During my number of AeroMexico elite mileage runs to help me, at a very reasonable cost, maintain my Delta Diamond status I had the chance to spend some quality time in this SkyTeam and Priority Pass lounge. I have complementary Priority Pass access via a number of my travel cards.
The hours of operation are: 8:15 AM – 9:30 PM Monday & Saturday. 8:15 AM – 12:00 Midnight Tuesday – Friday & Sunday. Priority Pass access may be restricted between 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM daily and you will find it air-side, after security checks to the right. Location is between gates M8 and M7 on the left hand side and servicing only international flights from T5 only.
The lounge is one large room with a divider wall and the check-in desk roughly dividing the space in half.
Left of check-in is where you want to be if you are planning on working on your laptop with ample outlets to power up. This area was slightly quieter than the rest of the space.
Again, with such a small space this club packs folks in. To the staff’s credit, they did a good job of keeping the area clean and serviced frequently including the food and beverage area.
At the far end of the space are two more spots for laptop use and some very old and tired seats. I mean really tired. Take a look.
These are some of the worst looking chairs I have seen in any lounge let alone a Skyteam lounge (but I hear reports from readers that the Korean SkyTeam lounge in LAX is now nearly as bad). On to the food choices.
If you like small sandwiches and chips you will be pleased. Over the weeks I visited I tried most of them and they were quite acceptable. There are also some hot options:
I did not sample these pasta options nor the soup but the other patrons seemed to enjoy them.
Lastly the limited self service adult drink options (beer and white wine in the cooler). Wifi was acceptable but not remarkably fast.
When I visit a lounge it is normally to get a break from the gate area – this club checks that box but only by a little due to crowding. Also I like quick check-in but each visit the staff had issues with our boarding passes. Comfortable seating is a must but this club is in desperate need of a refresh. Oh and there are no bathrooms in this club so you have to go outside down the hall. At least the snacks are decent and drinks are included!
Have you visited this Skyteam / Priority Pass lounge? What was your impression? – René
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For Priority Pass, the AF Lounge is above average. O’Hare Terminal 5 has so little room that there is not much that lounges can do. Hopefully relief is in the future, but not for 8 years. Major redevelopment being planned. Eventually Delta and its partners should be in Terminal 5, so I hope they make one, big combined lounge. But time will tell. Until then, Terminal 5 is cramped and limited.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-city-hall-story-20180223-story.html
I was there a few weeks ago and there were no hot food options. It isn’t the best club, but it is also sure not the worst either. Sandwiches are good and fresh. Staff is pleasant and attentive. That beats a lot of lounges.
I was on a flight from Asia in Janurary to JFK that got divorted to Chicago. Spent the night in hotel and next day went to airport mid morning as directed by airline. Plane did not leave till 5pm. Spent the time waiting in this lounge thanks to Priority Pass. Was great compared to everyone else on the plane waiting at the gate which looked like a homeless shelter. 😉 Took a couple new friends from the flight in as guests and had great time drinking the french wine and champion.
Any chance you could quantify how much it would have cost it total had one tried to get the Delta Diamond status through these Aero Mexico mileage runs? This would include tickets as well as hotel costs. Thanks!
@jediwho – You can look at the old posts and run the numbers. Also keep in mind the value of the SkyMiles back (at least 1 cent each). I value my SkyMiles higher than that.
See:
https://eyeoftheflyer.com/2017/12/15/alert-areomexico-mqm-mqd-skymiles-mileage-run-550-for-17k-mqms-skymiles-plus-3454-mqd-credit/
and
https://eyeoftheflyer.com/2018/02/23/psa-taking-aeromexico-skyteam-delta-elite-mileage-run-take-steps-ensure-get-skymiles-mqms-mqds-planned/
Also keep in mind the NEW lowered Delta earnings on many AM biz class flights as of 1APRIL18.
I agree with your review of this lounge. My wife and I have used it a couple of times when we positioned to Chicago for international flights and it was a good place to sit (when we could get seats), certainly better than the gate area, but is definitely crowded. The absurdly worn chairs were where we ended up sitting the first time we visited because there were no other options available.
The hot food ranges from just OK to pretty good, but once it runs out there is no replenishing it. There are some sandwiches that are better than others but the meat / toppings ratio to the size of the bun is ridiculous. I’d recommend grabbing a few and just stuffing all the toppings into one sandwich (which makes you look like a weirdo, but is definitely more satisfying than eating four rolls.
The espresso machine works and works well and the staff was very nice.
I also visited this lounge on AeroMexico delta MQD runs this year. I rate it above average for Priority Pass due to a good selection of premium beer, including Grolsch, Blue Moon, Guinness, and Heineken, Black Label scotch, and a good selection of cold sandwiches. Eat and drink to contentment and then visit the Swissport Priority Pass lounge across the hall for nicer seating.
The nicest Air France/KLM – Priority Pass lounge I’ve visited is the old Delta lounge (inherited from NWA) at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). You can compare.
https://salsaworldtraveler.com/2018/05/26/a-priority-pass-lounge-review-remodeled-air-france-klm-lounge-suvarnabhumi-airport-bangkok-thailand-bkk/
I did 3 if the runs to Lima, and the club was closed on 2 of them, despite being days/ times they were supposed to be open. Result frustrating when you can’t trust the posted times.
As far as the club guess, I agree with best up, but better than the gate areas.
Can domestic flight passenger access this lounge? Thanks.