After navigating the mess that was East Security at Austin we headed off for some relaxation in the Sky Club before catching our flight to Atlanta.
Location
The Delta Sky Club in Austin is located all the way at the end of the concourse between gates 1 and 2. Just follow the airport signage towards Gates 1-10 and the Delta Sky Club when clearing security. This is also where the new Chase Sapphire Terrace is located so you can follow the signage for that as well.
At the end of the concourse you’ll see two sets of stairs and a bank of elevators behind the Parkside restaurant that will take you up to the upper level. You can also see part of the lounge in the round area above the restaurant which gives me Ken Lay’s “Office in the Sky” Enron vibes.
Once at the top you will see the entrance for the Chase Sapphire Terrance to the left and the entrance for the Sky Club to the right. The old viewing terrace that used to be located here is now part of the Chase Sapphire Terrace.
Hours of Operation
Currently the lounge is open from 4:15a to 7:30p daily, covering almost all Delta and SkyTeam departures from the airport.
Entry Requirements
Due to the massive crowding at Delta Sky Clubs recently, we’ve seen Delta overhaul the entry requirements. The easiest way to enter the lounge is by using a qualifying American Express credit card (including the AmEx Platinum and Delta Reserve cards) or by having a Sky Club membership and a same day Delta boarding pass. We accessed the lounge using our American Express Platinum Cards. The friendly agents checked us in and informed us of our flight status and departure gate.
You can find the full list of entry requirements here.
Layout
The Austin Sky Club is laid out into four distinct areas, and is quite large given the fact that it spans the width of the terminal. Upon stepping into the club you can either turn left or right. To the left will take you to the dining room and the Sky Deck, while going to the right takes you to the bar area, additional seating, and some workstations.
With bad weather rolling in, I first went to check out the Sky Deck as the staff was getting ready to close it. It was a nice space but on the smaller side as far as Sky Decks go. It had good views over the ramp but the metal fence interfered with it some. On a nice day, I’d definitely spend some time here.
Further back, against the windows, is the dining area with a buffet set up along the side wall and a collection of café tables and chairs. The windows are my favorite part of this area as they provide spectacular views of the ramp. These are also the gates where most of the international widebodies depart so you get some interesting planes.
Back near the entrance of the lounge was the bar, which had a variety of seating scattered around it as well as a newsstand full of magazines. There was also a self service beverage area there with sodas, water, coffee and tea.
In the rear of the lounge was a large seating area with a mixture of chairs and working cubicles that had a view out over the north ramp. We settled here at first before moving towards the bar as the Sky Club staff was warning us to move away from the windows due to the incoming weather.
The restrooms were also located back here and were kept nice and clean throughout our stay.
Food and Beverage
The buffet was located in the dining area and featured a couple of hot dishes, sandwiches, meats, cheeses, fruits and a couple of soups. We weren’t really hungry so we had a couple bowls of Mexican street corn soup along with some meat and cheese.
The bar in the Austin Sky Club had your standard complimentary offerings along with higher end beer, wine and spirits available for purchase. Mrs. ATX Jetsetter decided to have a couple of glasses of the prosecco while I had a vodka soda.
Atmosphere
With the incoming weather and having to close the Sky Deck and move away from the windows, the lounge got crowded quickly. Thankfully the Delta employees were doing a great job keeping everyone up to date, making announcements, and clearing tables. We ended up spending more time in the lounge than expected as our flight crew was stuck in traffic getting to the airport. We ended up heading to our gate for boarding about 15 minutes late.
Summary
The Delta Sky Club in Austin is a great lounge to relax in before flying out. Though crowding has been an issue in the past, the club did a great job of managing the load even with the Sky Deck closed. The AUS Sky Club is by far the best out of the Delta outstations I have visited and I always enjoy having the opportunity to fly through there.
