!) as our flight is 9am, and i just feel by the time we have checked in, we would not get the time to really enjoy it to its maximum in the time.

That said, because our flight back from NY is 9.30 at night, i can see a good reason to spend 2-3 hours in the JFK clubhouse. A couple of questions. Is there anyway that i am missing to gain access other than being upper class or purchasing the guest list? And is the JFK Clubhouse on its own worth it?

Just as a side note, my partner and i used to travel a lot to the US for holidays, but recently had a child, so things have taken a back seat for a few years. This will be our first holiday, without our daughter, and although i want it to be special, i kinda have to be realistic on costs, if something is not worth it etc ?

Thank you for all your advice, and sorry its been so long since i last posted.

Warm Regards,
Ben

Hi Ben,

The options to enter the Clubhouse are:

• Fly in Upper Class
• Be Virgin Atlantic Gold or Delta Platinum or above
• Book the Guest List
• Be booked in PE and pay £65 per person (if space is available on the day). This is an unpublished entry method and does not seem to be offered to Economy tickets
• Be guested in by another Upper Class passenger. Requires the other passenger to be on the exact same flight as you.

If none of those appeal/apply then you might either consider No 1 Traveller Lounge (bookable via Virgin Atlantic for bonus miles) or simply spend the time in the terminal restaurants/bars.

For what it's worth, the Guest List provides more than just Clubhouse entry - there's the chauffeur transfer and the use of the Drive-Thru checkin, which in itself is a very special experience. If it's for your 30th it'd certainly be a great way to arrive in style! The LHR clubhouse opens at 6:30am, so you could, if you really wanted to - squeeze in a couple of hours there.

Sorry to put a dampener on this but I've never felt the Guest List is worth it. Sure, it's nice if you've got money to burn but it'll cost a minimum of £340 for the two of you and if, as you say, you're trying to keep a lid on costs I'd imagine that £340 could be far better spent elsewhere - eg on an amazing night out in NYC on your birthday.

At the end of the day you'd be spending £340 on a glorified taxi and a (very superior, admittedly) waiting room. I'd save your money.

I was in the JFK Clubhouse last November for a good few hours and whilst not as good as the LHR one I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt the staff and indeed the food were excellent.

Why don't you stay overnight in a hotel at the airport. It's a great way to start your holiday. With that, you'll be at the airport in plenty of time to enjoy the clubhouse.