Several days ago, we saw the opening of the new Delta One Lounge JFK, which is the first location in the carrier’s new network of premium lounges. While the lounge looks incredible in terms of design, food, and drinks, unfortunately initial reviews suggest that crowding is a major problem, and detracts from the experience.
In this post:
Delta One Lounge JFK already has crowding problems
I hope to check out the Delta One Lounge JFK for myself in the near future. In the meantime, I’ve been keeping an eye on the initial commentary about the lounge online, from those who have visited. Almost across the board, people agree it’s a beautiful facility. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, crowding is a major issue, to the point that it detracts from the experience.
Twitter/X user @bbabbo1 experienced a line to get in, and describes the lounge as “a luxurious madhouse,” offering an ambiance of “chaos of sorts.”
FlyerTalk member DrMilano reports that their parents tried to use the lounge, but saw a line to get in, so decided to go to the Amex Centurion Lounge instead.
Meanwhile FlyerTalk member GfromNY shares that there was no line to get into the Delta One Lounge JFK during their visit, and that the lounge is very nice. However, they “found it uncomfortably crowded and loud,” adding that they “like to relax before a flight, and there was no relaxation to be had in the Delta One Lounge.” They left after “walking a lap around the place just to take a look.”
Equally interesting, that same passenger reports then heading over to the Delta Sky Club JFK at gate B32, where there was a short line to get in. Okay, that’s much better than in the past, but keep in mind that in a recent interview, Delta’s VP of lounges stated that “no lines, no lines, no lines in our Concourse B Sky Club anymore” (yes, he said it three times, not me). It sounds like that’s not the case.
This isn’t surprising, but detracts from the experience
I can’t say that I’m surprised to see these reports. Even though the Delta One Lounge JFK is Delta’s biggest lounge ever and has the capacity for over 500 guests, the reality is that Delta also has a huge amount of premium cabin capacity over some hours of the day.
Now, I trust that the Delta One Lounge is probably an oasis of calm in the mornings and early afternoons. However, a majority of flights with Delta One depart in the evening and at night, when you have a bunch of services to Europe, Latin America, to the West Coast, etc.
So the reality is that even though this crowding is probably only an issue for a limited number of hours per day, that’s probably what most guests are experiencing.
In Delta’s defense, I don’t think the airline is necessarily doing anything wrong here. This is a large facility, and ultimately Delta has greatly expanded its lounge capacity. Furthermore, most airlines have banked hubs, so it’s normal for lounges to get especially crowded over certain hours of the day.
Delta probably couldn’t get its hands on more lounge space, and Delta isn’t going to rework its schedule just to make the lounge experience better for passengers.
With the Delta One Lounge JFK being so heavily focused on dining, and a large part of the space having a brasserie concept, I can kind of imagine this lounge sounding like one of those uncomfortably loud restaurants, where you can barely hear what the person you’re with is saying.
Bottom line
The Delta One Lounge JFK opened several days ago, and looks beautiful. Most importantly, it adds much needed lounge capacity to the airport. While that’s great, unfortunately it sounds like some passengers aren’t finding the lounge to be very relaxing, and there’s even sometimes a line to get into the lounge.
I can’t say I’m surprised by this development, or that it’s really any different than what you’ll find at many other lounges. However, given the size of this lounge and how hyped it was by the airline, it’s definitely disappointing.
What do you make of these reports about the Delta One Lounge JFK? To those who have visited the lounge, what was your experience like (and what time of day did you visit)?
They may need to further increase the restriction such as you need to be Delta/KLM/KE/VA/LATAM SkyTeam Elite Plus equivalent status and flying J or flying F if having no status. And of course, remove access given to Delta 360, etc.
this is why I got rid of all lounge memberships
Happier in the terminal have free access abroad or when first or business Int
Hard pass to crowds noise and lines
This Delta lounge is not membership based
What did people expect
It’s a BUSINESS class lounge
J is essentially what Y was 25-30 years ago in terms of how to exclusive a travel experience is
I’m not not talking about flat beds or other aspects of the product, but about the numbers
Expect crowds
In 1998 the crown lounges were a very exclusive space, now even a ticketed J pax restricted lounge cannot be so anymore
...
What did people expect
It’s a BUSINESS class lounge
J is essentially what Y was 25-30 years ago in terms of how to exclusive a travel experience is
I’m not not talking about flat beds or other aspects of the product, but about the numbers
Expect crowds
In 1998 the crown lounges were a very exclusive space, now even a ticketed J pax restricted lounge cannot be so anymore
Delta people know their numbers. They wouldn’t have embarked in such projects without knowing these lounges would be at full capacity. They even knew they would monetize well on premium alcohol for sale
Was the issue that they were holding people from entering the club or that there was just a long line to check-in? I imagine that since a lot of people wouldn’t know they weren’t eligible or were dealing with other differences in access, that would be clogging up the lines.
After Four days of opening I was thrilled to experience this lounge at JFK while I had a 4 hr delay on my flight. The lines were long in the evening as many international flights were delayed and it’s noisier than I had hoped due to the crowds but the variety and quality of food was amazing! Very attentive wait staff to replace your drink and clean off the dishes. Outstanding addition and perk for the esteemed and discriminating traveler. Kudos!
My word! It just opened. Of course it will be super crowded initially. Duh!
I'd say pretty much the same experience I had at The Club at SFO T1 on opening day. Even though I was there in the early morning, it was just noisy, packed, and chaotic...
Delta sucks. Former platinum here.
How so? You could switch to American which can’t even apparently cater food and drinks anymore out of certain of its hubs.
Lines? For a Delta lounge? Surely you jest.
So where are the foodies? How was the grub, Bub? Did they have Avocado Toast for Ben? Free premium
beverasge selections?
@SD Ron - Wife and I flew delta one last Saturday and found the food surprisingly good at the new lounge. We opted for the 3-course tasting menu in the "main restaurant". Hamachi Crudo was fresh and flavorful. Pan-seared Halibut over a bed of smoked broccolini was solid, but the star of the show was the cheesecake with cherry compote alongside a scoop of cherry-ripple ice cream. We really enjoyed it all. No, it's not...
@SD Ron - Wife and I flew delta one last Saturday and found the food surprisingly good at the new lounge. We opted for the 3-course tasting menu in the "main restaurant". Hamachi Crudo was fresh and flavorful. Pan-seared Halibut over a bed of smoked broccolini was solid, but the star of the show was the cheesecake with cherry compote alongside a scoop of cherry-ripple ice cream. We really enjoyed it all. No, it's not Michelin level service, but I wasn't expecting that. Can't wait to return. The cocktail and wine list were solid too.
Another premium Delta experience. They knew exactly what they were doing.
More vapor ware from Delta
Only 39,000 square feet vs 65,000 square feet for AA/BA at JFK not counting the Admirals Club
Letting in the transcon domestic Delta One is adding to the problem
you mean the AA that can't make money flying across the Atlantic or Pacific, or the one that BA said would prefer to send its passengers to B6 or the AA that doesn't cater its flights with anything more than water out of two of its largest hubs?
The huge sucking sound of passengers and revenue from T8 to T4 continues.
lol
You’re such a sad little loser. It’s no wonder no reputable website wants you as a writer
and yet what I said is deadly accurate.
And some people STILL can't grasp that they ultimately get nothing if it costs a company to provide a product or service to you. You might enjoy it for a period of time but not for the long haul. And THAT is precisely the story of American Airlines in New York City and Los Angeles.
I mean, how many tens of thousands of American passengers defected...
and yet what I said is deadly accurate.
And some people STILL can't grasp that they ultimately get nothing if it costs a company to provide a product or service to you. You might enjoy it for a period of time but not for the long haul. And THAT is precisely the story of American Airlines in New York City and Los Angeles.
I mean, how many tens of thousands of American passengers defected to Delta just in NYC between the time that DL started construction on the D1 lounge and when it opened?
There are good reasons why AA's lounges have lots of empty space.
But Greg never thought through the can of worms he was opening when he spouted off, now did he?
Throw in months more of "negotiations" as AA plays with the APFA and it will be HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of customers PER MONTH that will defect from AA to DL.
I believe he actually means the AA with more lounge space in their terminal. Who cares about profitability if you are a consumer? Southwest had 47 straight years of profitability from 1973-2019; I would 100% prefer to fly UA, AA, B6, DL transcon or even on a domestic route over WN. I wouldn’t touch AA stock with a ten foot pole, but I can appreciate that they have more lounge space at JFK.
I wouldn't either, but for other things ... that's why I invented and patented the 11-Foot Pole! (also, a new collapsible model!)
AA premium transcon also gets access to those same lounges.
Until people can’t afford to travel, lounges - especially Delta lounges - will be full. The airline doesn’t have first class, and a broader percentage of Delta flyers seek out lounge access. It’s probably part of the airline’s success across a lot of metrics. If you don’t like that model, choose a different airline/alliance.
Remember with D1 Lounge, you not only have the transatlantic flights in the Summer, you also have people connecting to...
Until people can’t afford to travel, lounges - especially Delta lounges - will be full. The airline doesn’t have first class, and a broader percentage of Delta flyers seek out lounge access. It’s probably part of the airline’s success across a lot of metrics. If you don’t like that model, choose a different airline/alliance.
Remember with D1 Lounge, you not only have the transatlantic flights in the Summer, you also have people connecting to D1 flights out of ATL, DTW, etc. And you have a decent amount of domestic D1, to the west coast, to Hawaii, connecting to Hawaii, etc.
Honestly - I don’t mind a lounge that is full - not overcrowded to the point you get service, but full. It gives the travel experience a bit of energy.
The comparison to the Chelsea Lounge is interesting - American is eliminating F on its own metal, so Chelsea access is really a BA (and Cathay or whatever OneWorld partner that flies out of T8) thing. But it is a valid point - Delta and its partners (except AF maybe) are simply not going to be offering an exclusive, First Class type lounge experience.
Speaking of lounges, I was just turned down from getting a grab and go at the Capital One IAD lounge. The attendant at the entrance told me that lounge was at capacity and he could put me on the wait list. I had about 15 min so I asked if I could grab water from the grab and go station and he refused. What is the point of grab and go in this case? Does anyone know where I can provide feedback to Capital One?
Grow a pair next time, don't "ask." Assert that you will grab a water. Grab a water and go.
Calm down. I didn’t have my gun with me.
Same thing happened to me at DFW Cap One lounge. Only wanted to grab a cookie, but they absolutely refused. Soured me on the experience.
Shame there won’t be any Olympic athletes who will get to experience this new lounge.
My tried and true Chelsea Lounge reins supreme, harder to access, but calm and quiet
Because nobody wants to fly AA.
@Davis Polk - No need to be bitter just because you don’t qualify for entry because only the exclusive get in. Unlike DL who operates as a credit card company that flys planes.
Stop with the nonsense about AA.
lmaolmaoLMAOLMAOLMAO
I fly out of Teterboro on Netjets. I eat lobster rolls and drink Acqua Panna out of glass bottles.
#equitypartner
You enjoy your exclusive Sodexo cheese in the Chelsea Lounge, Jake212.
drinking Acqua Panna straight from the bottle is pleb-ass behavior
Amen. I mean if he was really flying out of Teterboro, our comments would be irrelevant.
I only come here so I don't get accused by my associates of being out of touch.
:) -/
AA Sucks. In all ways in all flights.
How dare you talk about my son’s favorite obsession negatively!!! You should be ashamed of yourself!!!
Never in a million years. He’s so perfect, just like his favorite airline, DELTA. Just look at all of his comments! He’s perfect! You probably don’t know this about my son, but he has a hard time making friends. Times were tough, so he grew up flying Southwest Airlines. That’s why when he references his DOT stats about Delta being the second largest carrier at Austin, he conveniently leaves them out because they treated him...
Never in a million years. He’s so perfect, just like his favorite airline, DELTA. Just look at all of his comments! He’s perfect! You probably don’t know this about my son, but he has a hard time making friends. Times were tough, so he grew up flying Southwest Airlines. That’s why when he references his DOT stats about Delta being the second largest carrier at Austin, he conveniently leaves them out because they treated him so well. He got all A’s in his computer classes in school, and especially excelled in the Chat GPT & game theory. If you can’t win, you just make stuff up or use the same argument every time! He’s a huge blogger with so many viewers! I’m surprised you haven’t heard of his website! He’s so bashful! He wouldn’t want me to come on someone else’s successful travel blog and comment on every single article!
Disappointing to read about this; hopefully things will stabilize a bit as the lounge gets fully up to speed. Sounds like the Virgin lounge is still the best best for Delta elite members traveling internationally.
I am not a virgin, so I cannot use the Virgin lounge. Turns out women prefer to get in bed with equity partners at V10s rather than miles-and-points freaks. Who could have guessed?
Changed your name today v10partner, huh?
V10 Partner got banned.
I was there at about 6pm on Friday and while there was a queue, it only took about 3-4 minutes or so to get in.
Look people, it’s the peak European departure bank on the weekend before July 4th…what do people expect? Besides, the crowds and lines died down considerably by 730-8pm.
I think Delta gets so much flak for overcrowding because they actually set up queues when the lounge is relatively full;...
I was there at about 6pm on Friday and while there was a queue, it only took about 3-4 minutes or so to get in.
Look people, it’s the peak European departure bank on the weekend before July 4th…what do people expect? Besides, the crowds and lines died down considerably by 730-8pm.
I think Delta gets so much flak for overcrowding because they actually set up queues when the lounge is relatively full; also they start the queue when the lounge is at 85% capacity or so, not when every seat is taken. On Friday when there was a queue, I actually found around 15-20 empty available seats in the lounge when I entered. There are many other J lounges around the world that suffer from overcrowding as well during peak hours (Polaris at EWR, SFO, IAD, ORD, VS LHR Clubhouse, AF at CDG, EK at DXB, NH at NRT are all my more recent experiences) but they generally don’t start queues and pretty much let anyone in, whether or not there is available seating.
One of the busiest travel periods of the year alongside Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.
But Thanksgiving should really not be bad since the transatlantic schedule is significantly reduced at that time so there will be a meaningful reduction in Delta One pax numbers.
This makes me smile BIG! So happy I’ll be relaxing in the Chelsea lounge next month before my BA F flight to LHR. And then on to Paris after several hours in the Concorde room! You could not pay me any amount of money to fly DL out of JFK!! LOL
There is undoubtedly a "gotta see it" factor that exceeds what will be normal demand.
And DL is running its peak international schedule in the summer so it is a given that this will be the period of peak demand which will fall off as soon as the fall when there are fewer flights.
The big difference between DL and UA is undoubtedly transcon flight access and the fact that UA uses 757s across...
There is undoubtedly a "gotta see it" factor that exceeds what will be normal demand.
And DL is running its peak international schedule in the summer so it is a given that this will be the period of peak demand which will fall off as soon as the fall when there are fewer flights.
The big difference between DL and UA is undoubtedly transcon flight access and the fact that UA uses 757s across the Atlantic which have LESS business class seats than widebodies. And UA, as a result of the runway capacity at EWR, has its international operation spread out over a greater period of time, even though several DL international flights from JFK depart between 11 pm and midnight.
Looking at JFK-SFO for next May, DL is putting 767s on some of the flight where today their schedule is all 757. While they probably do expect to put to have the premium configured A321NEOs in service by next summer, the 767 still has more D1 seats as well as economy seats than either the 757 or the A321NEO.
also, keep in mind there are delays at JFK today and have been regularly since the D1 lounge opened and that means some people are in the lounge and in the airport longer than they normally would be.
I still strongly believe that we will see a significant share shift to DL on the transcons
as expected, they have shifted demand from the SkyClubs to the D1 lounge.
The real issue is that some people can't stand to admit that DL really has THAT MANY fare-paying Delta One passengers and are offering a product of the caliber that no other US airline has managed to pull off.
The Delta app shows the SkyClubs on both the A and B concourses at JFK are well less than full right now.
Your mom called, tim
Dinner is ready. Time to leave the basement
How is anyone surprised by this? It's brand new and has a ton of hype, so of course people are going out of their way to experience it. I would completely disregard any feedback/reviews about it for the first few weeks. Let the hype die down, the service get some practice, and then let's see a review.
^^^ This ^^^
Hilarious that Delta One lounge visitors complain about “feet on seats” - you think the person before you on the A350 you’re about to board didn’t do that for the last few hours?
Polaris Newark is also a bit of a cirus during the peak evening departure banks, 45 min wait for tables and long lines at the bar come to mind.
People will complain about absolutely anything
“The first class lounge isn’t private”
All these people need a lobotomy to spare the rest of us from their drivel.
Delta will not improve internationally until they get rid of their ancient 767s and can manage to open a real premium lounge where they don't charge for liquor. Make it free or leave it off.
They are undoubtedly the most premium bare-feet-on-chairs clientele in NYC, Delta attracts nothing but the best!
I was there in the morning yesterday (7a ET), and indeed it was very quiet and very relaxing. However the spa services aren’t available until starting at 12p, and there was no shoe shine service. The sit down restaurant is only open starting at lunch, and there happens to be no regular coffee (drip/filter), just espresso machines, anywhere in the lounge, which is odd for a lounge in the US.
No other airline lounge has been synonymous with overcrowding than a Delta lounge. It’s telling when AA and UA which both opened their premium lounges nearly a decade before DL are able to manage crowds at levels better than DL. UA and AA don’t place restrictions for Flagship or Polaris lounges on departing J pax within their alliance like DL does with a majority of SkyTeam airlines. AA unlike DL did it right in JFK....
No other airline lounge has been synonymous with overcrowding than a Delta lounge. It’s telling when AA and UA which both opened their premium lounges nearly a decade before DL are able to manage crowds at levels better than DL. UA and AA don’t place restrictions for Flagship or Polaris lounges on departing J pax within their alliance like DL does with a majority of SkyTeam airlines. AA unlike DL did it right in JFK. Admirals Club for CC holders, Greenwich for J pax and Sapphires, Soho for Emeralds, and Chelsea for F pax. DL is desperate to gain market share with NYC’s international market such as to Latin America. Despite pouring billions of dollars into investments with Aeromexico and LATAM, this past quarter DL was still less profitable, carried less passengers, and produced less revenue to Latin America than either AA or UA. In fact, AA and UA made money to Latin America while DL lost money flying to every international region in the MRQ and once again DL had to lean on it’s domestic system to carry the entire network.
This is just bait for Tim D. lol. Save your words, Tim, we know how you feel.
Id rather go get a chick fil a than go to a busy loud crowded lounge for of snooty people at a Delta lounge
Shame on you for supporting a homophobic organization.
I support a good chicken sandwich. That is all.
Maybe just make it for only international flights to have access. Sort of like the Air Canada Signature and Polaris .
Maybe they should hire you since you come up with ideas that they wouldn't have thought of, that they couldn't have used data and analysis to assess. You are a genius! I am not sarcastic at all right now!
I was at the Delta One lounge last night, on my way to FCO. It was crowded, noisy, and people already putting their feet on the furniture. Service needs work. Staff didn't always know what was on offer. Teething pains on the last point, but overall, unimpressive though visually stunning lounge.
How did the lounge staff respond to your raising with them the complaint about people putting feet in furniture?
He probably didn't want to be a Karen and raise that kind of complaint, John do you feel me?
Wow, surprised and disappointed that Delta couldn't pull this off; what an unfortunate contrast with the line-free AA lounges at JFK.
This is going to be a bigger problem with the smaller lounges. Looking at SEA, most of the flights with Delta One cabins would leave between 11am and 1:30pm, including PVG, TPE, HND, ICN, and AMS, plus Korean Air and Air France flights. After 1:30pm would have many fewer D1 or close partner flights (the evening CDG and AMS flights, plus Virgin & Delta's LHR flights), though there would be some connecting passengers with access.
What's the deal with how people (family) can you bring in. It's time of year when Pa, Ma and the four offspring are all over lounges.
@ George Romey -- Guests aren't allowed, with the exception of Delta 360s being able to pay $100 per guest, up to a limit.
What type of line was it though? Was it a "one can go in when someone comes out" line because it was full, or was it a "we waited a minute-ish because 6 people happened to get there seconds before we arrived"? So many people seem to conflate the two.
Yeah there’s a big difference between the two. I had to wait like 5 minutes to get into the C United Club at ORD a few days ago, but that was because both of the check-in people were dealing with people signing up for club access (or the card) and it took them a few minutes to do that.
It was annoying, but it was just poor timing rather than a crowding issue. Once I was in, the club was crowded, but not jampacked.
"People with shoes off and feet on furniture"
Disgusting! This behavior shouldn't be allowed.
Can’t wait for Tim Dunn to say this creates exclusivity and luxury for people seeing the line and thinking how delta is the most premium airline ever that people are willing to stand in line for this lounge and nothing can even compare nor compete!
Nailed it.
This is absurd. How is there a line at a lounge with a purported capacity for 500? Are there that many Delta One passengers at peak times? My back of the envelope math suggests you would need something like 12-15 Delta One flights every hour or 90 minutes to fill the lounge.
I think the issue besides partner airline passengers who should be in that airliner’s lounge is design. Customers in many lounges take...
This is absurd. How is there a line at a lounge with a purported capacity for 500? Are there that many Delta One passengers at peak times? My back of the envelope math suggests you would need something like 12-15 Delta One flights every hour or 90 minutes to fill the lounge.
I think the issue besides partner airline passengers who should be in that airliner’s lounge is design. Customers in many lounges take up three or four chairs even when they are just one or two people. That’s because they use chairs for bags or jackets. Or a single person sits at a table designed for four people. Delta does a very poor job designing lounge space for solo travelers or for storage of bags or coats. I see this especially in the winter. And most people don’t like sitting next to someone so there’s almost always an empty seat between two different people.
Good point about the solo travellers and airlines designing lounges with e.g. tables of 4 but only 1-2 people sit there. Some airlines (CX, QF) come to mind who have bar and table seating for solo travellers
As far as I can recall only 1 or 2 partners fly from T4. My guess, it's first week. People who would normally go to the airport later went earlier to check the lounge out. Give it some times. After the hype dies down, people who fly D1 often will be the first group skip the lounge altogether and go to the airport as late as they could.