As a child, I remember walking down the terminals of different airports and seeing all the suits walk into these secret corridors. I used to think it was the fanciest thing that only people flying in first class get to experience. My thoughts around lounges consisted of fancy drinks and food for the upper class. When you fly first class and have club access, you had made it. At least that is what my 12 year old self probably thought.

Fast forward 17 years…….wait a second! Did I just say 17 years?!?!?! Oh boy, I did. Anyways, I find myself in the air ten plus times a year these days. I typically don’t have long layovers so I hadn’t even debated trying out any of the airport clubs. On the way back from Puerto Rico this month I had a four hour layover in JFK. I decided to look into my club options because those seats at the gates are not comfortable.

I googled Delta Sky Clubs at JFK and found one that was in the same terminal (Terminal 4) as my flight back to Rochester. I used my Delta AMEX to purchase a discounted pass to the club ($29). My pass entitled me to unlimited drinks, food, WiFi and shower access in the lounge. This lounge was huge! There is actually an outdoor area for the lounge for nicer weather. There was also a spa that had services available for an extra cost.

Spending the extra time in the lounge helped my layover fly by. There was a variety of seating and the food was great. There was a descent variety of food as you can see in the short club tour above. I enjoyed making a hearty grain salad, drinking wine and eating macarons! The service was great and the club was very clean.

So what did I learn from my first club experience? It was not filled with suites for one. The club had a variety of people waiting for their flights. It didn’t feel stuffy but it was definitely great to get away from the chaos of the normal terminal. I think my rule of thumb will be looking for a club when I have over a 2 hour layover. The $29 was definitely worth what I received.

Have you tried an airport club? Which one is your favorite?

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