Here’s my experience on Wednesday night’s SQ 25.

Before getting to the lounge, be aware that SQ Checkin Desks open four hours before SQ 25 departs, so 4:15 pm at this time of year. A lot of SQ 23 pax turn up very early and want to checkin, so they can get rid of checked bags, clear security, and go to the lounge. Depending on loads, checkin for SQ 23 might be refused until four hours before it departs. That can be irritating for SQ 23 pax, especially because there’s no signage to that effect. NEED SIGNS. This is also why they have the 3 or 3.5 hour before departure rule for the lounge, so SQ 23 pax aren’t in the lounges all evening and night.

At SQ 25 Business checkin, I was informed I could choose either—but not both—the Prime Class lounge or the Air India Lounge. From this thread, I knew neither was all that.

So I tried the Amex Centurion lounge. I have Delta Reserve (nearly but not entirely equivalent to Platinum Amex card), and I flashed my arriving Delta boarding pass. The dragon scanned it, and the machine chirped a disapproving chirp. Dragon asked for departing boarding pass. I said I’m not departing on Delta. Dragon denied me, saying it’s a departure lounge. I decided not to argue over parsing the language or the T&C.

Thought about Delta SkyClub Express near the terminal head. Also thought about schlepping to the main SkyClub. Decided against both. Delta’s new admission rules seem to make SkyClub access on departure or connections only. Decided not to fight that fight either. Main SkyClub was running a line, claimed to be at capacity when I arrived anyway.

Went to Prime Class lounge. It had Wi-Fi. Other than that, it SUCKED. No windows, dark interior space. Very limited food— half sandwiches wrapped in paper, little paper dishes of pasta salad, little paper dishes of sorta charcuterie, and that’s it! Two or three kinds of canned beer. A split of horrid white wine. Didn’t see a red, but surely would have been equally horrid. No spirits of any kind.

The lounge reached capacity around 6:00, and the dragons started denying access to Priority Pass cardholders and only admitting SQ J pax. You can imagine how mad that made a lot of PP cardholders. Started letting some PP members in at 7;00 but quickly reached capacity and had to stop until SQ 25 pax departed.

Go in with extremely low expectations. It’s Third World level stuff. I’ve been in much better lounges in developing countries.

I ♥️ SQ. But SQ should be embarrassed about their lounge situation in New York. When the extension of the A Pier of Terminal 4 is finished, SQ better be in a position to have a much better lounge option.