One of the nicest things to be able to do after a long haul overnight flight is to have a shower which is, I guess, the point of an arrivals lounge. I could have tried the American Airlines arrivals lounge when I flew back from Miami last year, but as I was travelling with my wife we wanted to get back home.

The lounge is open from 0500 – 1430 and is accessible to any passengers arriving on American in First or Business, passengers with AAdvantage Executive Platinum,  ConciergeKey, or oneworld Emerald regardless of cabin and guesting is not permitted. You can also use it if you are flying in on one of the BA flights that use T3 in Business, First or as a oneworld Emerald.

The first thing I did was head for a shower. Very much like the BA Arrivals Lounge in T5, there is a suite of showers and you are directed to one of them. However the quality is in stark contrast. The rooms are big, well equipped and clean.

The toiletries are plentiful and high quality.

Another thing that I really like is the valet service, particularly important if you are stepping of a flight and heading to an all-important meeting. The door contains a cupboard accessible from both sides, so open it from the suite and hang your items for pressing before closing. Then hit the ‘Valet’ button and jump in the shower…

…and in five minutes you will have a wonderfully ironed shirt and be ready for the day ahead!

After a shower I headed to the main part of the very small lounge for breakfast. There was some food out on a buffet, but the breakfast food was not particularly appetising.

There was also some more lunch-style bits but I was in the mood for breakfast.

There is, fortunately, an a la carte menu available all day.

I had the Eggs Benedict without ham and the Smoked Salmon tartine. I really liked the plates, but they are small portions, so if you are really hungry you would probably need at least three to satisfy you.

This was washed down by a little Bucks Fizz / Mimosa. I always thought that the former was the UK name and the latter its American one. Apparently the name actually refers to the ratio; a Bucks Fizz is Champagne and orange juice in a 2:1 ratio whereas a Mimosa is equal quantities.

There are a few work stations in the lounge, some TVs with rolling news and some comfy chairs.

It was a very pleasant way to spend 45 minutes after a flight to freshen up and eat, and if I was on my own I would pop in again, but I would feel that I was missing out too much if I just jumped on the Heathrow Express and headed home.