Chasing the Northern Lights
Feb 8, 2024, 4:36 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Chasing the Northern Lights
Greetings from 37,000 feet above Paducah, Kentucky!
Mrs. ATX and I are currently onboard Delta 1411 headed to New York-JFK to kick off our first major trip of 2024. We started working on this trip a few months ago once we found out that ATX Jetsetter Jr. would be joining us in May 2024. This is a babymoon of sorts and we wanted to do something that would be difficult to do with a child in tow.
We initially planned on going to Turkey but called an audible and decided to head to the Arctic Circle instead. Prague and Stockholm would bookend the trip with the star of the show being Tromsø, Norway. Tromsø will be our base camp for the Northern Lights excursions around the Arctic Circle.
Booking Flights
The logistics of this trip got a little chaotic and I was modifying our itinerary up until a few days ago. Instead of taking you into the chaos that is my mind, I'll just share our final routing.
To get from the States to Prague we booked SWISS Business Class from New York-JFK to Prague with a stop in Zurich for 70,000 Aeroplan points and roughly $100 in taxes and fees per person. To position for that flight, I bought cheap Delta Economy tickets ($150 per person) from Austin to New York and upgraded to Comfort+ for 9,000 SkyMiles per person.
To bounce around Europe I pieced together a decent combination of cash fares in Economy on KLM and Widerøe and Premium Economy on SAS to get us to and from Tromsø. European Business Class typically isn't worth it to me as it's just economy with a blocked middle seat and some additional food, on KLM's Embraer E-Jets they don't even block the middle, and our status allows us to bring the necessary baggage allowance.
Finally, to get back home, we booked KLM Business Class from Stockholm to Austin via Amsterdam for 50,000 Flying Blue Miles plus roughly $250 in taxes and fees per person.
Booking Hotels
Figuring out our hotels was much easier than the flights. In Prague, we used our annual $200 hotel credit from our American Express Platinum Card to book the Andaz Prague. They were running a 3rd night free promotion which made the nightly rate a reasonable $298 a night.
In Tromsø there weren't many hotel options and the only major chain hotel was a Moxy outside of the city center. Our most expensive hotel of the trip is also our least impressive as we spent $422 per night to book the Clarion Hotel The Edge in the city center. The primary reason for choosing this location was it is the departure point for most of our tours.
Finally, in Stockholm, I booked the Sheraton for 43,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. We wanted to do a points booking in Stockholm as it would allow us to be more flexible in the event we needed to modify our dates as the Northern Lights can be finnicky.
Summary
I'm not a big fan of the cold but I'm very excited to see this part of the word and step outside of my comfort zone a little bit. Thanks for coming along on this adventure to the top of the world!
In This Trip Report
Mrs. ATX and I are currently onboard Delta 1411 headed to New York-JFK to kick off our first major trip of 2024. We started working on this trip a few months ago once we found out that ATX Jetsetter Jr. would be joining us in May 2024. This is a babymoon of sorts and we wanted to do something that would be difficult to do with a child in tow.
We initially planned on going to Turkey but called an audible and decided to head to the Arctic Circle instead. Prague and Stockholm would bookend the trip with the star of the show being Tromsø, Norway. Tromsø will be our base camp for the Northern Lights excursions around the Arctic Circle.
Booking Flights
The logistics of this trip got a little chaotic and I was modifying our itinerary up until a few days ago. Instead of taking you into the chaos that is my mind, I'll just share our final routing.
To get from the States to Prague we booked SWISS Business Class from New York-JFK to Prague with a stop in Zurich for 70,000 Aeroplan points and roughly $100 in taxes and fees per person. To position for that flight, I bought cheap Delta Economy tickets ($150 per person) from Austin to New York and upgraded to Comfort+ for 9,000 SkyMiles per person.
To bounce around Europe I pieced together a decent combination of cash fares in Economy on KLM and Widerøe and Premium Economy on SAS to get us to and from Tromsø. European Business Class typically isn't worth it to me as it's just economy with a blocked middle seat and some additional food, on KLM's Embraer E-Jets they don't even block the middle, and our status allows us to bring the necessary baggage allowance.
Finally, to get back home, we booked KLM Business Class from Stockholm to Austin via Amsterdam for 50,000 Flying Blue Miles plus roughly $250 in taxes and fees per person.
Booking Hotels
Figuring out our hotels was much easier than the flights. In Prague, we used our annual $200 hotel credit from our American Express Platinum Card to book the Andaz Prague. They were running a 3rd night free promotion which made the nightly rate a reasonable $298 a night.
In Tromsø there weren't many hotel options and the only major chain hotel was a Moxy outside of the city center. Our most expensive hotel of the trip is also our least impressive as we spent $422 per night to book the Clarion Hotel The Edge in the city center. The primary reason for choosing this location was it is the departure point for most of our tours.
Finally, in Stockholm, I booked the Sheraton for 43,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. We wanted to do a points booking in Stockholm as it would allow us to be more flexible in the event we needed to modify our dates as the Northern Lights can be finnicky.
Summary
I'm not a big fan of the cold but I'm very excited to see this part of the word and step outside of my comfort zone a little bit. Thanks for coming along on this adventure to the top of the world!
In This Trip Report
- Delta B737-800 Comfort+ (AUS-JFK)
- Delta Sky Club Terminal 4 Concourse A (JFK)
- Lufthansa Business Class Lounge Terminal 1 (JFK)
- Lufthansa Senator Lounge Terminal 1 (JFK)
- SWISS A330-300 Business Class (JFK-ZRH)
- SWISS A220-100 Business Class (ZRH-PRG)
- Andaz Prague
- Exploring Prague
- Erste Premier Lounge Prague (PRG)
- KLM Cityhopper EMB-195 Economy (PRG-AMS)
- KLM B737-800 Economy (AMS-BGO)
- Widerøe EMB-190 Economy (BGO-TOS)
- Clarion Hotel The Edge Tromsø
- Exploring Tromsø and Chasing the Northern Lights
- Scandanavian Airlines (SAS) A320 Premium Economy (TOS-ARN)
- Sheraton Stockholm
- Exploring Stockholm
- KLM B737-900 Business Class (ARN-AMS)
- KLM B787-9 Business Class (AMS-AUS)
Last edited by wakesetter93; Mar 25, 2024 at 9:47 am
Feb 10, 2024, 1:53 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Newcastle, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Platinum, FlyingBlue Gold, Hilton Gold, Mucci des repas d'enfant
Posts: 2,496
Congratulations on the new addition to the family! Looking forward to the report, sounds great. It’ll be interesting to see your take on both Stockholm and the KLM experience as I’ve done both recently.
Feb 15, 2024, 7:29 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Delta B737-800 Comfort+ (AUS-JFK)
To kick off our trip to the Czech Republic, Norway, and Sweden, we had to first position to New York. Thanks to some issues with Air Canada we were changing this itinerary right up until departure, including a switch from Washington-Dulles to New York-JFK, so this flight was pretty last minute.
Booking
Due to our aforementioned issues with our Air Canada Aeroplan award bookings, we ended up booking this flight three days before departure. Fares were already steep and i booked our Economy tickets for $238 per person and used 9,900 SkyMiles to upgrade each of us to Comfort+. I considered not upgrading since it was an early morning flight, but the good exit row seats were already taken and I figured we had a better chance of an empty middle in C+.
Pre-Flight
We left our house in Austin at 5:30a and by 5:45a we were pulling into The Parking Spot. We parked next to our waiting shuttle bus and found ourselves at the Barbara Jordan Terminal at 6:00a.
There was only one other person in the bag drop line and we were off to security a few minutes after arrival.
Austin Airport is currently undergoing multiple modernization and expansion projects which should ease the strain on the overcrowded terminal. However, there's some short term pain to go along with that which is evidenced by the security checkpoints. The west side checkpoint closed this month and will be closed until 2026. This leaves 3 security checkpoints available at the airport and all TSA PreCheck passengers are sent to Checkpoint 2E. The line gets somewhat confusing as the Southwest Bag Drop line cuts across the security line due to the limited space available.
The PreCheck line was long but it moved quickly and we were airside 15 minutes later and headed to the Delta Sky Club.
Lounge
Since our domestic tickets weren't linked to our onward Business Class itinerary, we used our American Express Platinum Cards to access the Sky Club. With our cards linked to our Delta accounts, we just had to scan our boarding passes and were invited in.
The Austin Sky Club is one of my favorites in the Delta system and was constructed when they were building out a focus city in Austin. Those plans were put on hold until recently when the airline started adding new routes from Austin but there's still space to spread out here, especially early in the morning.
We just wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before boarding but my full write up from the AUS Sky Club, from a previous trip, can be found here.
Boarding
Our flight to New York-JFK was scheduled to board at 6:40a, 40 minutes before our scheduled 7:20a departure. Boarding was delayed by a couple of minutes and started with passengers needing extra time, followed by First Class, Delta 360, and Diamond Medallion.
Comfort+ was invited to board next and we headed down the jet bridge to our waiting Boeing 737-800.
Delta Air Lines
DL 1411
AUS-JFK (Austin-Bergstrom International - New York-John F. Kennedy International)
Seat: 15C (Comfort+)
B737-800 (N383DN)
Scheduled: 7:20a-12:00p
Actual: 7:16a-11:47a
Seat
Delta's Comfort+ cabin on the 737-800 makes up rows 11-15. The first row (Row 11) has fixed armrests and IFE screens that pull out from below the seat while the remaining rows have seatback IFE and tray tables that fold down from the seat in front.
Legroom was ok but, at 6'2" a standard economy seat would likely be on the tight side for me.
The IFE screen was large and crisp which was nice as Delta still has some older 737s flying around with tiny, outdated IFE screens. The flight attendants came around offering complimentary headphones during boarding.
Power outlets were available between the seats and USB outlets were available under the IFE screen.
The tray tables folded down from the seat in front and had enough room for me to comfortably work on my laptop during the flight.
Departure
We had a fairly light load this morning and boarding wrapped up early. The middle seat in our row ended up going out empty so we had even more space to spread out.
We pushed off the gate a few minutes early but had a long, almost 20 minute taxi our to the departure Runway, 18L behind an American 737 MAX 8 that was also headed to JFK.
At 7:35a we were cleared for takeoff and headed south before making a turn to the northeast over Circuit of the Americas. With nobody in the middle seat I pulled up the IFE on one screen and live TV on the other.
The Captain asked the flight attendants to stay seated on the climb out as some bumps were expected but it was smooth flying up to our cruising altitude.
In-Flight
45 minutes after takeoff, our in-flight service began with a pass of the snack basket. This is one of the ways Delta differentiates Comfort+ from American's Main Cabin Extra and United's Economy Plus, with elevated snacks and complimentary alcoholic beverages on offer. AA has complimentary alcohol in MCE while United provides neither. I took some pistachios and a Biscoff cookie.
Ten minutes later, the beverage service began. Since we were starting vacation, I ordered a mimosa which consisted of some terrible, canned, sparkling white wine and a cup of OJ. At least they gave me a lot of juice so I could drown out the flavor. They also offered an additional serving of snacks and I took some almonds.
Delta offered free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members on this flight and the connection was seamless. I worked for most of the flight and the connection was strong enough that I could write, edit, and upload blog posts all from 37,000 feet.
During the flight, the crew made two additional passes through the Comfort+ and Economy cabins offering coffee and water.
Towards the end of the flight I headed to the rear lavatory which was absolutely filthy and falling apart. Liquids were all over the floor and the panels in the lavatory were falling off in places. Hand towels weren't stocked in the dispenser and instead were sitting in a stack on the counter.
As I headed back to my seat most passengers were sleeping and the cabin had been darkened, with a few rogue window shades left open.
Arrival
We took a northern route, almost to the Great Lakes, on our way to New York and began our descent as we approached from the northwest.
We flew over Manhattan, with LaGuardia airport off to our left before heading out over the open ocean to get into the pattern for JFK.
We looped around and landed from the northeast on Runway 22L before a short taxi over to Terminal 4 and our arrival gate, B26.
We arrived almost 15 minutes early and were off the plane 5 minutes later. After a quick stop at the Terminal 4 Concourse A SkyClub for a bite to eat, we headed for baggage claim and the AirTrain over to Terminal 1.
Summary
The crew on this flight was top notch and made for a very pleasant flying experience. They were friendly, hospitable, and proactive with snacks and beverages. The plane was a bit of a mixed bag as it featured updated IFE but a lavatory that was dirty and literally falling apart.
Since Delta has historically operated an older fleet, their TechOps team is usually on top of small items like this but this one must have fallen through the cracks. I've been a loyal Delta flyer for many years and this flight is unlikely to change that.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Booking
Due to our aforementioned issues with our Air Canada Aeroplan award bookings, we ended up booking this flight three days before departure. Fares were already steep and i booked our Economy tickets for $238 per person and used 9,900 SkyMiles to upgrade each of us to Comfort+. I considered not upgrading since it was an early morning flight, but the good exit row seats were already taken and I figured we had a better chance of an empty middle in C+.
Pre-Flight
We left our house in Austin at 5:30a and by 5:45a we were pulling into The Parking Spot. We parked next to our waiting shuttle bus and found ourselves at the Barbara Jordan Terminal at 6:00a.
There was only one other person in the bag drop line and we were off to security a few minutes after arrival.
Austin Airport is currently undergoing multiple modernization and expansion projects which should ease the strain on the overcrowded terminal. However, there's some short term pain to go along with that which is evidenced by the security checkpoints. The west side checkpoint closed this month and will be closed until 2026. This leaves 3 security checkpoints available at the airport and all TSA PreCheck passengers are sent to Checkpoint 2E. The line gets somewhat confusing as the Southwest Bag Drop line cuts across the security line due to the limited space available.
The PreCheck line was long but it moved quickly and we were airside 15 minutes later and headed to the Delta Sky Club.
LoungeSince our domestic tickets weren't linked to our onward Business Class itinerary, we used our American Express Platinum Cards to access the Sky Club. With our cards linked to our Delta accounts, we just had to scan our boarding passes and were invited in.
The Austin Sky Club is one of my favorites in the Delta system and was constructed when they were building out a focus city in Austin. Those plans were put on hold until recently when the airline started adding new routes from Austin but there's still space to spread out here, especially early in the morning.
We just wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before boarding but my full write up from the AUS Sky Club, from a previous trip, can be found here.
Boarding
Our flight to New York-JFK was scheduled to board at 6:40a, 40 minutes before our scheduled 7:20a departure. Boarding was delayed by a couple of minutes and started with passengers needing extra time, followed by First Class, Delta 360, and Diamond Medallion.
Comfort+ was invited to board next and we headed down the jet bridge to our waiting Boeing 737-800.
Delta Air Lines
DL 1411
AUS-JFK (Austin-Bergstrom International - New York-John F. Kennedy International)
Seat: 15C (Comfort+)
B737-800 (N383DN)
Scheduled: 7:20a-12:00p
Actual: 7:16a-11:47a
Seat
Delta's Comfort+ cabin on the 737-800 makes up rows 11-15. The first row (Row 11) has fixed armrests and IFE screens that pull out from below the seat while the remaining rows have seatback IFE and tray tables that fold down from the seat in front.
Legroom was ok but, at 6'2" a standard economy seat would likely be on the tight side for me.
The IFE screen was large and crisp which was nice as Delta still has some older 737s flying around with tiny, outdated IFE screens. The flight attendants came around offering complimentary headphones during boarding.
Power outlets were available between the seats and USB outlets were available under the IFE screen.
The tray tables folded down from the seat in front and had enough room for me to comfortably work on my laptop during the flight.
Departure
We had a fairly light load this morning and boarding wrapped up early. The middle seat in our row ended up going out empty so we had even more space to spread out.
We pushed off the gate a few minutes early but had a long, almost 20 minute taxi our to the departure Runway, 18L behind an American 737 MAX 8 that was also headed to JFK.
At 7:35a we were cleared for takeoff and headed south before making a turn to the northeast over Circuit of the Americas. With nobody in the middle seat I pulled up the IFE on one screen and live TV on the other.
The Captain asked the flight attendants to stay seated on the climb out as some bumps were expected but it was smooth flying up to our cruising altitude.
In-Flight
45 minutes after takeoff, our in-flight service began with a pass of the snack basket. This is one of the ways Delta differentiates Comfort+ from American's Main Cabin Extra and United's Economy Plus, with elevated snacks and complimentary alcoholic beverages on offer. AA has complimentary alcohol in MCE while United provides neither. I took some pistachios and a Biscoff cookie.
Ten minutes later, the beverage service began. Since we were starting vacation, I ordered a mimosa which consisted of some terrible, canned, sparkling white wine and a cup of OJ. At least they gave me a lot of juice so I could drown out the flavor. They also offered an additional serving of snacks and I took some almonds.
Delta offered free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members on this flight and the connection was seamless. I worked for most of the flight and the connection was strong enough that I could write, edit, and upload blog posts all from 37,000 feet.
During the flight, the crew made two additional passes through the Comfort+ and Economy cabins offering coffee and water.
Towards the end of the flight I headed to the rear lavatory which was absolutely filthy and falling apart. Liquids were all over the floor and the panels in the lavatory were falling off in places. Hand towels weren't stocked in the dispenser and instead were sitting in a stack on the counter.
As I headed back to my seat most passengers were sleeping and the cabin had been darkened, with a few rogue window shades left open.
Arrival
We took a northern route, almost to the Great Lakes, on our way to New York and began our descent as we approached from the northwest.
We flew over Manhattan, with LaGuardia airport off to our left before heading out over the open ocean to get into the pattern for JFK.
We looped around and landed from the northeast on Runway 22L before a short taxi over to Terminal 4 and our arrival gate, B26.
We arrived almost 15 minutes early and were off the plane 5 minutes later. After a quick stop at the Terminal 4 Concourse A SkyClub for a bite to eat, we headed for baggage claim and the AirTrain over to Terminal 1.
Summary
The crew on this flight was top notch and made for a very pleasant flying experience. They were friendly, hospitable, and proactive with snacks and beverages. The plane was a bit of a mixed bag as it featured updated IFE but a lavatory that was dirty and literally falling apart.
Since Delta has historically operated an older fleet, their TechOps team is usually on top of small items like this but this one must have fallen through the cracks. I've been a loyal Delta flyer for many years and this flight is unlikely to change that.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Mar 8, 2024, 10:06 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Thanks! I'm a little (a lot) behind on my trip report writing but I'll get some more updates posted soon!
That is QUITE the audible!
Mar 12, 2024, 10:55 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Mar 16, 2024, 12:39 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
Mar 17, 2024, 10:29 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Delta Sky Club JFK Terminal 4 A
We had 4.5 hours to kill between our arrival in New York, on our Delta flight from Austin, and our onward, SWISS, flight to Zurich. To kill some time, and make sure that SWISS check-in would be open when we arrived, we headed to the new Delta Sky Club in Terminal 4 Concourse A at JFK. This club recently opened as part of Delta's expansion of Concourse A and hopefully will take some pressure off of the always busy Sky Club in Concourse B.
Location
To reach the Delta Sky Club New York-JFK Terminal 4 Concourse A, follow the signage towards Gates A2-A21.
The first group of gates is for international flights from airlines like Kenya Airways, Air India, Etihad, and Uzbekistan. After these gates, there is a set of escalators leading to the lower level and the Delta departure gates (these mainly serve regional jets). To access the Sky Club, go around these escalators and the entry doors will be on your left.
Hours of Operation
The Delta Sky Club New York-JFK Terminal 4 Concourse A is currently open between 5:00a and 10:30p daily.
Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for Delta Sky Clubs are some of the most complex ones out there. The easiest way to enter the lounge is by using a qualifying American Express credit card (including the AmEx Platinum and Delta Reserve cards) or by having a Sky Club membership and a same day Delta boarding pass. You can find the full list of entry requirements here.
Delta is unique among the Big 3 US airlines due to the fact that they allow lounge access on arrival when flying Delta or a partner operated flight. We accessed the club with our American Express Platinum cards which are linked to our SkyMiles accounts. This allows for a quick swipe of our boarding pass to enter and we were inside in seconds.
Layout
The check-in deck is located at the concourse level with the remainder of the lounge located one floor up and can be accessed via stairs, elevator, or escalator.
At the landing on the upper floor, there are a few seats to the left with great views out over the ramp, though the blue tinted glass makes it feel like you're plane spotting underwater.
Directly ahead is a small room separated from the entrance by a gold mesh partition. There are a few chairs and some small couches here that also had some great views.
Finally, the main lounge entrance opened up to the right with some lounge chairs and couches off to the left, and outdoor terrace straight ahead, and the bar and remainder of the lounge to the right.
The left side featured three rows of chairs, with some facing the windows and others facing the interior of the lounge. The couches were at a 90 degree angle to the chairs and set up for larger groups to be able to converse with one another. Both the couches and chairs were very comfortable and we spent most of our time in the lounge here.
Straight ahead is one of my favorite features of new Delta Sky Clubs, the Sky Deck. The one here was enclosed but still open to the elements enough that it felt cool outside.
A row of small chairs and cafe tables surrounded the outside against the windows overlooking the ramp. The lounge location is avgeek heaven thanks to the variety of airlines at Terminal 4, the little dots on the glass were annoying though.
Along the interior wall there are padded loungers with tables in between.
Along the back wall is the double sided fireplace which is surrounded by couches. This was a very popular location as the space was full throughout our visit.
Back inside, the bar separated the front of the lounge, where we entered, from the rear. The bar is quite large and the focal point of the lounge.
Surrounding the outside of the bar area was a counter with a privacy divider and a row of barstools. The bar itself was also surrounded by barstools which meant there are plenty of seats.
Behind the bar, the lounge splits into two sections. To the right is a large room that was quiet and mostly empty during our visit. It had a large conference table in the middle along with chairs surrounding the outside of the room. Large windows overlooked the ramp and let a ton of natural light in.
Also in this room, there was a small section of the lounge that had been roped off. There were only five seats and, with no signage, I couldn't tell who this space was for (VVIPs, Delta 360?).
A customer service desk was located adjacent to the roped off area. This was nice as the main check-in desk was far from the majority of the lounge.
Off to the left of the bar there is another large room with a variety of seating and was the most open space in the lounge. The backside of the double sided fireplace is also located here if you want to sit inside while still getting the aesthetic.
A hallway runs along the wall heading further back into the lounge, this place really is a maze. First, there was a business space that has a long table with chairs as well as four phone booths. One was large enough for two people to sit and have a meeting.
Past this, there is another small room with more lounge seating. One long bench ran along the walls with some small tables. There was also a grouping of four chairs in the middle.
Finally, at the rear of the lounge were the restrooms. They were modern and new and kept tidy throughout our visit.
While this lounge doesn't have shower facilities, those can be found in the Sky Club located in Concourse B.
Food and Beverage
The buffet was located in the middle of the lounge opposite the bar. Our visit was during lunch and they had the standard Sky Club food offerings that included a selection of bread and soups.
A selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and sandwiches were next along the buffet.
For the hot dishes, Asian food was on offer today. The main dishes were chicken and broccoli, vegetable lo mein, stir fry mix, and fried rice.
At the end of the buffet was a beverage station with water and soda on offer. This was an older, traditional machine and not the newer Coca-Cola freestyle machine seen in some lounges. Coffee machines were located around the corner.
Off near the customer service station, there was a small table with bite sized desserts and cookies.
Complimentary and premium alcohol is available at the large bar located in the middle of the lounge.
Atmosphere
The lounge was fairly quiet when we arrived and got busier throughout our stay as passengers arrived prior to the early afternoon departure bank. We settled into our seats and enjoyed an early lunch.
I'm not sure if it was the layout of the lounge, time of day, or what but, as the lounge got more crowded, the noise levels stayed conversational. Nobody was walking around on cell phones taking calls or playing videos. Most people, myself included, were glued to the window plane spotting.
Summary
Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to this lounge. While most Sky Clubs have been packed on my recent visits I found this one to be peaceful. I attributed this to the fact that this lounge is more hidden and newer than others. This Sky Club was modern, inviting, clean and had fantastic views. I'll definitely be making another stop in this club on my next visit through New York JFK.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Location
To reach the Delta Sky Club New York-JFK Terminal 4 Concourse A, follow the signage towards Gates A2-A21.
The first group of gates is for international flights from airlines like Kenya Airways, Air India, Etihad, and Uzbekistan. After these gates, there is a set of escalators leading to the lower level and the Delta departure gates (these mainly serve regional jets). To access the Sky Club, go around these escalators and the entry doors will be on your left.
Hours of Operation
The Delta Sky Club New York-JFK Terminal 4 Concourse A is currently open between 5:00a and 10:30p daily.
Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for Delta Sky Clubs are some of the most complex ones out there. The easiest way to enter the lounge is by using a qualifying American Express credit card (including the AmEx Platinum and Delta Reserve cards) or by having a Sky Club membership and a same day Delta boarding pass. You can find the full list of entry requirements here.
Delta is unique among the Big 3 US airlines due to the fact that they allow lounge access on arrival when flying Delta or a partner operated flight. We accessed the club with our American Express Platinum cards which are linked to our SkyMiles accounts. This allows for a quick swipe of our boarding pass to enter and we were inside in seconds.
Layout
The check-in deck is located at the concourse level with the remainder of the lounge located one floor up and can be accessed via stairs, elevator, or escalator.
At the landing on the upper floor, there are a few seats to the left with great views out over the ramp, though the blue tinted glass makes it feel like you're plane spotting underwater.
Directly ahead is a small room separated from the entrance by a gold mesh partition. There are a few chairs and some small couches here that also had some great views.
Finally, the main lounge entrance opened up to the right with some lounge chairs and couches off to the left, and outdoor terrace straight ahead, and the bar and remainder of the lounge to the right.
The left side featured three rows of chairs, with some facing the windows and others facing the interior of the lounge. The couches were at a 90 degree angle to the chairs and set up for larger groups to be able to converse with one another. Both the couches and chairs were very comfortable and we spent most of our time in the lounge here.
Straight ahead is one of my favorite features of new Delta Sky Clubs, the Sky Deck. The one here was enclosed but still open to the elements enough that it felt cool outside.
A row of small chairs and cafe tables surrounded the outside against the windows overlooking the ramp. The lounge location is avgeek heaven thanks to the variety of airlines at Terminal 4, the little dots on the glass were annoying though.
Along the interior wall there are padded loungers with tables in between.
Along the back wall is the double sided fireplace which is surrounded by couches. This was a very popular location as the space was full throughout our visit.
Back inside, the bar separated the front of the lounge, where we entered, from the rear. The bar is quite large and the focal point of the lounge.
Surrounding the outside of the bar area was a counter with a privacy divider and a row of barstools. The bar itself was also surrounded by barstools which meant there are plenty of seats.
Behind the bar, the lounge splits into two sections. To the right is a large room that was quiet and mostly empty during our visit. It had a large conference table in the middle along with chairs surrounding the outside of the room. Large windows overlooked the ramp and let a ton of natural light in.
Also in this room, there was a small section of the lounge that had been roped off. There were only five seats and, with no signage, I couldn't tell who this space was for (VVIPs, Delta 360?).
A customer service desk was located adjacent to the roped off area. This was nice as the main check-in desk was far from the majority of the lounge.
Off to the left of the bar there is another large room with a variety of seating and was the most open space in the lounge. The backside of the double sided fireplace is also located here if you want to sit inside while still getting the aesthetic.
A hallway runs along the wall heading further back into the lounge, this place really is a maze. First, there was a business space that has a long table with chairs as well as four phone booths. One was large enough for two people to sit and have a meeting.
Past this, there is another small room with more lounge seating. One long bench ran along the walls with some small tables. There was also a grouping of four chairs in the middle.
Finally, at the rear of the lounge were the restrooms. They were modern and new and kept tidy throughout our visit.
While this lounge doesn't have shower facilities, those can be found in the Sky Club located in Concourse B.
Food and Beverage
The buffet was located in the middle of the lounge opposite the bar. Our visit was during lunch and they had the standard Sky Club food offerings that included a selection of bread and soups.
A selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and sandwiches were next along the buffet.
For the hot dishes, Asian food was on offer today. The main dishes were chicken and broccoli, vegetable lo mein, stir fry mix, and fried rice.
At the end of the buffet was a beverage station with water and soda on offer. This was an older, traditional machine and not the newer Coca-Cola freestyle machine seen in some lounges. Coffee machines were located around the corner.
Off near the customer service station, there was a small table with bite sized desserts and cookies.
Complimentary and premium alcohol is available at the large bar located in the middle of the lounge.
Atmosphere
The lounge was fairly quiet when we arrived and got busier throughout our stay as passengers arrived prior to the early afternoon departure bank. We settled into our seats and enjoyed an early lunch.
I'm not sure if it was the layout of the lounge, time of day, or what but, as the lounge got more crowded, the noise levels stayed conversational. Nobody was walking around on cell phones taking calls or playing videos. Most people, myself included, were glued to the window plane spotting.
Summary
Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to this lounge. While most Sky Clubs have been packed on my recent visits I found this one to be peaceful. I attributed this to the fact that this lounge is more hidden and newer than others. This Sky Club was modern, inviting, clean and had fantastic views. I'll definitely be making another stop in this club on my next visit through New York JFK.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter!
Mar 18, 2024, 8:57 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Mar 23, 2024, 5:50 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,203
If I bothered with family and friend concerns about my travels, I'd likely not have ever left the WDC area (and still be confined to certain locations within the WDC area). Instead, I will have hit 85 countries by the end of this current trip (as well as 48/50 of the US states). lol
