The other day we covered what DFW has described as their “secret lounge.” Theirs is not the only one. We recently discovered a public, somewhat hidden space at ATL that’s almost as nice as an actual lounge, with amazing views of one of the famed airport’s tarmacs.
According to Airports Council International (ACI) World, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has once again been named the busiest airport in the world. Delta Air Lines is the largest carrier operating in Atlanta, making it the go-to hub for anyone in the southeastern United States who wants to fly with Delta. As a result, there are nine Delta SkyClub locations spread across the airport’s seven concourses, catering to both travelers originating in Georgia and those waiting on connecting flights.
But what if you’re not flying on Delta?
While American Airlines and United offer Admirals Club and United Club, respectively, these lounges cater only to a fraction of passengers who don’t fly Delta. Travelers flying with Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit, as well as those utilizing international carriers at ATL, have no such options.
Concourse F has a The Club ATL location, but it’s at the far end of the airport, near the international terminal. While it’s possible to get there using the airport’s Plane Train, it’s not convenient for domestic flights if you don’t have much time at the airport.
That’s exactly what happened to us when we were flying on Southwest, which is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s second-largest airline. We had less than 1 hour before our flight was set to leave from Concourse C. All we needed was a place to sit, charge devices, maybe get some work done and grab something to eat& drink before our flight home.
We could have gone to the gate but it was Southwest’s birthday week celebration. A dance party with karaoke was happening at the next gate down from ours. Not a place to relax and get work done.
Instead, we wandered around the food court area and found a seating area as nice as some lounges we’ve visited. It was also kind of hidden behind the escalator from the Plane Train so it wasn’t overcrowded.
There were windows on all sides with views of the surrounding gates. There were different seating options, including tables, workspaces and a long bench along the windows with plugs for every other seat. You’re near several food outlets if you want to grab a bite to eat.
It’s not an airport lounge, but it’s a place to sit, charge devices and check out the planes. If you don’t have lounge access at Atlanta Airport, it’s as good a place as any to spend some time before your flight.
Feature Photo (cropped): formulaone / flickr / CC-BY-SA 2.0
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
