Delta Sky Club NYC LaGuardia (LGA) Airport Review

Worth Coming to Airport Early For: YES (but only 30 mins – 1 hour)

Better Than The Terminal? YES

In this post, you’ll find:

Introduction

I’m not usually a Delta flyer, but they had the cheapest fare heading back home for the holidays, so this was my chance to try them out, along with the Delta Sky Club at LaGuardia.

All in all, it was a solid experience for a Domestic Lounge, about in line with what I’ve experienced at Amex’s centurion lounges. I’d say the physical space was a bit nicer than the average Centurion Lounge, although the food a bit worse. More on that later!

Access Policy and Hours

The Sky Club at LaGuardia is open at the following hours (subject to holidays / changes):

Open Sun-Fri: 4:45am to 9:30pm
Open Sat: 4:45am to 6:00pm

I accessed the lounge using my American Express Platinum card, which I highly recommend getting if you’re in the market for a premium travel card (for a lot of people, it will literally pay you money to keep it, even post-fee). As a reminder, Amex Platinum cardholders as of February 2025 are only allowed 10 visits per year to Delta Sky Clubs (unless you spend >$75,000 per year on the card). I’m just a casual Delta flyer, so not a problem for me.

In order to access this lounge with the Amex Platinum, you must be flying on Delta the same day (excluding basic economy – regular economy is fine, though), and within 3 hours of departure. Guests are allowed at a charge of $50 per person.

Of course, there’s plenty of other ways to access Delta Sky Clubs. Main other entry methods include (but are not limited to): single day passes, Sky Club Membership, if you’re flying in Delta One / SkyTeam Premium cabin, and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Cards (Personal and Business).

How to Find the Lounge

The Lounge is located at Terminal C at LaGuardia, which is home to Delta’s operations there. Note this is not connected to the other terminals Airside, so you pretty much have to be flying Delta in order to access this lounge, unless you want to pass through security multiple times (not worth it IMO).

The lounge is super easy to spot, it’s immediately left after passing through security at Terminal C.

Side note – this was my first time in Terminal C at LaGuardia (have passed through terminal B before), and this is definitely one of the nicest in the US. It is really insane to see how much better LaGuardia has become post renovation. If only they would build a subway stop to the airport, then we’d finally have a first-world country airport!

I was flying a few days before Christmas, and surprisingly, the security line was almost entirely empty. However, the line to enter the Sky Club was not…

What I will say is the whole point of an airport “lounge” is to have a place to relax before a flight, not to spar in line with 57 consultants for a piece of gouda cheese and salami. This lounge was definitely overcrowded – basically every seat was taken when I visited, which definitely limits its appeal to me.

Anyways, after a quick check of my boarding pass and Amex Platinum, the lounge front desk let me in. There are multiple automated machines at check in with a few agents supervising anyone with issues.

Lounge Layout and Space Review

This lounge is massive at 35,000 square feet with the capacity for ~700 people. There are two main buffet food areas, along with two different bars. My favorite part of the lounge is the awesome outdoor space, along with great views of the terminal and partial views of the runway. Delta did a very good job decorating the place as well – it feels premium but not too corporate.

There’s a part of the lounge that’s a big sports viewing space, which is pretty cool to see. Felt almost like a gambling pit in Vegas.

My favorite part about this lounge, by far, is their outdoor dining area. I visited in December so the roof was closed, but I assume in the spring / fall this is an awesome place to hang out. Nonetheless, in the winter the vibes were great too, and was great to have so much natural light. This area has full views of the runway, with also my favorite seat ever in an airport lounge.

It’s not too often you get a swing chair at an airport. This is probably a dumb reason to like a lounge, but it’s my reason why I thought the lounge was special (especially for a nice pre-flight nap). And you even get views of the runway! The final level for me would be outdoor airport hammock (take notes Amex).

I’d love to return to this space once it’s warm outside again.

Lounge Food and Drink

In terms of food and drinks, the lounge has two buffets and two drink areas, largely serving the same items. Overall, I thought the food and drinks spread was standard but nothing special.

The drink station had everything you need, from tea to lemonade to coffee to simple syrups for making your own thing.

The buffet was OK, with a decent spread of hot items and cold sandwiches and pastries & cheeses. They even had a pit of shrimp ceviche, which I did try, but maybe I shouldn’t have? It tasted fine, but there’s something that feels weird about a bulk pit of airport buffet ceviche.

Conclusion

All in all, the Delta Sky Club is a great option (and probably your only option) if flying out of Terminal C at LaGuardia for a quick pre-flight drink or meal. The food and drinks were standard, and the lounge was absolutely packed when I visited. However, to me, the best part of this lounge by far is the views and seating in the outdoor / skylight space which made it worth the stop.