Review: Delta One Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)

The Delta One Lounge in Los Angeles is much smaller than its counterpart in New York, but has the same blend of outstanding service, delicious food and drinks, and superb amenities that make it a compelling reason to choose Delta Air Lines.

Delta One Lounge Los Angeles Review (LAX)

Delta allows its Delta One business class passengers lounge access on both the front and back end of their journeys. After starting the morning at the Delta One Lounge at JFK and then flying across the country on a Delta 767-300, I visited the Delta One LAX lounge before heading home.

Hours + Access + Location

You’ll find the Delta One Lounge at LAX nestled on a sub-level in Terminal 3 and accessible via a concourse entrance (requiring an elevator down) or via the Delta One at LAX private entrance on the arrivals level. I’ve reviewed that luxe check-in process here.

If connecting from another flight, a gatekeeper will check your boarding pass (as I waited for the elevator down, many people tried to enter this lounge who thought it was the Sky Club and were turned away).

If originating in LAX, just look for this entrance outside Terminal 3 on the arrivals (lower) level:

Both will take you to the Delta One Lounge:

Access to Delta One lounges is reserved for:

• Same-day departing or arriving Delta One ticketed passengers (i.e., seated in the Delta One class of service);
• Delta 360 Members departing or arriving on a same-day ticket in Delta First Class
• Same-day departing or connecting flights operated by the following Delta partners in their respective first and business class cabins specified below:
  • Air France La Premiere
  • Air France Business Class
  • LATAM Premium Business Class
  • KLM Business Class
  • Korean Air First Class and Prestige Class
  • Virgin Atlantic Upper Class

The lounge is open daily from 4:15 am to 11:00 pm.

Seating

At 10,280 square feet, the LAX Delta One Lounge is much smaller than at JFK, though with far fewer intercontinental flights, the smaller size makes sense. The lounge has seating for 217 passengers, including a landscaped terrace with room for 26 guests.

As I entered the lounge, I was offered a card mapping out the lounge. There are multiple seating areas, a dedicated dining room, and the outdoor terrace. Unlike the JFK Lounge, you can order food (via QR code) from wherever you are seated.

It was a beautiful afternoon and the terrace was lovely…I loved the plants, which provided color and privacy.

One thing the terrace is missing (unless I missed it) was power outlets, though inside there are plenty of A/C nad USB-C plugs.

Food + Drink

This lounge is built around an a la carte dining concept and unlike at JFK, the hours are not limited. It had been several hours since I had enjoyed my early lunch onboard the flight to LA, so I sat down for a 4:00 pm “linner” as my wife and I call it…(lunch/dinner).

Here’s the menu:

Note that Delta does charge for some “premium” drinks (not even on the menu), but has a wide selection of complimentary choices, as you can see.

Here’s the “Future Million Miler” kids menu:

The dining room was beautiful, with wood paneling that gave it an “Old Hollywood” look:

I began with truffle parsnip soup and beetroot salad, both delicious…and an AMS cocktail.

The highlight of the meal was Dungeness crab conchiglie…a rich and delicious dish.

Portion sizes are moderate and I also tried roasted Jidori chicken with brussels sprouts (Jidori is Japanese chicken).

Finally, I concluded my meal with an ice cream sundae for dessert (which I missed onboard my Delta flight…) topped with apple streudel.

This lounge uses Verve Coffee, one of my favorite roasters, and it was very good…I’d love to see Delta use Verve instead of Starbucks in its LAX Sky Club as well.

I really appreciated the meal…the food was high-quality and delicious: something I would have made at home or ordered at a fancy restaurant.

I even made another coffee before leaving.

But wait, there’s more. In addition to the extensive menu, there was a sushi bar offering (from what I can gather, though I am no fan of sushi) very authentic and high-quality sushi:

There were also coffee stations and a round table offering a wide variety of baked goods.

I was encouraged multiple times to take things home, but I resisted the temptation!

Delta has done a fabulous job with the food and drink selection in this lounge.

Restrooms + Showers

The lounge does not have shower suites (instead, you’ll be escorted over to the nearby Delta SkyClub), but does have several restrooms (private rooms).

The lack of a shower is a missed opportunity, but it was easy enough to be escorted over to the nearby Delta Sky Club.

Wellness

This lounge has a large wellness area with massage chairs and equipment from Hyperice you can rent to give yourself a massage (anywhere in the lounge) like compression boots, a “self-percussion” massage device, or a heat and massage wrap for your back.

I tried one of the lounge chairs and WOW…that was an intense massage! After sitting down, the curtain is drawn and the chair gets to work…wow…it was like a massage therapist marching on your back!

There are also free samples from Grown Alchemist…and the marketing behind that is front. I’ve switched from Aesops to Grown Alchemist for my skin regimen at home…

Service

Chelsea took care of me during my stay and was charming…a very cheeky, but very attentive waitress. It is truly impressive how Delta has managed to find such excellent folks in such a tight labor market to staff its Delta One Lounges (and some of these folks, to my knowledge, are not even Delta employees).

The entire staff was beaming over the lounge and happy to see me take pictures…quite a difference from some places where I feel so self-conscious when taking pictures.

CONCLUSION

I had to drag myself away from the lounge to get in the car and drive home! I was so comfortable I could have stayed for hours. Yes, I do view Delta One Lounges as game-changers. While there are small elements like charging for some alcohol or no showers at this lounge, which strike me as missed opportunities, there is so much to like in terms of the decor, ambiance, food, beverage, and service.

This lounge raises the stakes in the battle over premium lounges and invites both United Airlines and American Airlines to step up.