REVIEW: New Jersey No 1 Lounge (British Airways new lounge)

We previously reported on the closure of the BA lounge at Jersey after the No. 1 Lounge opened in July, and BA changed its designated lounge to No. 1. The BA Jersey lounge was comfortable, but it didn’t have much else going for it, with very limited food options and restricted views.

Huge thanks to my lovely friend Katie for the photos (IG: @katie.in.london – follow for food and travel content).

Location, access and hours

The lounge is open from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. It is situated after security, on the upper level of the main departures area, before proceeding to the gate area. After security, turn left and take the stairs or the lift to the next floor.

You can access it in Club Europe, or with oneworld/BA status or Priority Pass, DragonPass, and Lounge Pass. To secure your place, you can pre-book through Priority Pass for £6 or use your complimentary Amex Platinum credits.

You can also book direct and pay for entry, which costs £28 for 1.5 hours and £38 for 3 hours. The 3-hour stay provides guaranteed Delay Cover, allowing you to stay in the lounge if you are delayed beyond the 3-hour limit & Fast Track Security. 

Facilities

The lounge looks very inviting with plenty of natural light through a conservatory-style roof, which gives a lovely, bright space. There is currently some scaffolding around the outside, which slightly hinders the view, but it should be stunning with views of the airfield and the sea when that comes down.

The main area is the Orangery, where the bar and food are situated, which is a light-filled space with lots of greenery. The lounge certainly feels a lot more premium and modern than the old BA lounge.

There are two other areas, the Library, which is the quiet space, and the TV room.  The only real issue with the lounge is the lack of normal height tables suitable for working. There are some high and normal height tables in the Orangery, but this is the busiest space with people eating and not ideal for working. Other areas have low tables. There were plenty of seats available when we visited, although November is traditionally the quietest month for travel.

They were previously offering private rooms for booking by groups, but there is no mention of this option now on the No. 1 website. 

There are no showers but it’s unlikely many people connect at Jersey. The toilets look very premium, though, with spacious individual rooms that include hand wash and hand lotion, so you could at least get changed if you needed to.

Food and drink

This is a significant improvement over the old BA lounge. Here, you can see the sample menus, which were essentially what was served during our visit. The only difference was that not all of the listed drinks were available; however, there was also a Whitley Neill 0.0% Alcohol-Free Rhubarb & Ginger Spirit. There was a reasonable selection of low-alcohol options, but the soft drinks could have been improved, rather than just a soda fountain and a few mixers. Water came from a tap, which is becoming the norm for lounges now.

Breakfast

Bakery Selection 

• Pork Bacon & Cheese 
• Croissant Tomato & Cheese Croissant (V)
• Danish Pastry Selection (V)
• Ciabatta (V)
• Assorted Jams (V)
• Jersey Butter (V) 

Continental Breakfast

• Porridge (Ve) with a selection of toppings: Desiccated Coconut (Ve), Raisins (Ve), Brown Sugar (Ve) 
• Muesli (Ve)
• Cornflakes (V)Jersey Milk (V)
• Apricot & Granola Yoghurt Parfait (V)
• Fruit Bowl (Ve)
• Blackforest Gateau Overnight Oats (V)
• Berry Smoothie (Ve)
• Tropical Smoothie (Ve)

Rest of the day

Hot & Cold Dishes

• Soup of the Day (V or Ve) with a selection of toppings
• Tomato, Feta & Basil Pasta (V)
• Chicken & Pork Bacon Caesar Wrap 
• BBQ Chicken & Coleslaw Wrap
• Roasted Vegetable & Houmous Wrap (Ve)

Salads & Grazing

• Garden Salad (Ve)
• Summer Barley Salad with Mint & Feta (V)
• Houmous & Crudites (Ve)
• Olives (Ve)
• Roasted & Salted Nuts (Ve)
• Cheddar Cheese (V)
• Red Onion Chutney (V)
• Crackers (Ve)
• Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar (Ve)
• Ciabatta (V)
• Jersey Butter (V)

Sweet Treats 

• Blueberry Mini Muffins (V)
• Digestive Biscuits (V)
• Mini Jam Doughnuts (V)

Drinks

The bar is tended, but you can help yourself to hot drinks and soft drinks. The selection of wine is a bit low-end for my tastes, but I like the wide choice of spirits and the fact that they offer free fizz, as well as the option to purchase something a bit better. Alcohol is only served from 7 am due to local licensing laws.

Standard drinks available:

Coffee

• Cappuccino
• Latte
• White Coffee
• Americano
• Black Coffee
• Espresso
• Decaffeinated Coffee
• Hot Chocolate

Tea

• English Breakfast
• Earl Grey
• Chamomile
• Peppermint
• Green Tea

Soft Drinks & Mixers  

• Smooth Orange
• Juice Cloudy
• Apple Juice
• Cranberry Juice
• Pepsi
• Diet Pepsi
• R Whites Lemonade
• Tango
• Orange
• Schweppes Tonic
• Canada Dry Ginger Ale

Wine Selection 

Red 

• Syrah, ‘L’Or du Sud’, Pays d’Oc, Vignobles Foncalieu
• Merlot, ‘L’Or du Sud’, Pays d’Oc, Vignobles Foncalieu
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Cantina Trevigiana

White  

• Pleno Blanco, Navarra, Bodegas Principe de Viana
• Garda Bianco, Lamberti
• Pinot Grigio, Dry River

Rose 

Syrah Rose, ‘L’Or du Sud’, Pays d’Oc, Vignobles Foncalieu

Sparkling 

• Jules Larose, Blanc de Blancs, Brut
• Cantini Trevigiana Rose Prosecco 

Champagne

Champagne is available to purchase in the lounge.

• Baron de Beaupre, Brut 
• NV Moet Imperial, Moet & Chandon  
• NV Rose Imperial, Moet & Chandon 

Spirits 

Vodka 

• Smirnoff Vodka
• La Mare Royal Vodka (Jersey)

Rum 

• Captain Morgan White Rum
• Captain Morgan Original
• Captain Morgan Dark Rum
• Malibu

Gin 

• Gordon’s Gin
• Sea Level London Dry Gin (Jersey)
• Sea Level Pink Gin (Jersey)

Whisky 

• Famous Grouse Whisky
• Jim Beam Bourbon
• Johnnie Walker Black Label

Liqueurs & Other 

• Baileys
• Disaronno Amaretto
• Southern Comfort
• Aperol
• Pimm’s

Non-Alcoholic  

• Caleno Light n Zesty Non-Alcoholic Spirit
• Caleno Dark n Spicy Non-Alcoholic Spirit

Beers & Ciders 

• Coor’s Lager
• Aspall’s Cyder 
• Liberation IPA 
• Becks Blue 0.05%

Conclusion

This is a beautifully designed lounge with plenty of space and decent food options. There is a wide choice of wines, although I’d class most of them at the lower end of quality. It is good to see that there is free fizz too, but the range of spirits is very good. Definitely worth a visit and the 3-hour option with the delay guarantee could be useful when the regular fog descends onto Jersey.