Sky Club Access Lines and Waiting due to capacity
Sep 4, 2022, 7:31 am
#436
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 6,712
I personally would not pay for lounge access that only provided cheap packaged snacks and no free drinks. It's part of the reason why I don't fly United much. Their clubs are a lot closer to the old model, and quality lounge amenities are important to me.
Sep 4, 2022, 9:49 am
#437
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: On the run
Programs: DL 2MM/DM, Hilton LT Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriot Titanium
Posts: 573
If things weren't bad enough, now the View From The Wing blog is suggesting non members get in Sky Club lines for free snacks.
"Your Sky Club credentials (such as a club membership or Amex Platinum/Centurion card) aren’t checked until you reach the front of the line. So if you’re looking for free snacks at the airport, consider joining the line for a Delta Sky Club!"
https://viewfromthewing.com/report-d...m=BoardingArea
"Your Sky Club credentials (such as a club membership or Amex Platinum/Centurion card) aren’t checked until you reach the front of the line. So if you’re looking for free snacks at the airport, consider joining the line for a Delta Sky Club!"
https://viewfromthewing.com/report-d...m=BoardingArea
What gets me is the JFK SC line, if it is all AmEx Platinum Card holders, why aren't they at the Centurion Lounge or a terminal 4 priority pass lounge? Probably STE+ 2 year roll overs taking their 1st international trip in 2 years.
Amex Plat holders have to be flying DL in order to get in. Without a breakdown of entry method, it's hard to know who is primary contributor. A lot of EU flying is seasonal and is almost certainly a big contributor right now as anyone Gold and higher can get in with a guest on these itins and there's probably an excess of Gold Medallions right now from 2 consecutive years of 100% MQM rollover. EU flying should start slowing in September and there a number of EU flights out of ATL that are dropped for the season after Oct 28th (ATL-VCE/ATH/MXP/BCN/DUB). ATL-FCO also loses second daily flight and ATL-MAD goes less than daily after the 28th.
Exactly. Folks can't have it both ways. Delta has certainly allowed too many folks to have access to a limited commodity (space in the SC), but unless we want to go back to the "clubs are empty but have no amenities" days, we have to accept some level of crowding. Hopefully Platinum card annual fees coming due will help reduce numbers in the coming months.
I personally would not pay for lounge access that only provided cheap packaged snacks and no free drinks. It's part of the reason why I don't fly United much. Their clubs are a lot closer to the old model, and quality lounge amenities are important to me.
I personally would not pay for lounge access that only provided cheap packaged snacks and no free drinks. It's part of the reason why I don't fly United much. Their clubs are a lot closer to the old model, and quality lounge amenities are important to me.
New United Club at EWR is OK. I was in the IAD Polaris Lounge last month, as it was OK with the sit down meal service, but the premium beverage offerings was nice such as champagne served in tulip glasses and premium bar offerings. Still prefer the Centurion Lounge's.
I agree regarding the other United Clubs outside of LAX and EWR, very outdated with sub-par offerings. IAD and ORD are mostly dumps.
Sep 4, 2022, 10:46 am
#439
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Platinum, American Gold, JetBlue Mosaic 4, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,894
Sep 4, 2022, 1:47 pm
#440
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,404
HUH? With PMNW, I always entered WorldClubs with my AmEx Plat card, although the rules for codeshares were tricky. For example, I couldn't access lounges at both MSP and IAH (the CO lounges then also accepted AmEx Plat) on any reasonable RT ticket despite PMNW and CO being fairly close partners. (The problem was that I couldn't combine a NW marketed flight in the outbound direction and a CO marketed segment for the return on a discounted RT fare.) OTOH, I could get into Useless Air lounges when flying *any* airline, which occasionally was handy when the airport didn't have a WorldClub.
Sep 4, 2022, 7:06 pm
#441
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Toledo, OH
Programs: Delta DM & MM, Hilton DM, Marriott gold, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska 75K, Wyndham Diamond,
Posts: 15,399
HUH? With PMNW, I always entered WorldClubs with my AmEx Plat card, although the rules for codeshares were tricky. For example, I couldn't access lounges at both MSP and IAH (the CO lounges then also accepted AmEx Plat) on any reasonable RT ticket despite PMNW and CO being fairly close partners. (The problem was that I couldn't combine a NW marketed flight in the outbound direction and a CO marketed segment for the return on a discounted RT fare.) OTOH, I could get into Useless Air lounges when flying *any* airline, which occasionally was handy when the airport didn't have a WorldClub.
Sep 4, 2022, 8:26 pm
#442
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,404
PMNW participated in the program where most major USA airlines gave lounge access with a Plat or Centurion card.
Sep 4, 2022, 9:37 pm
#443
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,053
Sep 4, 2022, 9:44 pm
#444
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,404
NW also provided Priority Pass access to clubs back in the day, but it looks like Amex access to NW clubs was a separate deal based on this thread -- No more Delta/NWA lounges through Priority Pass
Sep 4, 2022, 10:04 pm
#445
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,053
Yes, that's why I said it looks like NW had a separate deal with Amex (apart from Priority Pass) as some people in thread mentioned separate Amex relationship.
Sep 5, 2022, 8:49 am
#446
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,404
I'm not sure what you mean by "separate" deal, but the AmEx Plat card for years had a deal for admission (plus family or two guests) with several airlines, including NW, CO, either AA or UA, and US. All except US required a flight within 24 hours (not same day) on the carrier operating the lounge. AmEx had an umbrella name for the program that was used for all of the airlines with this policy. For PMNW, IIRC it included the NRT lounges but not contract lounges or partner lounges (unless one had a WBC ticket or Plat status, which was a completely different means of access, within 24 hours of an international NW/KLM flight).
Sep 5, 2022, 10:39 am
#447
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3,097
What do CKs do at clubs? Do they have a big hat with flashing neon lights to let the desk agents know they don't have to have their credentials checked?
Sep 6, 2022, 8:40 am
#448
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: On the run
Programs: DL 2MM/DM, Hilton LT Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriot Titanium
Posts: 573
ATL B18 SC this morning around 8:30am, post Labor day. Line must be around 20 deep, but empty 360/D1/DM line. Hopefully the summer travel madness is behind us now. No one was handing out “free food” that the blogger mentioned above recently posted about.
