During a recent trip from the US west coast to JFK in preparation for a transatlantic flight, we had an 8-hour layover between arrival and departure. What do you do in a major airport for 8 hours? There is nothing more annoying and stressful than listening to announcement after announcement, the low roar of conversations, the smell of fast food and watching the poor travel habits of others. Although a certain amount of people watching can be vastly entertaining, 8 hours of it can be too much.
After enjoy a nice lunch at the Palm Bar and Grill http://www.thepalm.com/JFK we decided to check out the Delta SkyClub. Admittedly my experience with these airport lounges is limited, I wanted to find a place to plug in, sit quietly and have a drink/snack. Although with an AmEx Platinum card, first class international board pass, etc. you can have complementary access to the SkyClub, we opted to invest the $59 per person for use of these facilities.
From reading reviews on my LoungeBuddy app dating from 2013-2015, it would seem this space was of poor quality and dirty. We didn’t find this to be true. Although the space is very busy, in fact frequently a line to check-in with one of the 3-4 agents, there is plenty of seating in a variety of configurations. Nearly as many plug in’s as seats and wait staff for drinks.
Let’s break down the variety of seating options. There are is the standard bar with TV’s, buffet food including build your own soups, etc. There are many table and chair options in this large area. Nearby there are low back chairs for easy access to the bar and food. On each side of this bar/lounge area are large areas with chairs and long high top tables with individual seating or conversations between small groups. From each of these areas you can easily watch the coming and going of aircraft from all over the world and dream of your next destination. Throughout these areas there are power plugs and some USB access. One area is designated a quiet area where there are large high backed chairs with dimmed lighting and revolving, mesmerizing photographs on the large screen TVs. We found fellow travelers napping, working but never talking or interacting with each other. It was truly a quiet area.
There is a small business center with printers and work space for the last minute business traveler. This area is near large windows that show you all the exotic places you should be exploring rather than working!
There are 6 individual shower rooms available within the DeltaSky Club. They are free of charge, cleaned between each customer and have toiletries available. I found this to be refreshing and quite welcome following a very early west coast departure, cross country flight and lengthy layover.
The DeltaSky Club outdoor lounge could be a lovely area for a breath of “fresh” air and a breeze. I did enjoy it for an hour or so and was able to get some photographs. The table service available throughout the DeltaSky Club is available in this area as well. The furnishings are large outdoor patio style with rattan frames and large cushions. Unfortunately, two woman thought this was a lovely place for nap. We found them sprawled out across entire sections of the sofas. Simply not pleasant or graceful when someone is sound asleep. The temps were cool and eventually the noise of the aircraft coming and going became unpleasant so we returned inside.
View of the outdoor area.
PROS!
- Relative quiet when compared to the typical airport terminal. Especially a terminal as busy as JFK!
- Plenty of power plugs
- Simple snacks and drinks, premium drinks available for an extra charge
- Safety of personal items. We did see single travelers leave baggage briefly for the restroom or snack run
- A shower!!
CONS….
- Free drinks could produce loud fellow travelers
- The SkyClub is not exactly the quiet reprieve we had imagined
- $59 per person is still a bit steep!
We had a very lengthy layover and felt the freedom to move without navigating crowds at every move, the lack of constant announcements, clean restrooms, snacks and drinks were worth the investment. If I had only 3-4 hours, I do not think I would invest the money. If I had free privileges to the club, I would certain enjoy it even for an hour or so.
Enjoy your adventure!