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If you are a Delta flyer in the Midwest you frequently connect in Minneapolis I normally try for Detroit from South Bend as my CRJ200 ride is only 20-ish minutes vs. the hour ride on these hated little torture cans up to MSP. But this past year I have, many times, willingly chosen the longer ride just because of one thing:
- The MSP Escape Lounge <-Link to club reveiw
I am still shocked how few Delta flyers even know it has been open for almost a year now or even where it is for that matter. Every time I visit it is all but empty. And look at the perks you get vs. the over crowded Sky Club just a few yards away:
- Amazing views
- Real (and better) food free
- Food for purchase
- Better free drinks including champagne
- Fast Wifi
- Table service
- and more…
Plus, on top of all of this, right now as you can see from the top of this post you can get a survey card to get via e-mail a $10 off food or beverage coupon for your NEXT visit to the club.
This club is part of Priority Pass network so if you have any number of credit cards that included PP you can get in for free including cards like the:
The Platinum Card® from American Express <—LINK
The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN <—LINK
I know Sky Clubs are still nice places to visit and when you need help with a ticket issue a 3rd party lounge is not what you want. But unless that is why you are visiting I find myself in most airports that have a better lounge avoiding the Delta lounges all together now. Maybe you feel the same?
Anyway, I am not sure how long they will have the survey coupons out so be sure to stop in this week if you want to get in on this current deal! – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Since the Escape lounge opened at MSP I never been to any of the Sky Clubs at the airport anymore. The Escape lounge is way nicer, completely empty and provides a much better experience. Also, when traveling with family it is a no brainer since I am not going to pay for my kids to enter at the Delta club and with my Priority Pass from Citi Prestige I get all four of us for free at the Escape Lounge. They have a much better coffee machine than the Delta lounges where you can get real espresso and great lattes and capuccino even to take with you to the plane and offer real bottles of beverage rather than a fountain. I can enjoy a bottle of Perrier sparkling water and take a Fiji water bottle with me to the plane (something that would cost me $4.25 at the stores in the airport). The lounge is very quiet which helps when you need to be in a conference call or work. They also offer chocolates and cookies which the kids love. One thing that is a little inconvenient is that the restrooms are outside and you need to get a key to access it. Also, maybe I never got there at the right time but don’t remember the food to be anything memorable. I also visited the Escape lounge at the Manchester airport in the UK couple weeks ago and I was really impressed with the food offered.
@Santastico – Agree the bathroom thing is a bit odd but not a deal breaker by any means. Just something you get used to or go as you depart the lounge.
I completely agree. I will probably be dropping my delta reserve card because it is so much nicer than the delta clubs.
@Chris – Well the Delta AMEX Reserve card is for more than just club access. For me, it is about MQM bonus via spend and more Upgrades!
Yeah, my spending is just too spread out with other cards to make it worth it now that it’s gotten a lot harder to manufacture. That along with my Drop from platinum to silver next year means the card is a lot of money for what will be negligible benefit at the silver level.
@rene- I have to say I find this lounge extremely underwhelming. I travel thru MSP quite bit and I was excited for this becoming part of the priority pass deal, but Id say the Sky Clubs, now with the improved seating, food and drink selections, are actually a better option at MSP, even though they can be quite crowded. The food and drink selections at the Escape lounge are limited. Beer selection is non-existent and the liquor and wine choices are not much better. The Escape lounge has nice seating and usually its not as crowded as the Sky Clubs, but I would not recommend it for food and drink, its shockingly bad in those areas.
@ETHAN LERMAN: Agree that Delta Sky lounges offer a better selection of food and drinks. Thus, if you are after those the Escape Lounge is a bad options. It all depends on the time of the day you visit the airport. If it is early in the morning I like to go to Escape and get a nice latte that I can take out to the plane together with a nice bottle of mineral water. You cannot get those to go at the Delta lounge. Also, as you said, Escape lounge is very quiet and empty while the Delta lounge is always a zoo. When traveling with family the Escape lounge is perfect since I can get the 4 of us for free while Delta charges for my wife and kids.