Review: Pop-Up Delta Sky Club Anchorage

In a nutshell: I’d never heard of a “pop-up” Sky Club before this trip. Turns out Delta decided to test out an Anchorage location. The space isn’t bad, if a bit odd, given it’s temporary nature. The staff were upbeat and friendly and the views second-to-none. I’d gladly come back just to watch 747s all day from the Delta Sky Club Anchorage. The downside to a temporary location is the food, although the lounge managed to still offer a bar. 

This is a review from a summer 2021 trip…this Sky Club location may not be around much longer. 

When Delta is selling award tickets to Alaska for a mere 8,000 SkyMiles each, you jump and ask questions later. Finding out that there was a pop-up Delta Sky Club at Anchorage that I could access through my Delta Reserve card was a bonus. The trip ended up being fantastic on multiple counts (more on that later…I’m way behind with my writing).

I’d vaguely recalled the idea of a “pop-up” lounge reading about American Express opening a Centurion location in Vail. Or something like that. Opening a location without the dedicated space, and providing for staffing, food, etc. seems like a challenge. So, I was quite curious what the pop-up Delta Sky Club Anchorage would be like.

Pop-Up Delta Sky Club Anchorage

I arrived at Anchorage International Airport about 2.5 hours before my flight. I’d not intended to arrive this early, but a last-minute work call made getting through security and settled before 9:00 AM a must. The pop-up Delta Sky Club turned out to be an excellent spot to get some work done.

The pop-up Sky Club Anchorage is located on the mezzanine level between Concourse B and Concourse C in the South Terminal. There are a couple signs to direct you to it. Take the stairs above Starbucks, and you’ll see the entrance.

The lounge was super quiet. I was the only guest when I arrived a little before 9:00 AM, and the only guest for most of an hour. The Delta Sky Club Anchorage pop-up appears to have adjusted their hours to 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM daily. These were different during the summer.

I was curious how long the Anchorage pop-up lounge would be in place. The lady at the front desk told me that it had opened near the beginning of July and it would be operating it through approximately the end of the year. Feedback will determine whether Delta decides to invest in a long-term Anchorage Sky Club.

General Space

The Delta Sky Club Anchorage is built around a mini-museum of sorts. It’s not especially large, but it has a nice variety of seating for a “pop-up” location, in my opinion. The Anchorage Airport mezzanine provides fantastic views of the airport apron and runway. If you want to watch 747s come and go, this is the place! Anchorage sees a ton of cargo traffic.

I picked a spot at the windows with a great view. As the only guest for nearly an hour, I had my pick of the place.

There is a “theater” seating area which was a fine choice for the summer during the Olympics. There is some additional seating around the other side of the museum, with views of the terminal interior.

Food and Beverage

The downside to a pop up location is that there are only pre-packaged and/or grab-and-go food options. The Sky Club Seattle is back to a buffet. No such luck in Anchorage. I just grabbed a parfait and a coffee, having already eaten at the Hyatt Place that morning. The bar opens at 10:00 AM, if you’re looking for coffee with Baileys, as the lounge attendant remarked.

The pop-up Delta Sky Club Anchorage does have its own WiFi. It worked well during my stay in the lounge. My iPhone often dropped the free Anchorage Airport WiFi, and even though it wasn’t crazy fast, at least the Delta Sky Club Anchorage had a reliable connection.

Final Thoughts on the Pop-Up Delta Sky Club ANC

I thought the pop-up Delta Sky Club Anchorage was a nice feature for summer 2021 Delta travelers. Alaska was a very popular destination this year, with people looking for outdoor recreation and/or a more exotic domestic trip after a year of not going anywhere during the pandemic.

My guess is that the pop-up Delta lounge at ANC doesn’t survive the long-term. But it would be cool if it becomes a summer offering each year. The airline has enough of a presence at Ted Stevens International Airport for it to make sense.