A Tale Of Two Delta Sky Clubs In JFK Terminal 4

I’m live-blogging my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Milion Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information.

We visited both Delta Sky Clubs in JFK Terminal 4 and while both were fine, one was far better than the other…and far less crowded.

The new Delta SkyClub near Gate A8 is beautifully done with a bar and dining area in the center and then seating around it.

There’s a nice terrace in this lounge, although glass floor-to-ceiling windows mean no fresh air (though I guess it would be the smell of fresh jet fumes…). It was empty, so we sat there.

Although the lounge had plenty of travelers, there was no trouble finding a seat anywhere.

Augustine prefers buffets to a la carte and was excited to see a nice evening spread that included soups, salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes. He had a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

While there are no showers in this lounge, there were clean restroom facilities.

We then moved on to the B31 Lounge, just so we could compare it…and my what a difference. Delta’s older lounge in JFK Terminal 4 was nice enough, but clearly more dated than the A8 and a whole lot more crowded.

While there was no line to get in (so I guess I was fortunate…), it just felt crowded. The buffet had the same food items as the other lounge and I did not notice anything unique about this lounge except for the shower facilities.

The two lounges are over 10 minutes apart by foot, so I understand that you may want to target the Delta SkyClub closest to your departure gate, but I found the A8 lounge far superior to the A32 lounge in virtually every way.

From a quiet terrace all to myself:

To this…