Review: Delta Sky Club JFK Terminal 4

By
Ziggy
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a sign on a wall
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Previous posts in this series:

In recent years most of my travels have been on OneWorld airlines so, to get a better perspective on what other options look like, I decided to make a conscious effort to try out a few other airlines when possible. Towards the end of last year this saw me trying out Air France’s short-haul Business Class product, the Air France 777-300ER Business Class cabin (which I loved) and Delta’s DeltaOne Business Class product out of New York – that’s how I came to find myself in Delta’s Sky Club at JFK.

Amazingly, this trip was my first ever experience of traveling with Delta so I had absolutely no idea what to expect and, if I’m being honest, this made the trip all that more exciting and interesting.

Delta’s JFK Sky Club at T4 is located on concourse B close to Gate 31 which, with my flight departing from Gate 30, was nice and convenient….but it’s quite a walk to get there.

a sign on a wallDelta Sky Club JFK T4

Delta’s JFK map doesn’t really do justice to the distance you have to cover to get from check-in to the club…..

a map of a airport

….so I suggest arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare if you plan on spending a relaxing time in the lounge.

On the day of my visit the Sky Club was showing its opening hours as being between 5am and midnight…..

a sign with text and numbers on itDelta Sky Club JFK T4

….but according to Delta.com those hours are now 5am to 11pm daily.

Entry to the Delta Sky Club is open to the following:

  • Delta Sky Club members
  • DeltaOne or premium cabin flyers with other SkyTeam airlines
  • Delta Business Class passengers traveling from Mexico
  • Select Delta Elite status holders
  • Select SkyTeam status holders
  • Delta Reserve Amex credit card holders
  • Amex Platinum Card holders

More access details via this link

The Sky Club sits above the main concourse so, once through the main doors, there are lifts, escalators and a set of stairs to get you to the main level.

The check-in area wasn’t too busy when I first arrived…..

people standing in a line at a receptionDelta Sky Club JFK T4

….but there was a considerable line to get in half an hour later…so that’s another reason to leave plenty of time if you want to enjoy the club before a flight.

The club was very busy during my time there so picture-taking wasn’t exactly easy (that’s my excuse for the poor quality of what follows!) but because of the size of the club (it’s not small!) it still wasn’t too hard to find a seat.

The Sky Club is divided into various areas giving passengers a good variety of seating choices and it’s centred around one large area offering numerous sets of tables & chairs, buffet-style dining and a full-service bar.

people sitting in a room with people sitting in chairsDelta Sky Club JFK T4

On my visit there was a “build your own soup” counter where guests could select from a number of fresh “mix-ins” (diced chicken, vegetables, noodles etc..) and then add them to their choice of a low-sodium chicken broth or low-sodium vegetable broth to make a pretty tasty meal.

a group of silver pots on a tableDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a group of silver containers on a counterDelta Sky Club JFK T4

There was the usual selection of crudités, fruit, popcorn and other snacks that you find in just about all US lounges …..

a table with food on itDelta Sky Club JFK T4

…and there was a pretty decent salad bar on offer too.

a buffet table with bowls of foodDelta Sky Club JFK T4

While I don’t have a picture for the blog of the rest of the food on offer (there were just too many people milling around) it’s worth noting that there were a number of other main meal options available too….like barbecue chicken with rice and beans, Spanish-stye braised chickpeas with smoked paprika and stir fried vegetarian rice noodles.

The lounge also offers two coffee machine areas which are nowhere near where the rest of the food/beverages are so you may have to go for a bit of a walk to find one.

a coffee machine and coffee maker on a counter

All in all the food selection wasn’t bad – better than a lot of other US lounges but not as good as what you can expect to be offered at places like the Amex Centurion lounge or some of the better non-US airline lounges.

The remaining lounge areas are dotted around the central area I highlighted above.

Some areas have high tables with bar-type stools….

a white bar with chairs and a table in a room with windowsDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a white table with chairs and a plant on itDelta Sky Club JFK T4

…which are a good place to get some work done as they’re reasonably comfortable and offer power ports close to hand.

chairs and chairs in a roomDelta Sky Club JFK T4

Some areas of the lounge offer the kind of armchairs road warriors know all too well…..

people sitting in a room with peopleDelta Sky Club JFK T4

…while others have more private seats……

a group of people sitting in a waiting areaDelta Sky Club JFK T4

…alongside more stool/high table seating which looks out over the JFK apron:

a long white counter with chairs and tables in a room with windowsDelta Sky Club JFK T4

If the blue seating isn’t to your liking perhaps the red may be more to your taste:

a group of people sitting in a waiting roomDelta Sky Club JFK T4

two red chairs in a roomDelta Sky Club JFK T4

One thing that Delta appears to have done well is to ensure that passengers don’t have to choose between having a comfortable chair and having access to power as, even in the areas with armchairs…..

a group of chairs and tables in a roomDelta Sky Club JFK T4

…there were easily accessible power outlets to hand:

a power outlet on a tableDelta Sky Club JFK T4

Note: All the power outlets I saw were US-style so, if you’re visiting from abroad, make sure you have an adapter.

Two other indoor seating areas worth a mention are the TV/relaxation area……

a room with a few chairs and a tableDelta Sky Club JFK T4

…..and the business area….

a room with chairs and desksDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a printer on a counterDelta Sky Club JFK T4

….which I really liked thanks to the Herman Miller chairs on offer (they’re very comfortable and are great if you suffer with a bad back).

Delta’s JFK Sky Club also offers an open-to-the-air Sky Deck….but it was well and truly closed during my visit:

a sign on a poleDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a rooftop patio with tables and chairsDelta Sky Club JFK T4

Lastly the Sky Club also offers shower facilities (I counted 6 cubicles) for which you need to make a reservation. If you think you’ll be using a shower I suggest reserving one as soon as you enter the lounge to avoid disappointment.

a hallway with doors and signsDelta Sky Club JFK T4

If there isn’t a shower ready for you when you check-in with the attendant you’ll be given a buzzer which lights up and vibrates when it’s your turn (like you get at a lot of popular chain restaurants) so you can go away and enjoy the lounge while you wait.

Before going into the shower cubicle guests are given a variety of toiletries and accessories including body wash, body lotion, shampoo and conditioner:

a group of personal hygiene productsDelta Sky Club JFK T4

The showers cubicles are a good size, well lit and very brightly colored:

a bathroom with red tilesDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a sink in a bathroomDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a shower with a red tile wallDelta Sky Club JFK T4

a red tiled bathroom with a bench and a trash canDelta Sky Club JFK T4

They’re not in any way fancy but there’s plenty of room, they’re clean and there’s no sharing of toiletries like you get in a lot of lounges nowadays.

Thoughts

First the negative – I didn’t like the big central area of the lounge. It was busy, quite noisy and had the feeling of a workplace cafeteria…but then this was 6:30pm so it’s not exactly surprising that there were a lot of people around.

The rest of my thoughts on the lounge are pretty positive.

  • The staff are friendly and helpful and don’t seem to get fazed when they’re faced with a busy lounge
  • The seating is comfortable and it isn’t difficult to find a power port if your laptop is running low
  • From what I saw on my visit the food choice is considerably better than you’ll find in a lot of domestic US airline lounges….but that’s only a positive on a comparative level. Let’s face it, most domestic US airline lounges aren’t exactly known for their culinary delights!
  • The shower facilities are good and it’s nice to be handed your own toiletries before you go in.

Bottom Line

A very solid lounge by US domestic lounge standards and one I’d quite like to visit in the daytime to see what the views from the windows are like (it was dark and raining on this visit).

As far as first impressions go (don’t forget that this was my very first experience of Delta) this was pretty good……which was a big positive considering the next part of my trip involved a further 9 hours of Delta service as I traveled to Madrid.

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