10 Best Delta Air Lines Lounges At JFK, New York
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John F. Kennedy International Airport is the main international airport serving New York City. There are two Delta Air Lines Lounges at JFK which are among the best airport lounges at JFK but there are alternative lounges you can use if you have a Priority Pass or are flying to London or the UK.

Over ninety airlines operate out of JFK. It is a major hub for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. JFK has 6 operating airline terminals; 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 plus 4 runways and 128 aircraft gates.

The Delta lounges are located in Terminals 2 and 4. Terminals 2 and 4 are linked by an airside bus, o it is perfectly feasible to use the lounges, either the Delta Flagship lounge or the American Express Centurion lounge which are both in Terminal 4 and then to take the airside bus to your gate in Terminal 2.

We have already reviewed the best executive or club lounges in New York hotels.

Free Airport Lounge Access

If you have not paid for Business Class or First Class, you can still access lounges at this airport for a fee or for free if you have a Priority Pass. Get an unlimited Priority Pass with the Amex Platinum card, or you can also access most Priority Pass lounges for free using the free American Express Gold with its two free Lounge Club passes. To get extra referral points and advice on these free-lounge-access cards and more, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.

1. Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, JFK Terminal 4

If you’re flying Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, or if you’re a Delta Diamond, Platinum or Gold Medallion member on a same-day nonstop flight to the UK operated by either Virgin Atlantic or Delta, use the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge. This is your best choice in Terminal 4 by miles! If you aren’t flying to the UK then you don’t get access to this lounge, sadly

Virgin Atlantic’s JFK Clubhouse has a fun, glamorous design with a hint of the swinging Sixties and with lots of innovative wall designs and light fittings. It has a great cocktail bar, a pool table, magazines, a business center, views out to the planes and the food is great too.

Complimentary food and drink, including an a la carte menu, can be eaten anywhere in the lounge and is delivered by waiter service rather than a buffet. The breakfast menu includes tapas, pea-mozzarella arancini, and veggie dim sum. Through the rest of the day, the menu includes things like the Clubhouse burger, salt beef croquettes, vegetable curry, panko-crusted catfish, and chicken tikka masala. There’s a young flyer menu for children as well as bar snacks which can be chosen as starters or served as part of the main.

Drinks include free champagne; Lanson Black Label NV. Wines include a Californian Château Souvrain Chardonnay, 2013, and a Washington Merf Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015.

There is also a Bumble & Bumble salon and a spa with complimentary mini-treatments. In addition, there are nice showers as well as bathrooms as part of this excellent lounge.

Finally, to make your life even easier, an announcement will be made about boarding your flight followed by a second announcement. It usually takes only a couple of minutes to get from the Clubhouse to the Virgin airport gate so you can usually afford to wait until the second announcement before you leave.

2. Delta SkyClub, New York JFK Airport, Terminal 4

Delta SkyClub New York JFK Airport, Terminal 4 is Delta’s newer “flagship” SkyClub in JFK and is the best Delta branded lounge in JFK. There is also another older Delta SkyClub in Terminal 2. This is a great lounge but when compared to American’s Flagship and United’s Polaris lounges, Delta’s premier SkyClub lounge doesn’t look quite as appealing.

This lounge is located near Gate 32 in Concourse B in Terminal 4 and can be accessed by:

  • Delta One and SkyTeam international and transcontinental passengers
  • SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on any SkyTeam flight in any class
  • Delta Reserve cardmembers on Delta coded or operated flights
  • Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders traveling on a same-day Delta flight/li>
  • Virgin Australia Club members

The lounge has a big central area, almost 24,000 square feet, with an impressive bar in the middle. The bar offers complimentary basic beer, wine, and spirits, or you can upgrade and pay for premium alcoholic drinks. The general feel of the lounge is big and busy, much like a British Airways Galleries lounge. Nice but not that nice.

These are loads of different sections in this lounge with a business area with partitioned workstations, a cinema area, and lots of different seating areas. In some parts of the lounge, there are walls of floor to ceiling windows with great views out onto the planes and tarmac. One area has views on two sides and seats facing out towards the views. Because of all the seats facing the views, natural light, and the terrace, this lounge is much, much nicer than the Delta lounge in Terminal 2.

Walk right past the buffet area and turn right and you’ll find the other highlight of this lounge, the “SkyDeck” with an outdoor seating area and a superb rooftop view over JFK Terminal. This is a really stylish area with comfy sofa seats and seats with tables as well as umbrellas and sunshades all on a beautifully decked terrace.

Breakfast here is OK. You have sliced bread for toasting, plus other bread, pastries, and muffins as well as yogurt. In contrast with many domestic lounges, this SkyClub also offers hot food as well as a cold buffet. For breakfast, this includes scrambled eggs and coconut cornmeal as well as cold salsa and cheese. There is also sometimes a vat of hot chili in the morning, more suitable for later in the day, and an odd breakfast choice. There are also apples and bananas.

3. Delta SkyClub New York, JFK Terminal 2

Delta operates two SkyClubs at JFK, one in Terminal 2 and the other at Terminal 4. The Terminal 2 lounge is located on the Mezzanine Level of Terminal 2, immediately after security and upstairs. It can be accessed by:

  • Delta One and SkyTeam international and transcontinental passengers
  • SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on any SkyTeam flight in any class
  • Delta Reserve cardmembers on Delta coded or operated flights
  • Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders traveling on a same-day Delta flight
  • Virgin Australia Club members

This SkyClub has one large but dark room behind the entrance with single and double seats. Following on is another, bigger room, with a dining area and large windows on the left which gives the area natural light. Unfortunately, there aren’t any seats by the windows to watch the planes from.

Breakfast here is similar to the Delta lounge in Terminal 4. You have sliced bread for toasting, plus other bread, pastries, and muffins as well as yogurt. In contrast with many domestic lounges, this SkyClub also offers hot food as well as a cold buffet. For breakfast, this includes scrambled eggs and coconut cornmeal as well as cold salsa and cheese. There is also sometimes a vat of hot chili in the morning as well as apples and bananas.

This lounge is large but it doesn’t have runway views and the back half of the lounge is fairly dark. The Delta lounge in Terminal 4 is the best choice unless you can access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse because you are flying to the UK.

4. American Express Centurion Lounge, JFK Terminal 4

If you don’t have access to an airport lounge, for example, if you are flying in Economy or Premium Economy, you will want to try the undoubtedly excellent American Express Centurion lounge which will be opening at JFK in a matter of months.

This lounge is located in Terminal 4 so it is ideally located for most Delta Air Lines flights and it is one of the best airline lounges at JFK. It is also better than the best Priority Pass lounge at JFK.

The Amex Centurion Lounge New York JFK is expected to open in the first half of 2020. The lounge will be located in Terminal 4. It will be on two levels, with a total of about 15,000 square feet, which will make it one of Amex’s largest Centurion Lounges. You can take a look at what to expect by reading our review of the superb American Express Centurion Lounge Hong Kong. In fact, this is one of the best lounges at Hong Kong airport regardless of your class of travel. If you have access to the VIP part of this Centurion lounge, you will be treated to high-end Champagne and truffles along with an excellent a la carte menu.

You can access this Centurion Lounge for free if you have premium American Express cards, such as The Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Holders of these cards can access Centurion Lounges free of charge with up to two guests. If you have an exclusive Centurion card (the legendary black card!) you get access to the VIP exclusive Centurion section of American Express Centurion Lounges, where relevant.

To get extra bonus referral points and advice on the Platinum American Express and other free-lounge-access credit cards, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.

Note: Benefits & upgrades subject to availability. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing. Terms & conditions apply. Enquire for more information. Posts may be sponsored by the proprietor or brand being appraised. All opinions remain our own & are in no way influenced.