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If you are a Delta flyer it is good to have access to the Sky Clubs. Not that most of them are that remarkable or any kind of destination on their own to visit or spend the day (think DFW Centurion club) but they can be a nice break away from the gate mess.
But what if you don’t have Sky Club access? There are any number of high end travel cards that include Priority Pass (PP) membership that will, as long as the clubs are not blocking you due to full capacity of it’s own club members as, it seems, has often been the case in the old Delta terminal in LAX at the Alaska Club.
Being Delta frequent flyers, at least most of us who read the blog that is, let’s take a look at each hub or hub-ish city and see what your choices are.
ATL – While there are other airline clubs in Atlanta there is only one PP lounge and it is THE CLUB at ATL. You will find comparable food, drinks and amenities (including showers) in this club. The only downside is lunch starts late like about 2PM each day.
MSP – While there is a United club in Minneapolis the other sweet option is the Escape Lounge and personally I would make a beeline to this club vs. any of the Sky Clubs even if you have Sky Club access. It truly is the choice in MSP but be aware you need to hold the non-Delta AMEX Platinum card personal or business after 15JUNE17 to get in as they are departing PP at that point.
NYC – Lumping JFK, LGA & EWR into New York you do have a number of airline lounge choices but the best of the 3 is LGA for quality if not for location as there is an AMEX Centurion at LaGuardia but notice it is NOT a PP lounge. You also have PP lounge choice in JFK and at EWR you can enter the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge.
SEA – You have a number of choices in Seattle. One of the best is even near to a number of Delta flights that is THE CLUB at SEA. If this one is not near where you are you have a number of other choices to consider. Bottom line is SEA should not be a problem if you can not get into the Sky Club.
LAX – There are choices if you are willing to change/go to the now “old” Delta terminals like the Alaska Club (if not full that is and blocks you) as well as others in the TBIT and a visit to the KAL lounge.
CVG – Thanks to my fellow blogger Dan we have a review of THE CLUB at CVG that looks very similar to the rest of “The Club’s” in the network. Now I know some no longer consider CVG a real Delta hub but since it once was let’s include this in the hub-ish locations.
DFW – Now I know that Dallas is not now considered a hub but it once was and there is much Delta traffic in and out of DFW. Clearly the Centurion in DFW is an amazing club but again not part of PP network. There is THE CLUB at DFW and I must make time to visit it next time I am in Dallas on my way to the Centurion. 😉
SFO – The perk of the AF/KLM lounge that is PP is it is near Delta gates and airside. The downside is your access may be restricted between 11:00 – 14:30 and 19:00 – 22:00. There is also a Centurion near United gates if you have access (you can enter even if flying Delta btw).
DTW, SLC & MEM – The first two Detroit and Salt Lake are a real problem. In the Delta terminals you have Sky Clubs. That is it. I know Memphis is no longer a Delta hub but same problem you have a Sky Club and that’s it.
So there you are. This is not meant to be an all inclusive list of all the places Delta flies, but the largest airports that are either considered hubs or could be hubs (or were once hubs). The bottom line is other that the last 3 airports you see you DO have a number of choices that can work even if you do not have access to the Delta Sky Clubs! – René
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Isn’t the Minute Suites in ATL now part of Priority Pass? No food but a nice quiet place for an hour.
I’m not a regular Delta flyer by any means, but I do regularly visit Detroit to see my family. Incidentally, Detroit’s McNamara (Delta) Terminal and the North (Everyone Else) Terminals are my two favorite in all of North America.
The North Terminal has a great Lufthansa lounge. It’s quiet, has great food and drink (self-serve) options, and you can get access with a United Club membership. You can’t walk between the two terminals (yet), but there is a regular (and convenient) shuttle.
I like the opportunity to visit other clubs, especially in Vegas. My peeve, however, is that my Black Delta Amex will not allow me to enter an Amex Club, even though the yearly fees are identical. There is something that could be fixed.
At MSP, I wouldn’t pass up a SkyClub for the Escape Lounge anymore. I went there twice in the past week. Both times, they had limited to no hot food for most of the time. The second time, I had to wait 10 minutes for someone to even show up at the front desk, and then they didn’t even have any water bottles or hot food. My sky club experience has been much better.
I second Brian’s comment about the Escape lounge at MSP. I was there a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty bad. There were a couple of hot food items left that had clearly been sitting there forever. Dishes were piled up everywhere on the tables. Seems to be a real lack of staff problem.
Why go anywhere at SEA besides Centurion? Incredibly convenient for DL flights and SO MUCH BETTER food than the giant new Sky Club next door. I also agree with the other commenter that Minute Suites in ATL B can be a great respite from the loud and crowded lounges. No food (or bathroom) but a nice moment of zen and much closer to most domestic flights than The Club.
DEN now has an albeit small SkyClub and I think United as well.
The new DEN area is a SkyClub and an admirals club. They’re both hidden down long hallways and the SkyClub at least has no appreciable views.
Next time you blog on this theme, try to scrape up something in PHX. No sky club, no Centurion and I believe the only option is the just OK Admirals Club.
There’s always The Club at PHX. Thankfully the Admirals Clubs have improved over the US Airways days. Supposedly DL will reopen the Sky Club if passenger volume reaches a certain consistent threshold.
We really need more options at DTW. Several Sky Clubs but they are all barely better than a university cafeteria, very disappointing. You’d think a hub could step it up a bit to show some love for premium cabin passengers, paying members, and elites.