I decided to stick with the Delta Sky Club.  It doesn’t hurt that right after my query Delta decided to post this:

Join now to get two extra months free or 1,500 Medallion Qualification Miles.

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Hello Fly Gracefully, There’s still time to get an exclusive holiday gift from the Delta Sky Club, but you have to purchase or renew your membership by December 31, 2011.Just use one of the special promotion codes below to receive your choice of one of two exciting holiday gifts: Two free additional months of membership (use promo code HP2MF) 1,500 Medallion® Qualification Miles (use promo code HPMQM) And, if you’re purchasing a new membership, we’ll also waive the initiation fee (a $50 savings). At the Delta Sky Club, you can relax, unwind or do business in stylish, comfortable surroundings at more than 50 airport Clubs and 35 partner lounges worldwide. Our award-winning Club’s exceptional amenities include: Fully stocked bars with complimentary beer, wine, and cocktails, and our new Luxury Bar in select locations A variety of tasty and healthy snacks served all day Free Wi-Fi, satellite TV and wireless printers Clean, private restrooms (and showers in some locations) Remember, just use one of the two promotion codes above when you purchase a one- or three-year membership by December 31, 2011, to receive your gift. We look forward to welcoming you at the Club soon. Happy Holidays!

The MQM were tempting, but this year I’ll re-qualify on segments so I decided to go for the extra 2 months instead.

I’ve been a Delta Sky Club member for 3 years now.  My membership expired last month and I’m waiting to settle into my new position before requesting lounge membership.

My logic is that even though Charlotte only has 2 US Airways clubs and no other clubs, I use the club most often on layovers.  My layovers are usually either Atlanta or Terminal 2 of ORD.  Both of those locations have Delta Sky Clubs.  Also, Delta has had free alcohol for years while US always had cash bars.  Now US does have some free (except in PA) beer and wine so the value is coming up a bit.

I used to have United Red Carpet Club which gave me access to the US Airways clubs when flying US, but not other times.  I believe this has changed so maybe I investigate rejoining the RCC since I have status with United, but in Atlanta that leaves my lounge prospects very limited.

I do have the pay-per-use Priority Pass that comes with the Hilton Surpass card, but I can’t bill that back to my company.  They will pay annual membership for 1 lounge, but not a per-visit fee.  They also won’t reimburse credit card annual fees such as the AMEX Platinum charge card or else that would be quite tempting.  I will be evaluating my travel plans over the next few weeks and figure out what meets my needs the most in terms of access and amenities.

For many out there you may only visit a Sky Club 5 times a year so this isn’t a bad deal…especially if you don’t get a discount through status for an annual membership.

Shop this holiday offer and enjoy all the perks of Delta Sky Club™ for less. For the next few weeks, until December 31, 2010, you can purchase five One-Day passes for $99.00. That’s a 60% savings of over $150.00.

Good for one year, these passes make excellent holiday gifts for family, friends and co-workers—even yourself. It’s a great way to enjoy everything our 50 global lounges have to offer, including exceptional amenities in stylish, comfortable surroundings:

* Fully-stocked bars with complimentary beer, wine and cocktails on the house
* A variety of tasty snacks, served all day
* Free Wi-Fi so you can holiday shop, surf, check email or watch a movie
* Personalized flight assistance for all your needs
* Private restrooms (and showers in some locations)
* Wireless printers, fax machines and other productivity tools
* Current newspapers and magazines

This is one gift everyone will love (even if you get it last minute). To purchase, visit any Delta Sky Club location by December 31, 2010, and mention this offer.

US Airways is having a 3 day sale on club membership.  It is $249 for all status levels for 3 days only.  The rate is normally $450 for a general member and decreases based on status.

US Airways has upped their game recently by including free beer and wine (although certain stations must charge $1/beverage due to the liquor license).  They also had changed from a tiered approach to membership (just US, or US + United’s Red Carpet Club) so they have added a lot of value to membership recently.

I am a current Sky Club member but I’ve been eyeing US Airways Clubs.  This offer is almost good enough to pay cash and have my company continue to pick up me (discounted due to elite status) Delta Sky Club membership.

HT Gary

I like the Delta Sky Club, but there are times when what was a 2 hour layover quickly becomes a 5 hour layover and the need for an unexpected meal in an airport arises.  This usually means I leave the Sky Club which is often quieter than the airport and I leave my outlet to venture off to get food.  Since outside food is not allowed in the club this means I have to eat it before returning to the club.

Other airlines have been piloting food in their clubs.  US Airways has had salads and sandwiches for a while.  Now it is Delta’s turn.

Announcement

New York City, NY – John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)

• We’re adding cafés to all four of JFK’s Delta Sky Club locations where you can purchase made-to-order meals and premium liquors.
• As always, members may continue to enjoy the same array of complimentary snacks and beverages in these Clubs.

They are piloting it in JFK which doesn’t affect me much, but if things go well it should roll out.

Things had been going well since my name change, but this past week I had 2 issues.

1. I never got a new Delta Sky Club card issued.  Apparently I have to “order” a new one.  The guy at the desk didn’t specify if “order” means pay for a new one like a replacement or if he just meant I needed to request one.

Normally this doesn’t matter because when I fly Delta I just give them my boarding pass.  I have flown other airlines while using the ORD lounge and give the agent my SC card and ID and they swipe the card and compare the name on the screen to the name on the card.  The man working in ATL didn’t comprehend this.  He looked at the ID, at the card, at the ID.  I said “I never got a new one when Delta changed my name.”  He replied “You are supposed to order a new one.  It’s easier to just use your boarding pass.”  I told him I didn’t have a boarding pass  on Delta because I was flying AirTran and he should swipe the card and look at the computer.  He did finally and let me in.  I’d trust the computer more than a card anyway.  It shouldn’t be too hard to spoof a Sky Club card if one really wanted to, but having it swipe correctly is something that would probably be hard.

2. For some reason Priority Club likes to send my reservations to a particular hotel (which I had never stayed in before changing my name) using my maiden name.  They also like to print the wrong address on receipts.  You’d think if I reserve a room as Jane Doe and pay with a credit card with the name Jane Doe on a priority club account with rooms at other hotels as Jane Doe that this hotel would have me as Jane Doe. Nope.  Darn IT people!

As many of you are aware, we have limited locations (ATLAtlanta, GA E for example) that offer pre-flight appetizers, which offer an increased level of food service. These select clubs are primarily aligned to support Delta’s international departures. We know that you also frequently comment on the overall selection and availability of snacks as we continue to harmonize the offerings of the pre-merger Delta and pre-merger Northwest locations. The change we are making will address both of these issues.

Starting on January 16, we will no longer offer pre-flight appetizers at the clubs where they are currently served in favor of providing a more consistent product across the entire Delta Sky Club network for longer periods of time throughout the day. We are very pleased that this will allow us to have a snack offering throughout the entire day a Delta Sky Club is open. Right now, for example, we serve an expanded snack offering from 4 – 7 pm but if you come to the clubs outside of those times, snacks are not available. (After breakfast, we are currently only offering pretzel mix, dried fruit, Biscoff cookies and Nutella). Therefore, beginning February 1, the expanded snack service will be offered from breakfast until the club closes all across the Delta Sky Club network.

We feel that working toward greater product consistency adds to the value of your membership for all of our members and is the right thing to do. We hope you enjoy the upcoming changes and yes, we will continue to listen to your feedback.”

Flyertalk

Now I mainly use the Sky Club for a quiet place with an outlet. As long as they stay quiet and they keep the outlets I’m still OK for right now. I was looking forward to trying the snacks at the ATL East club (not the one right across from McDonalds, the one down the concourse from that).