ron187

I am flying to Amsterdam next week on DL and have a whole afternoon to kill at JFK before my flight. I am skyteam elite+ and was wondering what the best skyteam lounges at JFK are.. any help would be appreciated!

jrkmsp

Probably the new Air France lounge -- but not exactly convenient to the Delta operation at T4 all the way over at T1.

dungeonlurker

I think the only ST lounge in JFK T4 (where Delta is) is the Delta SkyClub. If you're looking for a nicer one, perhaps consider paying for guest entry (unless you have Priority Pass or Lounge Club) to Wingtips - much better lounges IMO.

bennos

As mentioned, AMS flights will leave from T4, which means you get the T4 SkyClub. It's not bad, though the food at Wingtips is better. I'd still go with the SC, though, as it is larger, has more seating options, better views, more and better showers, more reliable internet (IME), and presumably won't cost you anything to enter. If you're at JFK for the whole afternoon, you can go grab a meal from somewhere like the Shake Shack for less than the cost of admission to Wingtips.

There are AF, AZ, and KE lounges in T1 (AF generally considered to be the best), but then there's the question of whether or not TSA will let you past the checkpoint. While the AF lounge is a bit nicer and has better food than the SC, it also gets really crowded in the afternoon, especially before the A380 departure. Not worth the hassle, IMO.

CAETravlr

It depends on what you are in to. I just recently flew CHS-JFK-CDG and had the chance while at JFK to visit both the Delta SkyClub and the Air France lounge. The views from the Delta Sky Club can't be beat. However $12 per glass for my favorite champagne gets a little pricey. The Air France lounge had an interesting view as well and free Duvall Leroy champagne, which is another one of my favorites. If you have the time, and can get through TSA, it might be worth a visit. Of course, I find champagne and food pretty motivational.

Denolloyd

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3G: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 8_1_2 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/600.1.4 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/8.0 Mobile/12B440 Safari/600.1.4)

Curious, can one access the AF lounge in T1 if flying KE J? From what I have read, the KE lounge in T1 is not the nicest.

Thanks

Pathfinder813

I don't think you can unless you are SkyTeam Elite+ if I'm not mistaken. I once tried to go in to the AF lounge as KE J but did not have my PM card with me and they denied me entry even though my boarding pass indicated that I was Elite + and I was able to show them the DL app. This was in late 2012 so I'm not sure if they still require a physical card especially given how much better the DL app is now.

The KE lounge at T1 leaves a lot to be desired. They have packaged cheese, some instant noodles (Shin ramen and a few other Korean ones), some sandwiches and a very limited, albeit self-serve, choice of liquor, wine and beer. They also have bathrooms and a shower or two.

I've yet to try the new AF lounge but the pictures I've seen make it look a hundred times better than the KE lounge. KE has to up their game.

Denolloyd

Thanks for the details. KE lounge it is. I'll likely grab dinner in T4 then make my way to T1. My understanding is KE68, which leaves after midnight, has a shortened meal service / smaller meal than one would expect, thus want to get enough grub on the ground.

Pathfinder813

No prob.

As for the AF lounge, does anyone know if they are still adamant about showing an actual Skymiles Elite + card or will the DL app suffice?

tentseller

AF lounge dragons have a reputation of denying access to their lounge if your operating carrier have a lounge at the same airport.

nelsonsjavaheads

Just flew jkf -icn last week on KE 86 in J and was able to access the AF lounge without a problem. AF dragon said that KE had their own lounge and I told her I figured that the French knew more about food and wine so I would prefer to use their lounge.

She laughed and let my wife, myself and another J passenger in.

I too did enjoy the free duval Leroy champagne vs the crap that is available in the SC by the glass.

NYCflip

My preference:

1. AF lounge (T1)
2. DL SC (T4)*
3. DL SC (T2)

*Wingtips (T4) would be my #2 though it's not ST
Haven't been to KE yet.

upgradeluvr

Last week, I was traveling JFK-MXP on AZ. I went to all three T1 Skyteam lounges, as I wanted to experience what they had to offer, as well as their differences.

T1
Air France lounge - by far the best of the Skyteam lounges. Recent renovations occurred last summer/fall. It's a nice, spacious interior. Despite my traveling on AZ, the lounge attendants didn't attempt to shoo me away. They advised me that they wouldn't alert me to boarding times, since I was flying on AZ. The food offerings are plentiful and fresh. Lots of hot entrees like soups, noodles, quiche, beef bourguignon. Breads, salads and cheeses. Beverage selection was fantastic...alcohol selection was good too. Wifi worked well. I did enjoy the use of real silverware and glass, in lieu of plastic, that Delta uses.

Alitalia lounge was just ok. Lots of leather sofas (welcome to Italy). They have Rai Uno blaring on the TV monitors. I did enjoy the selection of food, although it was not as good as AF. They have individual packaged foods like pasta and sandwiches. There is also a wide selection of chips and crackers. Lots of beverage options, although I didn't particularly enjoy the plastic cups or plastic silverware.

Korean Airlines: The worst of all Skyteam lounges in T1. This is a tiny space. Aeroflot also uses this lounge, so it gets crowded. Food offerings consisted of chips and crackers, costco sandwiches and instant ramen. Beverages were standard.

T4 - Delta Skyclub. Underwhelming, after being in Europe. In fact, it's quite ghetto inside this "gem" of Delta's skyclubs. How can Delta market this lounge as a premium experience when their food offerings are SO paltry. Chex snack mix and carrot sticks? Please! I did enjoy the recent addition of chicken salad.....at least it's better than it was in December.

If there's an extra nickel to be drained, you better believe Delta will find it....meh

If you're flying DL out of T4, I don't think you'll get past security in T1. They don't accept DL boarding passes. I was flying on 006 ticket stock and I had to get an AZ boarding pass to be permitted past T1 security.

Unfortunately for the OP, you're only choice will be T4 Delta Skyclub.

Kefci2000

xliioper

The review above is from 2015. I would neither call the T4 Sky Club "ghetto", nor consider it's food options "paltry". Haven't been to the Wingtips lounge, but I doubt it's all that much better. Are you flying in business? I suspect you won't get into Wingtips if you are in coach and are still in challenge period for DL Platinum (and you don't have Skyteam Elite Plus status from another carrier).