Ahead of my return journey back to Dublin, via a day trip in Boston, I was scheduled on DL2828 – affording me an opportunity to check out another Delta Sky Club, in Concourse M, Terminal 5 of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport this time.
I was understandably anxious after both the previous packed-to-the-rafters Sky Club experience in Minneapolis, and the very slow, gradual TSA line to get airside at that hour of the morning in ORD to begin with – during which I managed to realize only about 4 places from boarding pass check that full bottles remain a no-no in the US, and had to consequently chug down my 750ml fully-filled bottle.
The Delta Sky Club was located en-route to my gate, M5, between gates M11 and M14. Given I was travelling in Comfort+, I approached the counter cautiously, half-expecting to be declined despite the ‘access with a same-day Delta One flight’ rule I’d read online.
Once again, similar to my previous in-flight and on-the-ground experiences (including at O’Hare, where the check-in agent went to the ends of the earth seemingly to check my bag all the way to Dublin, despite the long 12-hour Boston layover), the staff member was exceptionally friendly, welcomed me in with no issue whatsoever, and took a few moments to tell me how wonderful the Delta One lounge was going to be, and to make sure I gave myself plenty of time later to enjoy it.
With that firm admonishment, I was dispatched inside the Sky Club lounge – wearily, given past experiences.
To my great surprise, the Chicago Delta Sky Club was night and day from my experience in Minneapolis; very spacious, with plenty of seating, tranquil, and so very tastefully done.
To the right upon entering, for enjoyment during later hours of the day, was a well-stocked, beautiful centrepiece bar.
To the left meanwhile was a breakfast buffet setup, that included pastries, cold meats, breads, bagels, toasters, spreads and much more. Bookending the buffet was a soft drinks fountain, with the all-important coffee machines just around the corner where the cleaner engaged me in conversation while I waited.
I didn’t delay in preparing myself a double espresso and toasted bagel, and picking out a nice window seat.
After a brief breakfast, I wandered the full length of the lounge such was my delight at its relative calm. The length includes various booth, dining, and comfy lounge chairs, all set alongside beautiful views of the airfield through tall floor-to-ceiling windows.
The bathrooms meanwhile were in an adjacent corridor, again, spacious, clean and in plentiful quantity for a busy lounge. There were also showers available, with a virtual queue system for busier periods.
Unfortunately, thanks to the TSA queue, this was a brief but extremely enjoyable visit – by contrast to the Sky Club in Minneapolis, this Delta Sky Club was so peaceful, spacious, and with seating in plentiful supply that it was a pleasure to spend time in.
I made tracks for my gate, but not before a friendly farewell from the lounge receptionist once more. Kudos to Delta – across the board, I didn’t come across any particularly unfriendly, negative or unapproachable colleague, and this was arguably the biggest take-away I came away with that would make me more than happy to consider flying with them again.
In conclusion, this was a lovely visit. I’m sure the lounge gets much busier at peak times; but seems far more well capable of handling large crowds, with lovely furnishings, space, and a sense of calm.
