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Right after the arrival of the first flight of my SAS EuroBonus Millionaire challenge, I had the chance to pay a long visit to the newly opened Delta One Lounge (flagship lounge) at New York JFK. The lounge was opened in July 2024, with only 3 of these opened so far (LAX and one more launching in Boston BOS on December 11). I was blown away by its comfort, level of service, and services provided.
The lounge has all you need to freshen up before or after a flight, with excellent quality items and service from the staff, including a food buffet with a Deli-market-like experience, an all-included a-la-carte restaurant, fully equipped showers, 100% isolated phone and work booths, a patio with amazing views, a wellness area with relaxation booth and massage chairs, shoe-shining service, and even luggage lockers with valet service to the plane! Here are all the details.
In This Post
- Access
- Reception Lounge
- Food Market
- Office Area / Work Lounge
- Quiet Area
- Noise-cancelling Booths
- Bathrooms
- Patio
- Shower
- Restaurant
- More Food (Lunch Buffet)
- Conclusion
- Book Delta One Suites with Miles
Access
The lounge is located in the International (T4) terminal at New York JFK airport (Level 1) between Concourse A and Concourse B, right near the security checkpoint. After arriving on my flight from Buenos Aires (on Delta One Suites), and clearing immigration, I went a few levels up to the departures area and cleared security through SkyPriority. Turning left, the lounge entrance is at the same level. There are very clear signs showing ‘Delta One Lounge’.
The entrance is spotless. I asked the agent if I could use the lounge on arrival, replying, ‘Of course.’ Passengers flying on Delta One are able to use these lounges on arrival even without an onward journey on that day!. After a few seconds, I was already greeted, offered a glass of water, welcomed by a host and offered a luggage locker with valet service (to the gate!). I have a great impression so far, and I had plenty of hours left (6 h+ +) to explore the place.
Reception Lounge
The reception lounge is just stunning. To the left, there is a living room area with a TV and several seating options. To the right, there’s a continuation of that living room with a different setup and a spotless huge bar for cocktails and drinks.
Drinks at the bar are included except for very premium liquours (some options of Whisky, etc.).
Food Market
Moving on towards the right, I arrived at the food buffet area, which is proposed as a big Deli Market. There are seating areas in the middle, drink bars on the left, and themed food stands where you can get as much as you want. There was a specialized Bagel Bar where you could get your favorite custom bagel, an omelet/egg stand, a sandwiches stand, a yogurt area, and an oven area, all with plenty of personnel to quickly take your order and craft the dish you want among the options.
At the time I arrived (close to 8.30 am), it was clearly rush hour for morning flights, it felt busy but not crowded. I was surprised by the speed at which the staff tackled omelet, bagel, and sandwich orders.
Even though there’s no specialty coffee area, there’s a ton of staff around the machines and walking through the area asking people if and how they want a coffee order. I grabbed a Bagel and a coffee, and sat down by one of the window seats. During the 25 minutes I sat there, I was asked 3 times if I wanted more coffee, water, lemonade, or anything else. The staff is really committed and dilligent to making sure you are having a good time.
All seats are equipped with power outlets and also USB-C chargers out of the box, which is very handy if you don’t have a regular USBC-A cable like it happened to me 😂
Office Area / Work Lounge
After my first breakfast bite, I checked out other areas around the whole lounge. The place is massive, and it even spreads out on another floor level. Right next to the buffet area, you’ll find an open seating area that is ideal for work. There’s also a printer with instructions, and a few phone/conference booths.
The entire lounge is beautifully decorated with all sorts of tones of blue and gold. There’s a heavy use of white marble and gold/beige linens that look beautiful and soothing. There are no empty walls; every large wall is well taken care of with details and covered with art pieces and carefully selected decorations.
Quiet Area
Walking even more towards the right, there’s an entrance to the Wellness Area, where you can book massages or relaxation booths (for sleeping). There are also a few quiet areas that are clearly marked, in which you are not allowed to make noise or take calls or meetings. There’s also a convenient drink section in this area, with hot/cold tea and coffee.
Noise-cancelling Booths
One very interesting thing is their 100% isolated noise-canceling booths for working, taking conferences, or phone calls. Those are spread out in the lounge, and some can even accommodate multiple people, which is ideal as meeting rooms.
Bathrooms
The bathrooms are spacious and exquisite. They are located in the same area as the shower suites but on a different aisle. When you request a restroom, you are escorted by a staff member who greets you and checks that everything is in order before you enter.
Patio
Towards the center of the lounge and right after the reception lounge, you have access to a closed/covered outdoor patio, which has amazing views of the tarmac. The seating here is different, resembling summery outdoor furniture and plants, which feel very cozy and beautiful.
For me, it’s easy to spend hours here with great direct views of some of the gates and with plenty of activity at the airport, as is the case with JFK. This wing is pure Delta.
Shower
I worked for a few hours, and before going for lunch, I decided to take a shower. First, you request a slot by using one of the service machines, simply entering your name and phone number or email. Among the services you could ask for, there are also some wellness treatments, massage chairs, and even shoe shine! Luckily, no one else was queuing for a shower, so I got a slot immediately.
Like the toilets, you are greeted and escorted by a staff member who shows you your assigned ‘shower suite’ and asks if you need anything else, such as a shaving kit, dental kit, skin cleanser, or even a suit-cleaning service!
The shower suite already contains several towels of different sizes, a bathrobe, a dental kit, etc. A special hidden drawer by the door is perfect for storing your clothes and jacket while you shower, preventing and isolating them from humidity. You can also use this area to prepare and leave the clothes you are going to wear ready. It was really nice to shower here; it was extremely refreshing, and I even felt more comfortable than in some hotels.
Restaurant
After the shower, I still had some time left (but not much) for a quick bite before heading to the gate. The restaurant looks beautiful too, with plenty of tables to acommodate parties of multiple sizes. It was also surprisingly quiet, which gave more of the impression of a fine dining experience.
At the entrance, a staff member greets you and asks if you want to book a table for later or to be accommodated right away. If so, they ask what your boarding time is to ensure they are done with enough time for you to go to your gate. Nice detail! I was escorted to a table, offered a welcome drink, and handed out the menu.
I ordered both a started and main dish to be brought together and save time: the Short Rib Agnoloti, and the Steak Frites (Wagyu Beef), which were delicious. They also serve you drinks, bread, and butter. All the meals and drinks are included, with the exception of some reserve spirits, which are charged separately (you can pay with cash or miles).
More Food (Lunch Buffet)
After lunch, and to finalize my visit, I checked the buffet area again, which has now been changed to serve lunch food. The Bagel Bar was now a Salad Bar. The sandwich area was turned into a Cookie Area, and the oven stand was now a Pizza Bar. There were plenty of desserts and things to choose from. Meals are also of high quality, as in the restaurant. There’s even more variety than in the restaurant, what changes is the dining experience.
To say goodbye, I topped off the experience on a high note by grabbing a bite of New York-style cheesecake, which was a 10/10 and tasted even better than at Cheesecake Factory. Then I moved on and proceeded to the gate.
Conclusion
The experience at the new Delta One Lounge blew me away. I remember having the chance to be at the flagship Delta Sky Clubs in Atlanta, which were also big and full of food, but also cheaper and ‘plastic-y.’ The new concept is simply different: the experience is certainly more premium, with nothing cheap about it, and focuses on making the passenger experience superb, from the entrance until the gate.
The areas are large, cozy, comfortable, and beautifully decorated. The attention to detail is extreme, and that includes the personnel/staff, who are not only very friendly but also very diligent and worried about accommodating your requests to make your experience the best it can get. Food is high quality, fine dining is a plus, showers are excellent, work areas are covered, and the extra services go the extra mile. It’s a 5-star stay, and, except for the number of people visiting it, it can feel very much like a first-class lounge/terminal experience.
As a SAS EuroBonus member who will miss some Star Alliance redemptions in First Class, this visit definitely changed my mind. I’m already looking forward to those redemptions in Delta One Suites and even trying some other Delta One lounges such as LAX and BOS. Kudos to the Delta team!
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