As air travel bounces back from the coronavirus pandemic and airlines find themselves competing for travelers and customer loyalty, the premium lounge can be a secret weapon for the carrier and for the traveler, a refuge to recharge from airport bustle and noise.
Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport have stepped up their game in the new Terminal A, where three premium lounges have opened since the terminal went in service. Delta, American Airlines and American Express are the latest to open premium clubs to pamper passengers while they wait.
Delta Airlines moved its operations into the new terminal on Aug. 23, when the final wing of the building opened, crowning that move with a spiffy new lounge, the Delta Sky Club for its premium members.
Delta has four permanent gates in addition to a rotating gate shared with another airline in Terminal A and added updated technology and self check-in facilities in the new terminal. If travelers waited to check in until they get to the Sky Club, there are kiosks where they can do it.
Similar to United Airlines new lounge that opened in June, the Delta Sky Club continued the terminal’s heavy identification with New Jersey.
The Jersey-centric theme starts with a large eye catching three-piece painting, “Greetings From New Jersey” that travelers see upon gaining admittance to the lounge. It’s based on the “Greetings from Asbury Park” Bruce Springsteen album cover.
Three pop-art style wall sculptures depict portraits of Springsteen and Jersey’s other famous native son, Frank Sinatra, as well as Camden-based Campbell’s soup. Colors, tone and use of metal and wood pay tribute to Newark’s industrial roots.
“All our artwork is from local artists,” said Lucy Velez, Delta Newark Sky Club lead.
The 7,000 square foot Sky Club has room for a capacity of 225 seated and 299 standing customers, she said.
The Sky lounge is almost library quiet and that is by design. Delta built in several acoustic systems designed to absorb the outside sounds of the airport, officials said.
The lounge is also designed to provide peace and quiet for business travelers who are working or are on calls, or leisure travelers looking to decompress between flights, Velez said.
Roughly 60% of lounge customers are business travelers, she said. They include regulars who are traveling for work on Monday and heading home on Thursday, she said
“It’s a very relaxing place to be between flights,” said Spiro Manesis, Delta station manager.
Among the highlights:
Comfortable seats: Whether it had a straight back, was one of the S-shaped, high backed “kissing booths” or one of the variety of leather seats at dining tables or cocktail areas, every one of them passed the sit down test for good back support and just enough firmness. You might not want to stand up.
Charge it: Drop your power thirsty phone on one of the circles on a table top that has a lightning bolt in it, and it starts charging. No fumbling with cords. There also are USB ports and plugs for laptops at almost all seating areas.
Potty parity: The four restrooms are non-gender. A button automatically opens the door to four restrooms, a great feature for parents with strollers, people in wheelchairs and any solo traveler wrangling rolling luggage. Green and red lights above the door indicate if its occupied. One restroom has a changing station, two are wheelchair accessible.
Bar with a view: The long bar gives patrons a panoramic view of the airport runways. There is a dark copper colored ceiling inset with an oval of indirect lighting in the bar area, adding an intimate feel.
Tranquility: While there are numerous TV’s, volume is kept low or on mute, Velez said. You can carry on a conversation without using an outdoor voice. Background music is also not overpowering, although it is turned up a bit on Friday evenings to herald the end of the work week, she said.
Fab food: You’ll want to leave a comfortable seat for the food. The delicious aromas are enticing, and you won’t be served the same menu at any of the Sky Clubs across Delta’s system. That is by design, said Chef Nixon Cruz, a lifelong Fort Lee resident.
“We run different menus, so you don’t have two meals that are the same,” he said.
He is the man who keeps the menu interesting. A chef for 33 years, he’s been with Delta of 20 of them. Fresh ingredients are a big part of the menu, whether its fruits, grains or vegetables from a Jersey farm or a garden of micro herbs in the kitchen, providing seasonings of fresh basil, dill and rosemary for dishes.
“We use less processed stuff…it’s as fresh as possible,” Cruz said.
Cruz also is cognizant of the menus at other Sky Clubs, reciting the Brazilian and Cuban menu items at JFK and Atlanta from memory.
Breakfast is served between 5 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., when the menu transitions to lunch. The buffet closes at 8 p.m. Twice a day, Cruz makes deserts and adds some dinner time options to the menu, such as sliders, he said.
“The chefs come out twice a day with something totally different and unique to Newark, so travelers remember us,” Manesis said. “It’s had a lot of good reviews from customers.”
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Larry Higgs may be reached at [email protected].
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