MSP "Escape Lounge" open

Old Jun 24, 2017, 7:44 pm
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Originally Posted by lkar
MSP Escape Club today. Nice space. The food was absolutely repulsive. They still had the breakfast food out at 5:20 p.m. Stale muffins and rock hard buns baking in heat lamps. There was one sandwich that I took out of curiousilty. Maybe it's a weekend thing? It is really really gross. There were about 5 people in there.

The food is just about inedible. Has been for over a year now. Blame the CSR hordes for picking the place clean. Hopefully as things return to normal, the good food along with the on-demand menu will return.
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Old Jun 24, 2017, 8:18 pm
  #242  
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Originally Posted by lkar
MSP Escape Club today. Nice space. The food was absolutely repulsive. They still had the breakfast food out at 5:20 p.m. Stale muffins and rock hard buns baking in heat lamps. There was one sandwich that I took out of curiousilty. Maybe it's a weekend thing? It is really really gross. There were about 5 people in there.

Sounds like how the skyclubs used to when the Am Ex cards holders used to have guesting rights (well food offerings, there were a lot more than five people in the clubs at one time LOL). I'm sure they don't have the awful alcohol selections the Skyclub had one time though (they had Gordon's vodka and gin for a while). Once they eliminated the guesting the food offerings and beverages improved big time.
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Old Jun 24, 2017, 8:21 pm
  #243  
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Originally Posted by WWads
The food is just about inedible. Has been for over a year now. Blame the CSR hordes for picking the place clean. Hopefully as things return to normal, the good food along with the on-demand menu will return.
It probably will. Once the Skyclubs stopped allowing the Am ex people to bring in guests (one time I saw someone bring in six kids and his wife) the food offerings improved significantly The alcohol REALLY improved, Stoli's is top shelf compared to the Gordon's they served before
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Old Jun 24, 2017, 8:33 pm
  #244  
 
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Let's get real guys. That new(ish) taco bar at MSP is awesome. Salmon sandwiches too; though I could not-pick that it has a bit too much onion. The Cuban sandwiches have not been as good since they changed the bread though. All in all miles ahead of Skyclub.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 5:06 pm
  #245  
 
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Originally Posted by DrivingRain
Let's get real guys. That new(ish) taco bar at MSP is awesome. Salmon sandwiches too; though I could not-pick that it has a bit too much onion. The Cuban sandwiches have not been as good since they changed the bread though. All in all miles ahead of Skyclub.
They must have been having a bad day when I was there. The "taco bar" was a porcelain tortilla holder that had one sad tortilla in there, and the beef had been sitting out so long that it had a hard crust on it. The sign mentioned chicken but there was no chicken. There were no salmon sandwiches. When I say that it was gross, I'm not saying, "it was not very good food." I am not saying it was not gourmet cuisine. I'm saying it was absolutely repulsive and embarrassing. It all needed to go in the garbage. The primary offer was 8 stale cinnabon looking things that clearly had been put out for breakfast. It was 5:30 p.m.

I'm guessing I will be perceived as a fussy lounge snob. I'm not. I'll eat pretty much anything. This was not fit for consumption. I asked the guy behind the desk, who apparently had been sitting doing nothing all day even though he was maybe 10 feet from the food, whether there was any other food, and he said, "no, that's it." I said, "really, it's very gross," which caused him to get up and look with me, and I think he was a bit horrified and then he bolted for the back. After my ipad had a bit more charge I headed over to the Delta lounge and I could tell when I left he was very sheepish.

Coincidentally, I was in Hartford this same trip and the escape lounge there yesterday was fantastic.\

There was one sad sandwich. This was what I saw when I opened it:

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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:07 pm
  #246  
 
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Originally Posted by lkar
They must have been having a bad day when I was there. The "taco bar" was a porcelain tortilla holder that had one sad tortilla in there, and the beef had been sitting out so long that it had a hard crust on it. The sign mentioned chicken but there was no chicken. There were no salmon sandwiches. When I say that it was gross, I'm not saying, "it was not very good food." I am not saying it was not gourmet cuisine. I'm saying it was absolutely repulsive and embarrassing. It all needed to go in the garbage. The primary offer was 8 stale cinnabon looking things that clearly had been put out for breakfast. It was 5:30 p.m.

I'm guessing I will be perceived as a fussy lounge snob. I'm not. I'll eat pretty much anything. This was not fit for consumption. I asked the guy behind the desk, who apparently had been sitting doing nothing all day even though he was maybe 10 feet from the food, whether there was any other food, and he said, "no, that's it." I said, "really, it's very gross," which caused him to get up and look with me, and I think he was a bit horrified and then he bolted for the back. After my ipad had a bit more charge I headed over to the Delta lounge and I could tell when I left he was very sheepish.

Coincidentally, I was in Hartford this same trip and the escape lounge there yesterday was fantastic.\

There was one sad sandwich. This was what I saw when I opened it:

Yeah that's about par for the course at the MSP Escape lounge. I hope Amex is spot checking them to make sure that they're trying to get back to pre-CSR conditions. I think they need new employees too.

If I want food and a drink, I go to a SkyClub. If I want peace and nice tarmac views, the Escape lounge. Too bad I can't get both.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:17 pm
  #247  
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That sandwich does looks uneatable. Before the skyclubs made the changes and allowed Am Ex cardholders to guest people in they never served anything like that.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:21 pm
  #248  
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Originally Posted by WWads
Yeah that's about par for the course at the MSP Escape lounge. I hope Amex is spot checking them to make sure that they're trying to get back to pre-CSR conditions. I think they need new employees too.

If I want food and a drink, I go to a SkyClub. If I want peace and nice tarmac views, the Escape lounge. Too bad I can't get both.
I think the Skyclub food is decent but the alcohol selection could be better. The ATL skyclub has nice views with the deck at the F concourse in nice weather but I agree they are far from peaceful. I think they could be if they restricted entrance to Skyclub members and those flying in J in international and eliminated Am Ex swipes and free Diamond memberships.

It's too bad Delta doesn't have business class lounges in their hubs like some other airlines do.

The Virgin Clubhouse in London is restricted to J passengers and diamonds (and maybe platinums) and is very peaceful and has a lot of nice benefits.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:24 pm
  #249  
 
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Originally Posted by jamesteroh
I think the Skyclub food is decent but the alcohol selection could be better. The ATL skyclub has nice views with the deck at the F concourse in nice weather but I agree they are far from peaceful. I think they could be if they restricted entrance to Skyclub members and those flying in J in international and eliminated Am Ex swipes and free Diamond memberships.

It's too bad Delta doesn't have business class lounges in their hubs like some other airlines do.

The Virgin Clubhouse in London is restricted to J passengers and diamonds (and maybe platinums) and is very peaceful and has a lot of nice benefits.
I'm honestly shocked that DM memberships didn't get axed. The other airlines don't offer that perk. As for Amex swipes, maybe give card holders four passes a year or something. I hold the Reserve, so it doesn't matter much to me.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:26 pm
  #250  
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Any time a lounge thread is started we should just have the mods post "look, if they just restricted lounge access to (whatever method I personally use to access the club) it would be a lot better" and then lock the thread.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:37 pm
  #251  
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Originally Posted by WWads
I'm honestly shocked that DM memberships didn't get axed. The other airlines don't offer that perk. As for Amex swipes, maybe give card holders four passes a year or something. I hold the Reserve, so it doesn't matter much to me.
Actually it is getting axed with the next benefit year in a way. It's going to be a choice benefit but you get a third benefit so I'll just use my Am Ex reserve card for access until my membership runs out (I had two and a half years remaining on my paid membership when I made diamond so have access for a couple years). For people like me that already have another means to enter it's a plus because we can chose another benefit. For people that want to chose the skyclub as a benefit it will kind of suck because they will have to select their other options in January if they want the skyclub membership to kick in which means the GU's expire sooner.

For other airlines not giving the benefit, they don't require the amount of flying for top tier. UA and AA is only 100K miles a year plus AA gets more SWU's that are easier to use and if you fly enough on UA over the 100K you get additional SWU's and their SWU's are easier to use and AA has a more generous SDC policy. I'd gladly give up the free skyclub membership for more SWU's and ones that are lot less restricted and the old SDC policy.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 6:40 pm
  #252  
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Originally Posted by pvn
Any time a lounge thread is started we should just have the mods post "look, if they just restricted lounge access to (whatever method I personally use to access the club) it would be a lot better" and then lock the thread.
LOL you're right. People on here are complaining about the CSR PP users ruining and overcrowding the escape lounge and skyclub members complain about Am Ex swipes overcrowding the Skyclubs and Boardroom members at LAX and Anchorage used to complain about Delta Skyclub members overcrowding their lounges when we had access

I have found the more restricted lounges to be the nicest like the Virgin Clubhouse at LHR but the problem is you have to be on a J ticket or a top level elite to use them and they wouldn't be able to sustain a lounge like that at most US airports.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 8:38 pm
  #253  
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Originally Posted by jamesteroh
LOL you're right. People on here are complaining about the CSR PP users ruining and overcrowding the escape lounge and skyclub members complain about Am Ex swipes overcrowding the Skyclubs and Boardroom members at LAX and Anchorage used to complain about Delta Skyclub members overcrowding their lounges when we had access

I have found the more restricted lounges to be the nicest like the Virgin Clubhouse at LHR but the problem is you have to be on a J ticket or a top level elite to use them and they wouldn't be able to sustain a lounge like that at most US airports.
You have a fair point in bringing this up, but I think they are all valid arguments.

Also let me be clear and say that complaints here are not about CSR PP holders crowding the Escape lounge (you cannot blame them for trying to use a benefit that was advertised to them). It's the inability for the Escape lounge to keep up.

To which I attributed the fault to the banks, the lounges, and the consumers.

But I agree-- Americans are capitalistic so we must find some way to maximise revenue
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 9:06 pm
  #254  
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Originally Posted by jamesteroh
Makes sense, they just run the PP pass card instead of the credit and then the credit card linked would be charged for the difference.

It will be a nice option at PDX seeing some board rooms aren't permitting PP swipes anymore if they are crowded. I wish they would add it at some smaller airports like CHS that doesn't have a lounge and in the Delta terminal at PDX where there isn't a skyclub or lounge available. It would be really nice to have at Canada airports like YUL and YYZ where there is no lounge for US flights
YYZ has an AA in T3 when it reopens and an AC and Plaza Premium (PP eligible) in T1 for transborder.
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Old Jun 27, 2017, 9:25 pm
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
You're right. I also swiped my way into CO lounges at times, although this could be problematic when CO and NW (or DL) were close partners in that the dragons tended to enforce the technical rules so that there were lots of surprise denials. For instance, if one takes a RT between MSP and IAH, MSP had only PMNW lounges while IAH only had PMCO lounges. If you wanted to purchase a RT ticket to save money, it wasn't possible to get MSP-IAH on PMNW and IAH-MSP on PMCO so as to have lounge access at both ends before your flight. It could be very frustrating, although IIRC there were periods when PP might have solved the problem in one direction.
You could buy a ticket with both. In fact you could buy a wholly CO operated ticket from NW. Booked GFK-MSP-SAT all on NW with return on CO SAT-IAH-MSP-(NW)GFK also did GFK-MSP-IAH on NW and CO IAH-MSP-(NW)GFK. No issues ticketing.
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