Originally Posted by
ClipperDelta
Really? Go try most of the Chinese carriers' lounges and report back to us on the spread there...or even some of the European carriers' lounges (except for BA and VS, and occasionally KL in AMS, I can assure you that most of the food offerings are decidely unimpressive).
Picture of Air China Beijing Business Class lounge -- perhaps you should check it out -
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...ounge-beijing/
DL definitely had a nice upgrade -- but the LH Sen lounges are definitely ahead of the new DL offerings -- at JFK and EWR the Sen lounges essentially serve hot and cold dinner, offer a selection of deserts, fresh fruit, make your own salad. AF has a nice selection of sandwiches and fresh fruit and vegetables plus soup at JFK. LX Business lounge again is much more comprehensive at JFK -- in ZRH the Sen Lounge again in terms of selection much more significant. IB and MAD -- again extensive selection of cold and hot dishes -- numerous salads and wraps, cheeses, etc. The home lounges for TG, CX, SQ and BR are again just miles ahead of the new DL offer.
Originally Posted by
pbarnette
Even much of the BA food is often mediocre to bad. Yes, there are choices, but many of the hot choices can be very poor. Indeed, the burger in the F lounge is offensively bad and they should really be ashamed to serve it. On the plus side, however, they almost always have enough cold cuts and the like to give you something to eat if you are super hungry and don't want to venture into the terminal.
I have never been terribly impressed with either AF or KL, which is sad, as CDG, especially, has quite weak food options. Ditto for LX and LH - LH is the worst offender because the airport is so awful and so lacking in food options. SK at least sticks to what they know (cold cuts again) and it generally satisfies as a result.
Now, they may offer more than what DL offers, but I think the new offerings strike a decent balance between offering some nice snacks and most, if not all of the airports with a DL SkyClub have decent restaurant options for real meals. I don't think that, for $500 or so per year, one should expect both an open bar and 3 meals a day and I don't.
In the BA F Lounge there is a menu -- the burger is well done as apparently that is the law -- they have nice salads - and on the buffet there is always curry, pasta, chili, soup, a selection of savory pies, fish cakes, often broiled salmon - hot and cold. They have a selection of sliced grapefruit, oranges, mixed fruit -- there is a selection of cheeses, there is a selection of cold sandwiches, cold cuts and sliced cheeses, plus there is whole fruit and then a variety of deserts. I won't say any of it is michelin star worthy, but i don't see anything gourmand on the new DL offerings.
Is the new DL offering better - definitely. Is it a step above the free food offered at the US, UA and AA clubs. Without doubt. Is it at the general level of the the carriers I mentioned. Not really.