Delta One’s private security was unveiled at New York’s JFK

Last month, Delta Air Lines cut the ribbon on its second business-class-only lounge at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). A beautiful but small place, focusing on food and drink, the new LAX location cannot match the scope of Delta’s spraying, 40,000 square-foot oasis at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) of New York, which has launched. high-end lounge portfolio this past summer.

However, since day one, the Delta One Lounge at LAX has boasted at least one distinct advantage over the 4-month-old facility at JFK: a private check-in area, dedicated to helping the carrier’s high-paying guests avoid airport chaos. meeting.

However, JFK has already closed that gap in a big way.

Delta One private check-in at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

In late October, Delta quietly opened a key, remaining portion of its flagship building in New York, complete with a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint open to passengers who qualify to use the Delta One Lounge.

Today, if you depart JFK on a Delta One ticket, you’ll be able to navigate check-in, security, and the journey to the lounge without encountering the rest of the flying public.

Delta One entry at JFK

To use a Delta One check-in or lounge, you must travel with a Delta One ticket; A first class domestic ticket will not get you in. And any Delta credit cards with American Express or Medallion elite status — though fliers with invitation-only Delta 360 status can use the Delta One Lounge even when flying local. first class domestic fare. Passengers flying on comparable tickets with certain SkyTeam partners can use the space, too.

Get Delta One check-in

You’ll find Delta One’s dedicated check-in areas to the right of JFK’s Terminal 4, steps from the curb as you enter the departure level; look for the tan wooden building emblazoned with the Delta One logo.

The first part of this entry actually opened in conjunction with the first resort this summer.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for the best news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG experts

Walk through the sliding doors, and you’ll be in an open, walled (but open) lobby.

Compared to LAX, you’ll find a few more steps as you get from the check-in area to the lounge, but it’s still a calmer and more seamless experience than you’d expect from an airport.

A resting place for security

Walk down the hallway, which is naturally lit – perhaps pausing for a photo along the way – and you’ll come to a sheltered lounge.

There are special check-in desks for Delta One. You can also sit down with a customer service representative if you need help.

As with Delta’s premium LAX check-in center, there’s a refresher on security. You can get Nespresso coffee, soda, Delta branded water box or light snacks.

There were other elaborate offerings, too, including a Vive organic blueberry-ginger energy drink and small bites — like gravlax with cream cheese and bagel crunch everything, fig prosciutto wrapped with crumbled goat cheese, and a mixed-berry parfait .

Semiprivate security checkpoint

Once you’ve had a few drinks, head through the door labeled “Security Checkpoint,” and you’ll begin to notice the biggest changes Delta has made since the Delta One Lounge opened this past summer.

In the first three months of the JFK Delta One Lounge’s existence, there was a slight break in the “premium” part of your journey after passing through these doors.

Previously, at this point, you would have to hang left to go through security – which involves being dropped off at the TSA checkpoint (or TSA PreCheck). After that, you would enter the lounge through the airport.

Now, instead, you’ll want to turn right after exiting the security lounge. You’ll continue down this short path, shown below, and quickly find yourself in the brand new, private Delta One security checkpoint.

SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

Even the convenience offered by a program like TSA PreCheck or Clear is not the same as the transaction; you may be the only passenger using the checkpoint at any given time (although you may have at least a little company during peak bank departures on recent days).

The checkpoint is set up to handle both TSA PreCheck and non-PreCheck passengers. As a Trusted Traveler, I received a TSA PreCheck card that allowed me to keep my shoes on.

All travelers, regardless of PreCheck status, can leave 3-1-1 compliant laptops and liquids in their bags, although the checkpoint is equipped with TSA’s latest CT scanners.

Read more: TSA official calls for big TSA PreCheck member growth — and says those big CT scanners are faster than you think

Postsecurity lounge

Once you pass through the checkpoint, you will be on the open road towards the Terminal 4 area.

You’ll briefly tour the boardwalk, which is accompanied by New York City-themed photos. After a while, you will arrive at the entrance to the second floor of the Delta One Lounge.

Inside, you’ll be able to enjoy the outpost’s many amenities, from a full-service brasserie floor to a spa and well-equipped workspace.

Like Delta One’s check-in and security information at LAX, this new setup at JFK allows premium-paying Delta One passengers a quick, quiet route straight to the carrier’s state-of-the-art lounge – allowing for more time to relax and less interaction with airport crowds. before leaving.

A ‘game changer’ for premium offerings

Speaking to Wall Street on Delta’s third-quarter earnings call in October, CEO Ed Bastian pointed to the smaller Delta One Lounge portfolio as a key part of the Atlanta-based carrier’s push to stay ahead of its US competition.

“Our new Delta One lounges in New York and LA, with dedicated check-in and private TSA security, truly differentiate Delta’s offering in two of the largest revenue markets in the United States,” Bastian told analysts.

“What we’ve created here is an extension of your onboard experience,” added Claude Roussel, Delta’s vice president of Sky Clubs and lounge experience, speaking with me last month in California.

“It’s a game changer,” Roussel said. “Once you’re done with the dedication, it’s hard to go back to the normal line.”

Next

Delta is not finished.

Its third Delta One Lounge, planned for Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), is expected to open in December, executives said last month.

The fourth, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), is expected in early 2025.

Related reading: