By RamonWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Ramon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Lounge Overview
The food, drink, and service at this lounge was the best I have had at any airport lounge. Pros- Tasty A La Carte Menu, Creative Cocktails, Good Champagne, and Fantastic Service Cons- Dated Decor, Funky Seating, and Dirty Bathrooms First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
Singapore Airlines JFK Check-In
Location and Check-In
Our Delta CRJ900 flight from Washington Regan National (DCA) arrived at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Terminal 4. While our flight on Singapore Airlines to Frankfurt (FRA) also departed from JFK Terminal 4. JFK Terminal 4 is known as JFK's international terminal and also houses Delta Airlines long JFK haul flights. Shortly after arriving we collected our bags and headed to the Singapore Airlines check-in desk. We arrived about four and a half hours before our fight to make sure we could soak up the entire Suites experience and enjoy the airport lounge. Singapore Airlines begin online check-in 48 hours in advance unlike the standard 24 hours in advance for U.S. airlines, however, because we were flying from the Untied States we could not access our boarding passes until 24 hours in advance. When we arrived at the check-in desk there was no one waiting in line and only one check-in area was open. Because we were early the Suites specific check-in was closed and there was no one else in line for the general check-in. The woman who served us seemed to be German and was training another check-in agent. The trainer was very matter of fact and not very friendly. The check-in experience was fast but didn't really feel very welcoming. The best part of the check-in was when we received our white and gold colored boarding passes which had Suites written on them. It felt like we just received a golden ticket. 
JFK Terminal 4
Since we were flying in the Singapore Airlines Suites we were invited to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK which serves as Virgin Atlantic's JFK airport lounge. The lounge is located on the upper level of Terminal 4 between gates A4 and A5 next to the Air India Maharaja and Emirates lounges.
International Airline Lounges Sign JFK Terminal 4
On our way to the lounge we spotted the A380 which was going to be our ride to Frankfurt then on to Singapore. We were in awe by the size and design of the aircraft which had a hump like a whale.
Singapore Airlines A380
Access and Hours
All Virgin Atlantic lounges worldwide including the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK are temporarily closed due the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to COVID-19 this lounge was open daily 4:15-7:15 am and 2:30-10:30pm. This lounge was accessible to a number of passengers including the following passengers:
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK Entrance
Decor, Amenities, and Seating
My first impression of the JFK Clubhouse was not a positive one. I found the seating and decor to be dated. The majority of couches and seating in the lounge were worn and in need of refresh. Despite this poor first impression I did like the mood lighting and hip music playing in the lounge which felt very on brand for Virgin Atlantic. The JFK Clubhouse is much larger than the Washington Dulles Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and at the center is a large bar flanked by funky seating and a pool table. 
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK
In addition to the funky seating near the bar the lounge also had strange wallpaper with tractors and apples on it. In general, I found the lounge's decor to be too funky for me.
 Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK Wallpaper
Near the windows facing the tarmac was a dining area and additional couches. When we first entered the lounge it was fairly empty, however, as the night went on and the boarding times approached for multiple Virgin Atlantic flights the lounge filled up. Very few people were seated in the dining room and instead most people were seated on the various couches and chairs. We decided to spend our time in seated on a brown leather couch near the windows with a view of the tarmac including the Virgin Atlantic planes. Something we found really annoying was the lack of power plugs. It was hard to find plugs and they were not nearly as accessible as the Delta SkyClub DCA. This was ironic since the Delta SkyClub DCA only serves domestic passengers and this was an international business passenger lounge. This pointed to the need for a renovation. One interesting seating option was a Herman Miller chair. I had never heard of this type of chair but Christina noticed it walking around the lounge. This chair costs around $5,000 and it seemed to be occupied the vast majority of the time we were in the lounge. When I saw the chair was free for a few minutes I decided to try it out. It felt very comfortable but I still didn't think it is worth $5,000.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK Seating
The lounge also had several amenities including a wellness spa which offered some complimentary treatments for Virgin Atlantic passengers along with paid treatments for all passengers. Since we were flying Singapore Airlines we didn't have access to the complimentary treatments and decided not to pay for any treatments. The lounge also had a small business area with several computers and printers. Additionally, about half of the bathrooms had showers that were stocked with Cowshed amenities. These bathrooms were dirty and needed repairs.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK Bathroom
Food and Drinks
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK serves restaurant style a la carte meals and drinks including non-alcoholic drinks, beer, wine, champagne, and spirits. When we sat down on the sofa we were immediately greeted by a very friendly server who asked us if we wanted anything to drink. Christina asked for cocktail recommendations and the server recommended we get some tequila cocktails which were a special for Cinco de Mayo. We both took her up on her offer and we loved the creative drinks including the Pink Slipper which had Codigo 1530 Tequila, Rose Wine, agave syrup, and lemon. 
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK Cinco de Mayo Cocktail Menu
The service in the lounge was fantastic and we leaned heavily on our server's recommendations with the exception of any spicy food she recommended. Next up we ordered the ribs which I must say were the best dish I have had in any airport lounge.
Dried Rubbed Beef Spare Ribs
Without us asking our server sent over croquets and a salad. The croquets were great while the salad was okay. I thought the salad we had earlier in the day from the Delta SkyClub DCA was better.
Croquets and Pink Slipper Cocktail
Our server asked us if we wanted anymore food and when we said yes, she ordered us a 50/50 burger which was half beef and half chicken. This was the first time I had such a burger and I only ended up getting to try the chicken half since Christina liked the beef half so much she ate it before I could try it. The burger also came with fries on the side but the best part was the BBQ sauce which came with the fries. The sauce was sweet and we really liked it.
50/50 Burger and Fries
For dessert we ordered the pumpkin pie, Christina's favorite, and a muffin. After this we were stuffed and stopped ordering food and instead turned to champagne for the rest of our time in the lounge. The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK served Lanson Black Label champagne which was lovely. We realized that we both really appreciate good champagne and that would be our go to drink on our honeymoon.
Lanson Black Label Champagne
The food and drinks at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK were very impressive featuring a wide variety of options, amazing service, and five-star restaurant quality. Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK food and drink service really impressed me and I found it to be the best offering of food and drinks I have ever had at any airport lounge.
Take Away The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK had the best food, drinks, and service of any airport lounge I have ever visited. Despite its dated decor, lack of power plugs, and unimpressive seating I would hesitate to visit the lounge again. Passengers taking off in the Singapore Airlines Suites from JFK have a reason to get to the airport early. I really hope the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK access continues after COVID-19 pandemic has ended.
0 Comments
By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
I found my first Delta CRJ-900 First Class experience to be average. Pros-Friendly Gate Agents, Well Placed Power Plugs, Impressive Amenities, Fast Baggage Service Cons-Limited Storage, Poor Sparkling Wine, Weak Snack Selection, Subpar JFK Arrival Experience First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Boarding
We left the SkyClub DCA in high spirits and with a great impression of Delta which we hoped would continue once we were onboard. We got to the gate early and it was empty. When boarding started it was 3 minutes after the scheduled boarding time and since we were sitting in First Class we were among the first people to board. I loved being able to board first and settle into my seat. However, in the COVID-19 era I imagine I would also appreciate the option to board last and hang out in the lounge. As we boarded the plane the check-in agents were very friendly something that was not always the case on American Airlines. 
Boarding DCA Gate 18
Plane and Seats
This flight was on a CRJ-900 regional jet, operated by Delta affiliate Endeavor, with 12 First Class seats arraigned in a 1-2 configuration. We were seated together in the bulkhead seats 1 C and 1 D on the right side of the plane. These seats had approximately 37 inches of pitch and 20 inches of width. Since we were in the bulkhead there was more limited legroom than the other First Class seats but I thought the legroom on this plane was still sufficient. One of the downsides to First Class in the CRJ-900 is that the bathrooms are too small for me stand up straight. This is an annoying feature on many regional jets but wasn't as a big of a deal on this approximately 50 minute flight. Another annoying part of the First Class experience on this plane was the lack of storage space. There wasn't enough storage space to store both the bottle of water at my seat and my noise cancelling headphones. As we took off we waived goodbye to our home city Washington D.C. which we wouldn't see for three weeks. 
View of Washington D.C. Metro Area
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
Upon boarding we were greeted by several amenities at our seats. These included a blanket and a pillow. This was the first time I had ever seen a pillow on a domestic First Class flight. Also waiting at our seats were small plastic bottles of water. I was very impressed by the amenities provided by Delta especially considering that this was a sub-one hour flight. These amenities blew away the CRJ-900 First Class flight I had on American Airlines were there weren't even blankets in First Class on a three hour flight. 
CRJ-900 First Class Seats
Another downside to the CRJ-900 regional planes is that unlike Delta's mainline planes this plane had no seat back in-flight entertainment (IFE). Delta did offer in-seat power and streaming IFE on this flight. We were so excited about our trip that we didn't even bother watching the streaming IFE. A really good feature of the seat was two 110 volt power plugs. We ended up using these plugs to charge our devices and I loved the placement which I found to be much better than the awkward below seat placement on many planes.
In-Seat Power Plugs
Food and Drinks
The food and drink service started shortly after we sat down with a pre-departure beverage. I chose the sparkling wine so I could compare the difference in taste between the other sparkling wine and champagne offerings available later in the day. Christina passed and said she was waiting for the good stuff at our next stop. She was smart to wait as the sparkling wine was really bad. Shortly after takeoff the flight attendant came around with the snack basket. I found the snack selection to be weak with just a handful more snacks that economy. The snack selection was so weak that I ended up selecting Biscoff Cookies the same snack I would have received in economy. I can say this is one area where American Airlines did better pre-COVID-19 since they had much larger variety of snacks on short flights. One interesting thing I noticed about Delta's service is that every drink they served was handed over on a tray. I liked this tray service and think it made the experience feel more refined. 
Biscoff Cookie
Service
While I have been very impressed by Delta's in-flight service in the past there wasn't much to note about the service on this flight. I appreciated the pre-departure beverage but I had come to expect that on Delta. Generally the service on this flight wasn't bad just unremarkable. Arrival at JFK We arrived about 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival and upon landing we got the first glimpse of our ride to Singapore. Out of the window we could see the Singapore A380 parked next to a Virgin Atlantic plane. Our excitement grew immensely as we saw the giant plane which was going to be our ride for almost 24 hours. 
View of Singapore A380 from JFK Runway
After deplaning we had to take a shuttle bus to the terminal. Generally, I don't like having to a take a shuttle especially if I have a tight connection and I hope this is part of the experience Delta eliminates in future JFK renovations. However, the big upside of doing so today was we got a chance to see many of the big planes at JFK up close. This included a Qatar Airways plane which was taxing during our shuttle ride. I really enjoyed this as a travel lover. We headed to the baggage claim to retrieve our bags since we were booked on separate reservation for our next flight on Singapore Airlines and impressively our bags were out in five minutes. I really love how fast bags are available after a Delta flight.
View of Qatar Airways plane from JFK Runway
Take Away
I found my first flight in Delta's CRJ-900 First Class to be average. I thought the boarding experience was smooth, the gate agents were friendly, liked the placement and availability of power plugs, the baggage service was very fast, and I was very impressed by the amenities provided by Delta on such a short flight. However, Delta could improve the CRJ-900 flight experience by adding additional storage, improving the sparkling wine, improving the weak snack selection, and improving the arrival experience by not requiring a shuttle. |
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed