MSPeconomist

Good to know. Now I can lounge hop freely.

xliioper

I think you are confused. The PP Select that comes with the Surpass card has a $27 entry fee (It's basically the same as PP Standard membership). The PP access that comes with the real Plat Amex is equivalent to the "Prestige" membership. Not surprising given Surpass annual fee is only $75.

From the Surpass T & C's -- "You will be automatically enrolled in Priority PassTM Select after your first purchase is made with your Hilton HHonorsTM Surpass® Card. Once enrolled, you will receive your Priority Pass Select card directly from Priority Pass within 6-8 weeks. The annual membership fee valued at $99 is waived each year for Hilton HHonors Surpass Cardmembers. All lounge visits are subject to a fee of U.S. $27 per person per visit, which will be automatically charged to your Card."

mattp1987

House beers:
Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Sweetwater 420, Sam Adams, Amstel Light, Heineken, Guinness


House wines: All are Sycamore Lane. Sorry I don't remember the vintages other than Cabernet Sauvignon.

I really enjoyed the tomato bisque and mini chicken salad sandwiches, and I met a fellow FlyerTalker at the bar.

YourNameHere

I have a 2 hour layover in ATL tomorrow and can access The Club with my Lounge Club membership from Chase Ink. I'll be coming in from the C terminal, then returning there for my outbound flight. I'm not too familiar with the layout of the airport, but I've taken a look at the airport maps. It seems I can take the train from C to F, then go to The Club on the Mezzanine without having to go through security. Is this correct? Thanks.

bgriff

Correct, you can get from any one gate to any other gate at ATL without re-clearing security. It would probably take 15-20 minutes to get to the lounge from most gates, though, and then 15-20 minutes again to get from the lounge to your departing flight, so keep that in mind when planning your time (and when deciding whether it is worth all that schlepping to use the lounge at all, especially if your inbound flight is delayed and/or your departing flight happens to leave from a gate near your inbound flight's arrival).

YourNameHere

Thanks colerc. I appreciate the quick reply. We'll only have one carry-on each, so really not much schlepping. As long as we can get at least 30 minutes in The Club, I'd like to check it out. So, figuring 20 minutes to get to The Club, 20 minutes to get back to C, and getting to the plane 20 minutes early to board, it looks like we'll give it a go as long as our inbound flight isn't more than 30 minutes late.

brocklee9000

So, I've been reading up in the ATL Skyclub threads, trying to figure out which club I'd like to visit when my family and I have a long layover in ATL. However, I came across this thread, and I'm starting to reconsider. I've always wanted to try The Club at LAS, but have never had time. So here's what I'm thinking:
*Can access Skyclub at $25/person (Platinum DL Amex)
*Can access The Club at $27/person (PP)
*Family aren't FFers at all, but have flown enough to know that a long layover can be draconian at best (and any airport lounge would be a sweet reprieve and a treat for them)
*It sounds like most people, so far, have seemingly positive reviews of The Club (and on the other hand, increasingly declining attitudes toward SCs)
*The Club has actual snacks and such (we don't drink, so alcohol isn't a factor), and allows you to bring in food from outside vendors (unlike SCs)

To put it in perspective, we'll be traveling on the 27th of December, which is the Friday following Christmas. We'll arrive at 1:30 PM and fly out at 4:30. I know there's no way to know which terminals we'll be flying in/out of (until the day of). I also don't know what it'll be like at ATL on the days following Christmas. So tell me, in your expert opinions, would this still be a preferable option over SCs? Do you think there will be tons of people everywhere? Thanks.

javabytes

I'd think that the lounges are likely to be fairly quiet due to a lower volume of business travel around the holidays, especially on the Friday after Christmas. Saturday and especially Sunday would probably be worse.

If I was paying $25-27pp for a family... honestly, I'd consider:

1) Skipping the lounges, take your time moving through the airport, and have a nice lunch at One Flew South or Ecco. By the time you're done with that, you'd have maybe 30-45 minutes to kill before your plane starts boarding.
2) If you still favor the idea of the lounges, I'd go for The Club. It offers everything the SCs do and then some. Better snacks and drinks, better wi-fi.
3) I'd only go for the SCs over The Club if your flight is posting or is likely to post some sort of delay. Then the agents at the SC can assist with monitoring and rebooking if necessary.

MSPeconomist

The Club has some free food--much more than SCs--but IIRC they charge for some items. I'd be really surprised if you were allowed to bring in your own food and consume it there.

You're forgetting that the ATL F SC has the outdoor deck. This might be fun for a family, depending of course on the weather that day.

javabytes

I doubt that would be particularly pleasant at the end of December.

mattp1987

I think I'm with javabytes on this one. Three hours isn't all that long, particularly if you're switching terminals and your family are way in the back of the plane. I'm not sure if you are referring to extended family or just your wife and children, but either way I'd still think the leisurely stroll to a restaurant, a good meal, and a slow walk to your next gate are a better use of money. This is even more true if you don't drink at all.

I've made a light supper out of The Club offerings before, but I wouldn't recommend that approach when traveling with a family. The tomato bisque is excellent by airport lounge standards.

jsmith50

End of December in Atlanta, on a nice day still gets into the 50s or low 60s. Fairly tolerable for sitting outside and not roasting as you do here all summer.

jmgriffin

Yes, I would agree, skip The Club. Despite a great first visit and glowing review, my last visit wasn't great. Despite being there around 12pm, there was no food out, likely because most international departures are from 3-10pm.

I would suggest either going to the SkyClub in F with the outdoor patio or just any ole SkyClub in the most convenient terminal.

brocklee9000

Hmm, you all present good points. A brief side note: I didn't know outside food was allowed in, until browsing their website last night. If you click here, you'll see just above the picture of the lounge, that "you are welcome to bring food into the lounges from any of the many fine dining establishments located within the terminals." I was surprised when I saw that, especially after reading all the stories on here about SCs not allowing food.

Anyway. When I said family, I actually meant my parents and my younger brother. Haha, sometimes I forget the audience I'm addressing. I just turned 23 and am still in school, so no wife and kids for me yet. I've got us all up in the front of Y on a 75X, right near the 2L door, so I'm not worried about lengthy deplaning. I guess really I'm just looking for something to treat my family, since they're the ones paying for the holiday vacation. I know a lounge of any sort would be a big deal for them, since they've only ever hung out in airport terminals during layovers. I see so many people recommend OFS in these forums, but I don't think we'll be wanting a big meal while we're in ATL. We have an early flight out of LAS and then we'll be connecting to MSY, so I imagine we'll want to grab a bite while in ATL, but the flight to MSY is only an hour long, and I think we'll be eating out once we check in at our hotel (and I'm looking forward to some good Cajun; I miss being in the South). If I did end up taking them to a SC, though, it sounds like I'll avoid B10. The one in D looks pretty cool, being at ramp level. And the one in A that has a second floor and overlooks everything looks pretty neat, as well. I'll keep my options open and make a decision when we get there, especially since I won't know our arrival/departure gates until the day of travel (although I swear I'm in/out of either A or B terminals every time I go through ATL). Thank you all for your input and valuable wisdom, it's been helpful, especially the possibility of a lack of food in The Club and how close a lounge may be to our departure gate.

eturowski

Quick question - I am currently en route to ATL with my husband. I am trying to figure out which lounge to visit on our layover. Does anyone know if The Club has breakfast items on a regular weekday, or would I be better off just going to the Sky Club instead and making do with stale bagels and oatmeal-flavored glue? I don't mind paying the entry fee for my husband to enter The Club if the food is a bit better than the SC's offerings.