First look: swish new Delta One JFK business lounge

Delta Air Lines’ first foray into the business class loungescape – the Delta One Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport – certainly delivers on the airline’s promise of being ‘more restaurant or bar than airport lounge’.

Welcoming jet-setters in Delta One business class, plus first and business class passengers on selected Delta’s partner airlines, the Delta One Lounge it sports a sleek, upmarket aesthetic which channels the vibe of a chic hotel, with features to match.

Travellers can take a table at the à la carte dining room and enjoy a brasserie-style three course meal, sip Champagnes, spirits, cocktails and wines at the dramatic horse-shoe bar, book a spa treatment, or wind down in a leafy garden set beneath a retractable glass ceiling.

That said, Delta is also doing a few things its own way, such as charging for top-shelf ‘reserve’ spirits and champagne.

The Delta One Lounge difference

Positioned between Concourses A and B in Terminal 4, adjacent to the main security area, this debutante Delta One Lounge at New York will be joined by Delta One Lounges in LAX and Boston by the year’s end, and the SkyTeam member promises they’ll all be lounges with a difference, both in design and scale.

Delta Air Lines is racing to catch up with the premium lounge plays of rivals American Airlines and United Airlines, whose respective Flagship and Polaris lounges are a haven for high flyers and premium travellers beyond conventional ‘club’ lounges.

Until now, Delta’s sole lounge proposition has been the score of packed Sky Clubs open to many credit card holders, paid members of the Sky Club program (costing US$695/year) along with business or first class flyers with Delta and its partner airlines.

“Premium lounge customers should feel welcomed and known when they walk in the door, just as they would at their favourite hotel or restaurant,” says Claude Roussel, Delta’s Vice President for Sky Club and Lounge Experience.

Delta One Lounge access

Delta One Lounges are primarily ‘business class-only’ affairs, although Delta sensibly makes an exception for its invitation-only Delta 360 members.

The door list includes

• Same-day departing and arriving Delta One passengers (who can also bring in immediate family members or up to two guests also flying on Delta, for a fee or $100 per person)
• Passengers travelling in business and first class on Delta partners Air France, KLM, Korean Air, LATAM and Virgin Atlantic.

And Delta is eager to protect the premium upmarket vibe of its Delta One lounges, stating that “attire while in the Delta One Lounge must be in keeping with good taste and a dignified atmosphere” and even citing “undignified conduct“ as grounds for being escorted out.

Dining at the Delta One Lounge

New York JFK’s Delta One Lounge is vast, with seating for more than 500 passengers and a total footprint exceeding that of a dozen tennis courts.

But it's the 140-seat restaurant with an extensive three-course all day menu which is arguably the star of the show.

Light selections in the first course include baby gem salad with gruyere cheese and dijon vinaigrette; steak tartare with charred country bread and ginger ketchup; and steamed mussels with Thai basil and green curry sauce.

The more substantial second courses feature seared salmon, ratatouille and basil; a brasserie burger with bacon, gruyere cheese, smoked onion aioli and fries; lasagna bolognese with broccoli rabe and pomodoro; and curried cauliflower steak, shallot granola and blood orange.

Just leave room for desserts such as New York cheesecake; upside-down orange olive oil cake; and a dark chocolate souffé.

There’s also a breakfast menu spanning favourites such as scrambled eggs, monkey bread French toast, or a ham and gruyere mini baguette, alongside an all-day bakery serving sandwiches and baguettes, plus an oh-so-NY bagel bar.

The white-marble Market delicatessen and Bakery counters.

Then there’s an Art Deco-inspired bar, where travellers can sidle up for espresso martinis or gin and tonics, indulge in wines from France, New Zealand and the United States, or kick back with a selection of local and international beers.

Most items at the bar are complimentary, such as cocktails, wines and pours of Charles De Cazanove Champagne.

However, there’s a separate menu of spirits, wines and Champagnes which guests can buy with cash or Delta miles.

By way of example, a half-bottle of Taittinger La Francaise Brut will set you back USD$45 (AUD$67), while a Balvenie 21-year-old single malt costs USD$31 (AUD$46).

This has prompted some Delta One passengers, who already pay a hefty premium for their ticket, to question both the quality of the complimentary wine and whether selling a better grade of drinks adds or detracts from the lounge’s lustre.

Wellness, work and relaxation

Along with the eight shower suites stocked with Grown Alchemist amenities, passengers can make a beeline for the wellness area, which is home to nine reservable relaxation pods with full-body massage chairs and nap chairs.

Three relaxing spa treatments – a neck and shoulder massage, eye treatment, and hand and arm massage – are provided on a first come, first served basis.

Shower suites are fitted with steaming closets, effectively pressing your clothes while you shower, with valet services including shoeshine.

For travellers needing to do a little business, there are also eight individual soundproof booths, and you can also borrow a second monitor. 

Delta One lounges, LAX and Boston

LAX and Boston are next on the premium lounge list, although Delta says each “will include elements inspired by and unique to its host city.”

The Los Angeles Delta One lounge will be accessible by elevator from the Delta One check-in area, setting up a fast-track path for premium flyers.

It’ll also be connected to the LAX Sky Club located between Terminals 2 and 3, and like that club lounge boast its own all-weather deck with postcard views over the Hollywood Hills.

Like its Sky Club sibling, the new Delta premium lounge at LAX will boast an open-air deck.

With a compact 10,000ft2 footprint, the Delta LAX premium lounge will be much smaller than the New York flagship – although as all SkyTeam airlines fly out from Los Angeles’ Tom Bradley International Terminal, the LAX lounge will be a Delta-only affair.

The third Delta One lounge will open by December 2024 at Boston, where Delta only last year cut the ribbon on a new Sky Club at Concourse E (or BOS-E, to the very frequent flyers).

Delta says its Boston Delta One lounge will seat 120 customers and be connected to the new 400-seat Sky Club; “premium lounge guests will have access to both spaces.”

Also read: Delta 2024 status match targets Qantas, Virgin Australia 

Additional reporting by David Flynn