This past week I had my first ever visit to the new Salt Lake City terminal and Delta Sky Club and Sky Deck. Let me start talking about the new terminal that I arrived at near the A1 gate and my departure near the A49 gate – so why in the world did they not study the simple design of the Detroit Express Tram and put one of these in? I mean what in the world were they thinking? But on to the point of today’s post.
We had a number of hours to relax before our short flight into BUR or The Bob Hope airport known as Burbank. The day was sunny and mild and simply an ideal day to sit and enjoy the Sky Deck. Well other than the constant drone of the pile drivers dropping post after post into the ground for the work on the other terminal going in (dunk dunk dunk dunk….).
Chris had a great full review of the club so I will not rehash it but I was impressed over how much nicer this new club is than the old one that I used to always visit during each ski trip to the Wasatch front (such amazing skiing Utah offers). We had just had lunch on the incoming Delta flight so I was not really hungry but did try one of the shredded beef tacos they offered and it was quite good I have to say.
There were a bunch of other guests in the club (as you can see from the line waiting to get into the club from the featured image) including a family just behind us. They made a number of trips to the buffet. It did not end well.
Delta tells us the Sky Clubs are a “premium experience” and this one is… Well sort of. The above is an example of one of the chairs on the Sky Deck. While one of the worst I observed a great deal of the rest showed similar stains – plus there were napkins and worse all over the place on the floor. A contributing factor was the aforementioned family who left their table like this:
Let me zoom in a bit for you to see just how bad.
I mean really? This is how you walk away?
For context, very near them at the Sky Deck door, was a large trash receptacle for them to deposit all the disposable items they had used. Also next to it was a bussing tray for glasses. My wife and I, when we were done, used them as did most of the other guests.
Not these folks as you can see.
Beyond this there is a pet peeve of mine, that is, amount of food waste in the above shots. Clearly someone loaded up way more than they could eat and then two bags of cheez-its and pretzels that are unopened but clearly can not go back on the food stands – at least take them with you to enjoy later maybe (I know that is likely against club rules but better than going into the trash?)!
I know that the traveling public nowadays is not quite the same as years ago but have we really come to this that we can not have nice things due to not following common kindness and decency? – René
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Yes, these folks are slobs And, perhaps the Sky Deck attendants could have been a little more diligent in their housekeeping, but quit whining.
@MK – Was that your family on the Sky Deck? 🙁
Lol. Rene cracks me up. I’m with you. I not only throw my stuff in the garbage, I wipe down the tables. Lol. My husband does the same. When I travel to Brazil, I notice the mess people leave behind in the planes. I fold the blankets and leave my seat looking as if it hasn’t been used. Maybe I’m a bit OCD. Lol. Btw, I’m Brazilian so yes, I can say this about my people; I know the culture really well. Messy!! There are exceptions of course. Here in the US things used to be different. Now, we seem to be descending to those levels. Shameful!! About the lounge: last time I was there, it was busy, but still space left for a few more. Food was good, but some things, like the coffee area was dirty and two machines were not working. The red wine quality was phenomenal, and the food was great. I did witnessed people taking mire than their fair share of chips and putting in their backpacks. It took some crazy self control to keep my big mouth shut. These folks ruin the experience for those of us who use the lounge without abusing the services.
Rene! I only take solace in the fact they didn’t leave items on the floor and seats.
A good reminder – I self bus lately though going back there were years it was rare some staff member wasn’t hovering to take my plates before I left.
Lounges are a weird hybrid – staff to bus and places for members to self bus. Most restaurants are “all in” on just one not a hybrid.
@Greg – True but with the wind (the Sky Deck is open-ish) stuff did fly around. Plus with so many folks packing the clubs being kind and helping the hard working staff is the least we can all do IMO.
Sad that there is so much waste! I see adults with 5 or more hard boiled eggs a d a pile of sausages then leave half of it!!manners manners! There is a hybrid out there with some clubs totally paper disposable products and others with real dishes and silverware!
Rene/Chris, I would like to hear your observations on the design of new SLC terminal someday. Seems with additional gates being opened, the problem of long distance between gates will be getting worse. Agreed on why wouldn’t they put in a Detroit like train. And, good luck on transferring from/to a regional jet from/to mainline at SLC. B to A.
@Aland – You are so spot on and that was the point I was trying to make at the top of the post (off topic a bit but ah well). It is a stunning new airport / terminal but the lack of a train or tram or something is a MAJOR blunder in the design. Lots of slow moving sidewalks were not the best choice. Then again if you look at AMS you could have the same or longer walk with lots of “mind your step” as you walk on and off the moving sidewalks.
I have seen much, much worse in my travels. Including wasted food. They could have just taken the packaged food with them. As far as the plated food goes, that really isn’t too bad. I’ve put stuff on my plate that looked and smelled a whole lot better than it tasted so I haven’t eaten it. Maybe the same thing here the taste of food being subjective and all that.
I also agree that with the clubs being crowded, self bussing is the way to go. It takes very little time and effort to get up and throw your trash away. But maybe this family’s living situation is that staff picks everything up behind them so bussing their own trash didn’t even occur to them since they always just get up and leave the table when they’re done.
As a Delta Medallion Flyer and a traveler who pays the annual fee for Sky Club membership, I too had applauded Delta’s efforts to restrict lounge access. I then cried when they went back on those tougher lounge access rules because the “masses” argued and complained. I am sorry, but lounge access is a premium experience, and there is nothing elite about it if it is open to everyone. There’s really no difference between the Sky Club and the gate if you cannot find a seat and there is no food available. I am frustrated being turned away from Sky Clubs when I pay A LOT of money versus the 10,000 guests riding in on members’ coattails. And finally, and this will be a very unpopular opinion I realize, but I feel that Sky Clubs (and any airline lounge for that matter) should be adults’ only. Twenty-one and over. It’s a bar. We do not let children into bars; they should not be permitted here either. The lounge is meant to be a quiet oasis for business and leisure travelers to relax before a flight. I do not want to hear your screaming baby or watch your five-year-old run around unattended. If you want to free up space in the Sky Club, get rid of the children. Sometimes they nearly outnumber the adults! If you are traveling on a family vacation, good for you, but you forfeit your club access with your diaper bags, strollers, loud kids and crackers all over the floor. I know many of you agree with me, but just haven’t put it out there.
@Paul C – Or maybe parents can take the time to train their kids how to act in public? Just an idea…
This. My daughter has been to airport club lounges about a hundred times since she was three months old (she’s six and a half now). Only once did we encounter a problem: she screamed her head off when she was, like, 18 months old and I brought her out of the lounge ASAP.
I must visit different lounges because it’s very rare that I see young children “run around” unattended. Maybe I’m just lucky.
“…you forfeit your club access with your diaper bags, strollers, loud kids and crackers all over the floor.”
I hope adults insisting on taking two (or three) seats per person for their bags and food apply that to themselves next time they want to complain about how much space families take up.
So, it’s a very unpopular opinion you know many people agree with? 😉
Kids should not be travelling anyway-they don’t like to be away from home-They rather be with their grandparents, aunts, uncles or even a babysitter.
Mmmkay.
I completely agree. It’s no longer a place to work, it’s for the parents to (not) parent. The sticky fingered, hyped up children running around “burning off their energy before boarding” with parents ignoring them while glued to one or more screens is found in every lounge lately. Of course, everyone who posts will say, no, that’s not my child…but they are sure someone’s…and it’s not an exception, it’s the rule these days, sadly.
My experience has been poorer behavior by adults (businessmen usually) having loud phone conversations in clubs than children running around. The sense of entitlement and lack of consideration for others by so many these days is disheartening. Nobody wants to listen to your phone conversation (business or otherwise) especially if on speakerphone.
Delta has every right to permanently bar moral low lifes. Unfortunately they are afraid of repercussions. Public shaming is the best way for the public to point out appallingly gross people ruining something nice we all enjoy.
Delta should pull their access using their right to refuse service clause
I’ve seen this kind of thing before. I always clean up and bus my table myself when in the SC. It’s common courtesy but unfortunately, we’ve lost quite a bit of class in this country over the last decade or so. Sad to see it spills over into the Sky Club(s) (see what I did there?).
Agree with your assessment of SLC and the Sky Club. The club is fantastic but sometimes the trek is a bit far.
Agree with Aland: B to A (or vice versa) … you better pack a lunch and bring a water bottle…lol!