Jan 16, 2018, 12:21 pm
Centurion Lounge JFK T-4 [Open 9 October 2020]
Nov 24, 2020, 10:41 pm
#106
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It’s much closer to the A gates than the DL gates.
Not aware of any long term plans to ‘sterilize’ the AirTrain. Essentially every station would have to be moved to the other side of each TSA checkpoint which creates a major logistical issue when you factor in the placement of gate and ramp areas.
Not aware of any long term plans to ‘sterilize’ the AirTrain. Essentially every station would have to be moved to the other side of each TSA checkpoint which creates a major logistical issue when you factor in the placement of gate and ramp areas.
I'm surprised there has been no talk to solve this problem. Or maybe this is only a problem for me.
Nov 24, 2020, 11:02 pm
#107
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It depends on which gate you’re going to. I’d say it took me about 8-10 minutes to get from the Centurion Lounge to the Delta SC, and I tend to walk at a pretty brisk pace even with luggage.
Nov 25, 2020, 7:28 am
#108
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As for connecting the terminals airside, I don't think it's a project anyone is going to take on for the convenience of being able to access an Amex lounge. There are some connections, like Delta domestic to Air France or American domestic to British Airways, that would be easier if the terminals were connected airside, but most connections are set up to happen in the same terminal where it isn't an issue, and the airport is laid out in such a way that it's not likely those will happen any time soon (other than that AA->BA will get easier when BA moves into AA's terminal in a few years).
Nov 25, 2020, 7:35 am
#109
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For passengers originating in New York, the lounge is a very short walk past the security checkpoint, so the walk from the lounge to the Delta gates is about the same as the walk from the security checkpoint to the Delta gates that you'd have to make anyway. It's maybe an extra 150 feet out of the way based on Google Maps measurements. For passengers connecting in JFK on Delta, it is somewhat less convenient, potentially a lot less convenient, depending what gates you arrive and depart from.
As for connecting the terminals airside, I don't think it's a project anyone is going to take on for the convenience of being able to access an Amex lounge. There are some connections, like Delta domestic to Air France or American domestic to British Airways, that would be easier if the terminals were connected airside, but most connections are set up to happen in the same terminal where it isn't an issue, and the airport is laid out in such a way that it's not likely those will happen any time soon (other than that AA->BA will get easier when BA moves into AA's terminal in a few years).
As for connecting the terminals airside, I don't think it's a project anyone is going to take on for the convenience of being able to access an Amex lounge. There are some connections, like Delta domestic to Air France or American domestic to British Airways, that would be easier if the terminals were connected airside, but most connections are set up to happen in the same terminal where it isn't an issue, and the airport is laid out in such a way that it's not likely those will happen any time soon (other than that AA->BA will get easier when BA moves into AA's terminal in a few years).
Nov 25, 2020, 7:37 am
#110
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If you were going to build JFK new from scratch, you'd probably have better access among airside areas, but if you were going to do that you'd also do tons of other things differently.
Nov 25, 2020, 10:44 am
#111
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Probably getting OT for this thread, but the AirTrain is also used to shuttle people to the rental car center and public transportation at Howard Beach and Jamiaca Stations, so no way they'd be able to move it airside as currently designed.
Nov 25, 2020, 12:09 pm
#112
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The Howard/Jamaica train couldn’t, but the circular terminal only train theoretically could.
Nov 25, 2020, 12:17 pm
#113
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It wouldn't have been a half-bad idea to incorporate when the AirTrain was being designed, but it would be tricky to set up now, since you'd need elevator and escalator access to both parts of the platform. T4 would be particularly tricky since the platform is integrated into the building so you'd have to find a place for a new passageway between the train station and the airside area; since the other AirTrain stations are standalone you might be able to just build a new external corridor somewhere that makes the connection. (Of course, in the original design for the AirTrain and T4, T4 itself wasn't even all one security zone; the A and B concourses used to have separate security checkpoints, and the area where the Amex lounge is was a landside area.)
Nov 30, 2020, 7:14 am
#114
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Back to the original topic of this thread, I got a chance to check out the JFK lounge this morning. The airport was surprisingly busy, I assume due to the dregs of Thanksgiving travel, and there were maybe about 20 people in the lounge in total while I was there.
It's a very nice lounge, in line with the other Centurion lounges, and lots of windows and light which is nice. Breakfast was maybe a bit less exciting than I recall other Centurion lounges having, with 2 hot dishes -- a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a plate of potatoes, eggs and bacon, but that may just be a COVID-era adjustment. All food and drink was served to you by the staff, and all of the staff were extremely attentive, welcoming and friendly.
That said, imagining summer 2019 afternoon traffic levels at this lounge is enough to give anyone an anxiety attack, even in a non-pandemic world. It felt like there were fewer total seats than in the Sky Club, even though that lounge was already packed, and many of the same passengers would have access (plus more who skip the Sky Club because it doesn't allow their guests in, who would come to the Centurion lounge in 2s and 3s, plus those flying other airlines).
And the layout is much more cramped, with narrow corridors alongside seating to get around, which would be totally congested with people dragging their roller bags around. It does help create some more private spaces than the Sky Club has, but it's just going to be tough. As it is, there wouldn't really have been anywhere to put my roller bag while I ate breakfast near the buffet if not for that every other table is closed off for social distancing.
The lower level will probably be the better option once things start to pick up, as it's somewhat bigger and it's easy to walk right past the stairs and elevator without noticing them. But even still the elevator will probably be very busy with people going back and forth.
I also stopped by the Sky Club to see how it's doing and the food selection was respectable, certainly closer to normal than what Delta is doing on board these days. Everything was packaged but a very wide selection including some healthy-ish options like salads and wraps, and would be easy enough to slip some things in your bag to mitigate the no food onboard most flights these days.
Considering that the lunch/dinner food selection at the JFK T4 Sky Club was actually pretty good pre-COVID, assuming Delta gets back to that level, I would probably skip the Centurion lounge most of the time once travel is back to full speed. But we'll see how things evolve.
It's a very nice lounge, in line with the other Centurion lounges, and lots of windows and light which is nice. Breakfast was maybe a bit less exciting than I recall other Centurion lounges having, with 2 hot dishes -- a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a plate of potatoes, eggs and bacon, but that may just be a COVID-era adjustment. All food and drink was served to you by the staff, and all of the staff were extremely attentive, welcoming and friendly.
That said, imagining summer 2019 afternoon traffic levels at this lounge is enough to give anyone an anxiety attack, even in a non-pandemic world. It felt like there were fewer total seats than in the Sky Club, even though that lounge was already packed, and many of the same passengers would have access (plus more who skip the Sky Club because it doesn't allow their guests in, who would come to the Centurion lounge in 2s and 3s, plus those flying other airlines).
And the layout is much more cramped, with narrow corridors alongside seating to get around, which would be totally congested with people dragging their roller bags around. It does help create some more private spaces than the Sky Club has, but it's just going to be tough. As it is, there wouldn't really have been anywhere to put my roller bag while I ate breakfast near the buffet if not for that every other table is closed off for social distancing.
The lower level will probably be the better option once things start to pick up, as it's somewhat bigger and it's easy to walk right past the stairs and elevator without noticing them. But even still the elevator will probably be very busy with people going back and forth.
I also stopped by the Sky Club to see how it's doing and the food selection was respectable, certainly closer to normal than what Delta is doing on board these days. Everything was packaged but a very wide selection including some healthy-ish options like salads and wraps, and would be easy enough to slip some things in your bag to mitigate the no food onboard most flights these days.
Considering that the lunch/dinner food selection at the JFK T4 Sky Club was actually pretty good pre-COVID, assuming Delta gets back to that level, I would probably skip the Centurion lounge most of the time once travel is back to full speed. But we'll see how things evolve.
Nov 30, 2020, 7:38 am
#115
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Back to the original topic of this thread, I got a chance to check out the JFK lounge this morning. The airport was surprisingly busy, I assume due to the dregs of Thanksgiving travel, and there were maybe about 20 people in the lounge in total while I was there.
It's a very nice lounge, in line with the other Centurion lounges, and lots of windows and light which is nice. Breakfast was maybe a bit less exciting than I recall other Centurion lounges having, with 2 hot dishes -- a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a plate of potatoes, eggs and bacon, but that may just be a COVID-era adjustment. All food and drink was served to you by the staff, and all of the staff were extremely attentive, welcoming and friendly.
That said, imagining summer 2019 afternoon traffic levels at this lounge is enough to give anyone an anxiety attack, even in a non-pandemic world. It felt like there were fewer total seats than in the Sky Club, even though that lounge was already packed, and many of the same passengers would have access (plus more who skip the Sky Club because it doesn't allow their guests in, who would come to the Centurion lounge in 2s and 3s, plus those flying other airlines).
And the layout is much more cramped, with narrow corridors alongside seating to get around, which would be totally congested with people dragging their roller bags around. It does help create some more private spaces than the Sky Club has, but it's just going to be tough. As it is, there wouldn't really have been anywhere to put my roller bag while I ate breakfast near the buffet if not for that every other table is closed off for social distancing.
The lower level will probably be the better option once things start to pick up, as it's somewhat bigger and it's easy to walk right past the stairs and elevator without noticing them. But even still the elevator will probably be very busy with people going back and forth.
I also stopped by the Sky Club to see how it's doing and the food selection was respectable, certainly closer to normal than what Delta is doing on board these days. Everything was packaged but a very wide selection including some healthy-ish options like salads and wraps, and would be easy enough to slip some things in your bag to mitigate the no food onboard most flights these days.
Considering that the lunch/dinner food selection at the JFK T4 Sky Club was actually pretty good pre-COVID, assuming Delta gets back to that level, I would probably skip the Centurion lounge most of the time once travel is back to full speed. But we'll see how things evolve.
It's a very nice lounge, in line with the other Centurion lounges, and lots of windows and light which is nice. Breakfast was maybe a bit less exciting than I recall other Centurion lounges having, with 2 hot dishes -- a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a plate of potatoes, eggs and bacon, but that may just be a COVID-era adjustment. All food and drink was served to you by the staff, and all of the staff were extremely attentive, welcoming and friendly.
That said, imagining summer 2019 afternoon traffic levels at this lounge is enough to give anyone an anxiety attack, even in a non-pandemic world. It felt like there were fewer total seats than in the Sky Club, even though that lounge was already packed, and many of the same passengers would have access (plus more who skip the Sky Club because it doesn't allow their guests in, who would come to the Centurion lounge in 2s and 3s, plus those flying other airlines).
And the layout is much more cramped, with narrow corridors alongside seating to get around, which would be totally congested with people dragging their roller bags around. It does help create some more private spaces than the Sky Club has, but it's just going to be tough. As it is, there wouldn't really have been anywhere to put my roller bag while I ate breakfast near the buffet if not for that every other table is closed off for social distancing.
The lower level will probably be the better option once things start to pick up, as it's somewhat bigger and it's easy to walk right past the stairs and elevator without noticing them. But even still the elevator will probably be very busy with people going back and forth.
I also stopped by the Sky Club to see how it's doing and the food selection was respectable, certainly closer to normal than what Delta is doing on board these days. Everything was packaged but a very wide selection including some healthy-ish options like salads and wraps, and would be easy enough to slip some things in your bag to mitigate the no food onboard most flights these days.
Considering that the lunch/dinner food selection at the JFK T4 Sky Club was actually pretty good pre-COVID, assuming Delta gets back to that level, I would probably skip the Centurion lounge most of the time once travel is back to full speed. But we'll see how things evolve.
Nov 30, 2020, 10:25 pm
#117
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If you were going to do it, you might split the platforms in half lengthwise, and could have trains where one car was landside and one car was airside (there are similar things on trains at SEA and MCO, among others, to allow arriving international passengers to get from satellite concourses to the terminal as landside passengers while screened airside passengers travel in other cars; FRA and SIN also have interterminal trains where one car is landside passengers while the other car is passengers in the international transit zone). And then the Howard Beach and Jamaica trains would stop only at the landside part of the platform.
It wouldn't have been a half-bad idea to incorporate when the AirTrain was being designed, but it would be tricky to set up now, since you'd need elevator and escalator access to both parts of the platform. T4 would be particularly tricky since the platform is integrated into the building so you'd have to find a place for a new passageway between the train station and the airside area; since the other AirTrain stations are standalone you might be able to just build a new external corridor somewhere that makes the connection. (Of course, in the original design for the AirTrain and T4, T4 itself wasn't even all one security zone; the A and B concourses used to have separate security checkpoints, and the area where the Amex lounge is was a landside area.)
It wouldn't have been a half-bad idea to incorporate when the AirTrain was being designed, but it would be tricky to set up now, since you'd need elevator and escalator access to both parts of the platform. T4 would be particularly tricky since the platform is integrated into the building so you'd have to find a place for a new passageway between the train station and the airside area; since the other AirTrain stations are standalone you might be able to just build a new external corridor somewhere that makes the connection. (Of course, in the original design for the AirTrain and T4, T4 itself wasn't even all one security zone; the A and B concourses used to have separate security checkpoints, and the area where the Amex lounge is was a landside area.)
Nov 30, 2020, 10:28 pm
#118
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Back to the original topic of this thread, I got a chance to check out the JFK lounge this morning. The airport was surprisingly busy, I assume due to the dregs of Thanksgiving travel, and there were maybe about 20 people in the lounge in total while I was there.
It's a very nice lounge, in line with the other Centurion lounges, and lots of windows and light which is nice. Breakfast was maybe a bit less exciting than I recall other Centurion lounges having, with 2 hot dishes -- a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a plate of potatoes, eggs and bacon, but that may just be a COVID-era adjustment. All food and drink was served to you by the staff, and all of the staff were extremely attentive, welcoming and friendly.
That said, imagining summer 2019 afternoon traffic levels at this lounge is enough to give anyone an anxiety attack, even in a non-pandemic world. It felt like there were fewer total seats than in the Sky Club, even though that lounge was already packed, and many of the same passengers would have access (plus more who skip the Sky Club because it doesn't allow their guests in, who would come to the Centurion lounge in 2s and 3s, plus those flying other airlines).
And the layout is much more cramped, with narrow corridors alongside seating to get around, which would be totally congested with people dragging their roller bags around. It does help create some more private spaces than the Sky Club has, but it's just going to be tough. As it is, there wouldn't really have been anywhere to put my roller bag while I ate breakfast near the buffet if not for that every other table is closed off for social distancing.
The lower level will probably be the better option once things start to pick up, as it's somewhat bigger and it's easy to walk right past the stairs and elevator without noticing them. But even still the elevator will probably be very busy with people going back and forth.
I also stopped by the Sky Club to see how it's doing and the food selection was respectable, certainly closer to normal than what Delta is doing on board these days. Everything was packaged but a very wide selection including some healthy-ish options like salads and wraps, and would be easy enough to slip some things in your bag to mitigate the no food onboard most flights these days.
Considering that the lunch/dinner food selection at the JFK T4 Sky Club was actually pretty good pre-COVID, assuming Delta gets back to that level, I would probably skip the Centurion lounge most of the time once travel is back to full speed. But we'll see how things evolve.
It's a very nice lounge, in line with the other Centurion lounges, and lots of windows and light which is nice. Breakfast was maybe a bit less exciting than I recall other Centurion lounges having, with 2 hot dishes -- a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a plate of potatoes, eggs and bacon, but that may just be a COVID-era adjustment. All food and drink was served to you by the staff, and all of the staff were extremely attentive, welcoming and friendly.
That said, imagining summer 2019 afternoon traffic levels at this lounge is enough to give anyone an anxiety attack, even in a non-pandemic world. It felt like there were fewer total seats than in the Sky Club, even though that lounge was already packed, and many of the same passengers would have access (plus more who skip the Sky Club because it doesn't allow their guests in, who would come to the Centurion lounge in 2s and 3s, plus those flying other airlines).
And the layout is much more cramped, with narrow corridors alongside seating to get around, which would be totally congested with people dragging their roller bags around. It does help create some more private spaces than the Sky Club has, but it's just going to be tough. As it is, there wouldn't really have been anywhere to put my roller bag while I ate breakfast near the buffet if not for that every other table is closed off for social distancing.
The lower level will probably be the better option once things start to pick up, as it's somewhat bigger and it's easy to walk right past the stairs and elevator without noticing them. But even still the elevator will probably be very busy with people going back and forth.
I also stopped by the Sky Club to see how it's doing and the food selection was respectable, certainly closer to normal than what Delta is doing on board these days. Everything was packaged but a very wide selection including some healthy-ish options like salads and wraps, and would be easy enough to slip some things in your bag to mitigate the no food onboard most flights these days.
Considering that the lunch/dinner food selection at the JFK T4 Sky Club was actually pretty good pre-COVID, assuming Delta gets back to that level, I would probably skip the Centurion lounge most of the time once travel is back to full speed. But we'll see how things evolve.
Jan 10, 2021, 4:11 pm
#119
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Bumping this thread with a 2021 visit. Here are my key takeaways below:
- absolutely massive lounge
- love the speakeasy bar where their are 3 cocktails you can only get in there ( southsider was my favorite cocktail )
- a first in my traveling career; I was literally the only customer in the lounge for an hour and a half when the occupancy maxed out at 2 people ( myself included )
- food was awesome; I had maitake mushroom poboy and steak and potatoes
- you can gain access to any Centurion Lounge with a connection that’s over 3 hours. Example: you fly MEX-JFK and you arrive to JFK at 900 and you are then flying JFK-DTW at 1600; as long as you have MEX-JFK that arrived that day you will be allowed in.
- absolutely massive lounge
- love the speakeasy bar where their are 3 cocktails you can only get in there ( southsider was my favorite cocktail )
- a first in my traveling career; I was literally the only customer in the lounge for an hour and a half when the occupancy maxed out at 2 people ( myself included )
- food was awesome; I had maitake mushroom poboy and steak and potatoes
- you can gain access to any Centurion Lounge with a connection that’s over 3 hours. Example: you fly MEX-JFK and you arrive to JFK at 900 and you are then flying JFK-DTW at 1600; as long as you have MEX-JFK that arrived that day you will be allowed in.