Delta Sky Club (Gate A38) — Attraction in Romulus

The Delta Sky Club at Detroit Metro's Gate A38 is what happens when genuinely impressive airport architecture gets furnished by someone who thought the Bush administration would last forever. This sprawling lounge is simultaneously the most spacious and least stylish of DTW's five Sky Clubs—a testament to the fact that sometimes function trumps form, especially when that form involves wood paneling that screams "Northwest Airlines WorldClub circa 2002."

Size matters, and A38 delivers in spades. This is airport lounge real estate at its most generous, with a barrel-vaulted skylight ceiling that belongs in an art museum and enough square footage to host a corporate retreat. During peak July 4th weekend crowds, when lesser lounges buckle under pressure, A38 absorbs the chaos like a sponge. Finding a seat here isn't a Hunger Games scenario—it's practically guaranteed. The amenities list reads like a frequent flyer's fever dream: working shower facilities (when not pandemic-closed), a full business center with actual printing capabilities, and customer service agents who can rebook your life when Delta's operational magic fails. The food spread ventures beyond standard airport club fare with surprisingly ambitious offerings—rice krispie treats share space with what appears to be both chickpea and beet hummus, because nothing says "elevated dining" like neon-pink legume paste.

But oh, that aesthetic. Walking into A38 feels like discovering a luxury hotel lobby that's been hermetically sealed since the Nokia flip phone era. Those boxy club chairs in muted corporate grays? Peak early-millennium sophistication. The wood trim details and tile work? So authentically 2002 they're almost retro-chic. It's as if someone decided the design trends of the Bush administration were timeless and just never looked back. The irony is delicious: you're sitting in a lounge designed during the iPod's infancy, accessing gigabit Wi-Fi on your iPhone 15, surrounded by passengers who paid for premium access with credit cards that didn't exist when this place was decorated.

A38 perfectly embodies modern travel's greatest paradox—premium amenities accessible through plastic rather than cabin class. Half the lounge appears to be economy passengers wielding American Express cards, creating a delightfully egalitarian mix of business travelers, families with shopping bags, and credit card churners living their best lounge life on Delta's dime. The location is prime real estate: positioned at the central link of Concourse A (the second-longest airport concourse globally), with views of the terminal's human river below. It's people-watching paradise, even if those people are mostly rushing to catch flights to places you wish you were going.

A38 succeeds despite itself. Yes, the design feels like a museum exhibit titled "How the Early 2000s Imagined Luxury," but the fundamentals work brilliantly. It's spacious when you need space, well-equipped when you need services, and reliably uncrowded when everywhere else is chaos. For families, it's a haven with room to breathe. For business travelers, it's a functional office with better snacks. For credit card strategists, it's validation that premium access doesn't require premium fares. And for design critics? It's a fascinating snapshot of pre-iPhone hospitality ambitions. Sure, Delta should probably renovate this place into the rumored Delta One Lounge it deserves to be. But until then, A38 remains proof that sometimes the best airport lounge is simply the one with enough space for everyone—even if that space looks like it was decorated by someone who thought Friendster would last forever. Come for the space and amenities, stay for the inadvertent comedy of peak early-2000s design confidence. It's a time capsile with...

It looks like I'm in the minority, but I think this is actually an average or below average Delta lounge that is in need of an overhaul. I frequently fly through DTW, and find that the DTW lounges lag behind the lounges of the other major Delta hubs like MSP, ATL, SEA, and JFK.

The A38 lounge is DTW's first, main, and largest of the 5 lounges at DTW. It is spacious with lots of seating options and privacy. The furnishings are modern and of the typical variety found at Delta lounges. Staff is also friendly. But that is where the good things stop.

This lounge does not have any seating at the bar (only the DTW A43 lounge has seating at the bar, but only 5 seats). It definitely has the space to fit a large bar, but instead it offers a tiny bar in a dark back corner that does not have the resources to serve a lounge if this size. Feels like the type of pop up bar that you get at wedding venues. The food is the typical Delta Sky Club fare. It is fresh and well stocked, but rarely does it offer any of the more exotic and elevated dishes found at some of the other flagship lounges in the Delta network. Again, for being the largest lounge at Delta's 2nd largest hub, I would expect better offerings than what I can get at non-hub locations.

The bathrooms are also in need of a refresh and maintenance. On my last visit, the toilet seats in 2 of the stalls had visible signs of damage. And the stalls feature the industrial stainless steel doors and dividers that have larger gaps and are not full floor to ceiling height. Most other lounges have the completely private stalls. If it weren't for the signature hand soap, it feels like any other general public airport bathroom.

I have used showers at both this lounge and at ATL, and the ATL shower facilities are far superior. There are only 2 showers at DTW, so there is often a wait. The staff does a good job cleaning them, but they are also showing signs of wear and need a refresh. They also don't include an amenities kit or a toilet like the ones at ATL. This lounge employs several shower/bathroom attendants, who are all very friendly, but I'd prefer that they put more money into upgrading the facilities.

Overall, an average lounge to kill time, but a bit of a letdown compared to other flagship Delta hub lounges. Hopeful that a major overhaul comes in the near future.

The slightly newer lounge at A43 has a more modern lounge setup with bar seating, but it is small. But that tends to be my preferred lounge at DTW, unless I am in need of having to use the...

Signage to find this terminal is terrible. It says nothing about Delta having its own separate terminal from the rest of the airport, nor explains that it's called the McNamara Terminal. The setup is ridiculous also. First you must use the automated kiosk for check in. Then go to another automated kiosk to weigh your luggage and tag it. And finally stand in line to hand your luggage to an employee. I had the unfortunate experience of the tap to pay not reading my phone and I did not have my physical card with me. I tried to go the service counter and was told by an employee, literally named Karen, that their system at the counter did not have tap to pay capability and I would have to try the kiosk again. It didn't work. I tried another machine which also did not work. After going back to Karen at the service counter, she told me it was too late to check my bag and there was nothing she could do since I did not have a physical card since they no longer accept cash! I asked if she could make an exception due to the circumstances and waive the fee so I don't miss my flight, and she gasped and stated in a hurt voice, "I'm not gonna get fired for you! You want me to lose my job!?" 🙄 I asked for her supervisor and she told him I was "trying to get my bag fee waived" and he also was appalled I would even ask. After pleading my case, he gave no solution. I said "this is absolutely ridiculous" and Karen said she was gonna "file a report" on me 🙄 and she would not help me change my flight 😟 I canceled my flight of course and changed airlines. Worst customer service I've ever received at an airport. I will never fly Delta out of DTW or McNamara or...