I'm flying JFK-ATH this weekend in coach, and I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with the SkyTeam Elite+ lounge access benefit in ATH. Based on the info I could glean from the aiport website, Alitalia is the only skyteam-affiliated lounge in Athens.

Oh yes, one more question...I know Delta has a number of Crown Rooms in JFK...any thoughts on which one is best?

Thanks in advance!

Mmm ... There might be a problem.

If you are flying JFK-ATH, you will not have access to the AZ lounge as the SkyTeam Elite + benefit applies to departures lounges, not arrivals lounges (even if it were, there is no way you can access it upon arrival as it is in the Schengen departures area)

Another problem with the AZ lounge when flying back is that the AZ lounge is located at the opposite end of the terminal from which you will be flying. The AZ lounge is located in the Schengen departures area, at the end of the terminal and your flight will leave from the International non Schengen departures area, at the other end. You should check with DL whether they have a bilateral agreement with OA, BA or Swissport which operate the lounges in this part of the terminal. My uneducated guess would be OA (or Swissport as a second choice)

I assume you mean using a lounge in ATH when you are departing. From what I was told when I posted a similar question (my flight is not until May), you will be able to go to the Olympic Airlines lounge.

Thanks for the quick responses! I'm not as worried about lounge upon arrival, as I'll be transiting straight to my hotel.

I'm worried that the OA lounge might be treated as a business-class lounge rather than a simple SkyTeam Elite+ accessible lounge. I have do have a NW WorldClub membership, and I'm NW Plat rather than DL...who the heck knows. I will give the OA lounge a shot.

If anyone has actually sucessfully used the SkyTeam benefit in ATH, I'd love to hear your story. Is the OA lounge comfortable?

I haven't used the SkyTeam benefit in ATH, but I did use the OA lounge in the non Schengen area when flying CY to LCA. It is probably the most pleasant lounge in the airport (I've used LH, AZ, Goldair Handling, which were rather bland, Aegean, which was OK, and I don't really remember the BA one). The decoration is restful, with some references to Greek works of art, and the lounge attendants were pleasant.

You should get an invitation when you check in... IIRC, the OA lounge and Aegean lounge are right next to each other - the OA lounge was livelier and nicer overall (this was a while ago).

The Aegean lounge was about 95 degrees until right before I left, the drinks were warm and had no ice, and there was only one TV. The upside was a very comfy couch and fast internet.

I think you are referring to the Schengen departures area, not the International non-Schengen area. There is an OA lounge in each of these areas, but there is an A3 lounge only in the Schengean area.