The world’s busiest airport is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ATL. If you are flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, you will need to know the best airport lounge to pick, and your lounge access depends on what class of flight you have booked, which airline you are flying with, and whether you have high status with an alliance like Oneworld, Skyteam or Star Alliance.
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is also known as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield, or Hartsfield–Jackson. It serves the city of Atlanta, Georgia, and is seven miles south of the Downtown Atlanta district. If you are spending some time in Atlanta, Georgia, we have reviewed the best hotel club lounges in Atlanta and the best Marriott Bonvoy Hotel In Atlanta.
If you are flying in Economy or Premium Economy, you can get free entrance to some of Atlanta’s airport lounges using your American Express Platinum card with its unlimited Priority Pass (contact our concierge for a referral for extra free bonus points), or you can buy a Priority Pass separately. You can also access most Priority Pass lounges for free using the free Amex Gold Card with its two free Lounge Club passes.
Atlanta International has 2 terminals: The Domestic Terminal and the Maynard H. Jackson, Jr. International Terminal, which is linked by 7 concourses labeled A-F and T. The total walking distance between the two terminals, going past every concourse, is over 3km.
Delta’s headquarters are near Atlanta, and as a result, some of the best Delta Sky Club lounges in the world can be found at Atlanta Airport. Each Concourse at ATL has a minimum of one Sky Club, and there are 9 Sky Club lounges in total. All 9 lounges have fresh and healthy food options and premium beverage selections from THE BAR® at Delta Sky Club. The Delta Sky Clubs in Terminal F, E, or B are all the best. You would do well avoiding the worst Delta Sky Clubs in Terminal D.
1. Delta Sky Club in Concourse F
We think the best Delta Skyclub is in Concourse F, followed by Concourse B, near gate B18. You can access any of the Delta Sky Club lounges if you are flying Delta in Business or First, Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class, have an American Express Platinum card, and are flying on Delta the same day.
For complimentary Sky Club access, certain American Express Platinum and Centurion cards can access Delta Sky Club lounges. Cardholders need to be traveling on a same-day flight operated by Delta or on a flight operated by WestJet, as long as it’s booked through Delta (tickets starting with the number 006). As a Platinum cardholder, you can bring two guests into AMEX Centurion lounges for free. As a Platinum cardholder, you can’t bring guests into Sky Club lounges. You have to pay an additional fee of $29 USD per guest at Sky Clubs.
Once you have access to one Delta Sky Club, you have access to them all, so there is no need to sit in the dingy lounge, which is nearest your departure gate. As long as you leave enough time to get to your gate, you can spend a few hours in whichever Delta Sky Club you want to, so it’s important to know which is best.
Delta and Virgin Atlantic share the Delta Sky Club airport lounge in Atlanta’s International Terminal, which is opening from 5:30 am – 11:00 pm. You can access this lounge if you are flying in Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic, and this lounge is found in Concourse F of the Mezzanine level.
Within the lounge, a variety of complimentary alcoholic and soft drinks are available from the bar. This bar is probably the best of any of the Sky Club lounge bars across Atlanta airport.
The food here is also some of the best of any airport lounge at this airport, plus it has showers, runway views, and loads of seating. Wi-Fi and power points are available to help you stay connected. During warmer months, there is an outdoor terrace that has a great view of the airport.
2. Delta Sky Club in Concourse B
The lounge in Terminal B is the top choice if you are flying domestic, as it is easy to access, stylish, and spacious with a high ceiling, and it has plenty of good food and drinks.
This lounge is located above the main Concourse B and is a huge 25,000 ft² in size with floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, one side that looks towards downtown Atlanta. This is meant to be Delta’s busiest lounge, and with that, they have designed an extra special range of experiences for its lounge-goers.
There’s a wine wall where guests can taste a glass or a flight of wines. Plus, Atlanta chef Linton Hopkins has designed locally inspired soups, salads, and bread, which are only available for this Atlanta B Delta Sky Club.
The look is stylish, with art on the walls and plenty of power outlets.
3. Delta Sky Club in Concourse E
This lounge is in the International Concourse and is an easy walk to the Delta Sky Club in Concourse F. It is large, empty, and has nice views, a Spa, showers, a bar, and good food.
In fact, the food includes large bowls of all sorts of salads and warm dishes, including Mac n Cheese, Roasted Winter Vegetables, and Red Pepper Pasta, plus coffee machines, soft drinks, and sweet treats.
The lounge’s look is fairly generic, but the food and space make this lounge a winner. This Sky Club is home to a new Asanda Spa Lounge.
4. Delta Sky Club in Terminal A (near gate 16)
This Delta Sky Club is the best Delta lounge in Terminal A. It is not usually busy and has a bar, plenty of food, and excellent views. The bar area is curved and stylish and looks different from your average airport lounge. The disadvantage of this lounge is that this Sky Club does not have the variety or volume of delicious food that F, B, and E have above. You just get the standard Sky Club choices.
5. Delta Sky Club in Terminal C (near gate 36)
This lounge was recently renovated with some decent seating areas, a bar, and decent food.
6. Delta Sky Club in Terminal T (near gate 6)
This lounge is small but was also recently renovated and does not tend to be too busy. It is just one room and has some nice views of the planes.
7. Delta Sky Club in Terminal D (near gate 27)
There are no views from this lounge, but it is quiet and well-suited for people who want to work in a peaceful environment. It has a bar, food, and some private sitting areas. This is easily the best Delta Sky Club in Terminal D.
8. The Club at ATL
There are two Priority Pass lounges at ATL: Minute Suites and The Club at ATL. Beyond the Minute Suites locations, The Club at ATL is the only proper and the best Priority Pass lounge at Atlanta airport. This is the one and only Priority Pass lounge at ATL.
The Club at ATL is located in the International Terminal, also known as Concourse F, on the elevated mezzanine level and right next to the chapel.
If you’re departing for a non-international, domestic flight, you can still access this lounge as Concourse F, and the entire international terminal can be reached after security by train or walking between the concourses via the underground walkway.
This lounge is used by airline elite passengers as well as Priority Pass passengers. You can access this lounge if you are flying in Business Class or First Class on British Airways, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar. You will also get free access to this lounge if you have Oneworld Emerald status, as well as your Priority Pass, Lounge Club, Lounge Key, and Diners Club cards.
The lounge is pleasantly designed with neutral decor and wooden flooring. Premium airline passengers get a separate roped-off buffet and seating area. As a standard Priority Pass lounge user, you cannot access this VIP area.
This “Premium Area” seems to be less crowded than the rest of the lounge. The separate buffet means there is plenty of food for premium passengers, although the food looked to be identical to the food in the main lounge. The major advantage of the “Premium Area” over the main lounge is that they have access to a large bar with a bartender.
The rest of the lounge houses an additional buffet, toilets, and more seating, along with large windows overlooking some of the runways. The downsides of this lounge are that it feels crowded, and there aren’t power outlets on every seat, which is a pain if you need to recharge. Obviously, Wi-Fi is free in the lounge, but it is slow, so you may prefer to connect to the internet via your mobile.
There are three stylish and nicely maintained bathrooms, plus there is a shower, which you can be put on a waitlist for. The shower is also stylish and clean and provides shampoo, conditioner shower gel, towels, and a hairdryer.
The main buffet is excellent by the standards of European Priority Pass lounges with water and soft drinks (including bottled water), plenty of delicious wrap sandwiches, cookies, crisps, soup, orange juice, and coffee and tea machines.
If you aren’t traveling in Business or First Class, but you have a Priority Pass membership, this is the one and only airport lounge you will be able to access unless you are looking to have a sleep in the Minute Suites. It has decent food and drinks and is better than hanging out in the terminal, but it is not noteworthy and is certainly not one of the best airport lounges that we have experienced.
9. Admirals Club Atlanta Terminal T
American Airlines only has a very small Admirals Club in Atlanta Terminal T, because this airport is the hub of Delta and not American. The lounge is made up of one large room with seating and food. The food is good: Couscous, veggies, dips, olives, brownies, and cookies. There are also plenty of free soft drinks. The bar has muted lighting and is nice, and there are private workstations you can use. This lounge will not win any style awards or food and beverage awards. The Delta Sky Clubs at Atlanta are usually much better than this lounge, but it is pleasant and better than nothing.
10. Delta Sky Club in Terminal A (near gate 1)
This Delta Sky Club feels old and tired. If you have the time, it is worth making an effort to visit any of the Delta Sky Clubs higher up in these listings over this very mediocre, dated lounge.
11. Delta Sky Club in Terminal D2 (near Gate 11)
If you are flying with Delta in First or Business or have access to the Delta Sky Club Lounges, you can access any and all of the Sky Club lounges at ATL airport. With this in mind, you really don’t want to spend your airport hours at Delta Sky Club in Terminal D2. This lounge stinks when compared to the other Delta lounges. If you don’t want to walk far, the Delta Sky Club near gate 27 is a much better choice, even though the gate 27 lounge does not have any windows.
Delta Sky Club in Terminal D2 is small and packed full, with very few seats and dated decor.
12. Minute Suites
There are two Priority Pass lounges at ATL: Minute Suites and The Club at ATL. Minute Suites can be found in the international terminal. These are not like an ordinary lounge and do not offer free food and drinks. Instead, this lounge is a number of private mini-suites with a daybed sofa that sleeps two, pillows and fresh blankets, a TV, a place to work, and a whizzy noise-canceling system.
Cardholders can stay for one hour. If you go beyond that, you’ll have to pay an hourly rate. If you have a Priority Pass™ membership, you can bring up to three guests into your same mini-suite.
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