A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Arkansas, for my godfather's wedding. I got lucky that I chose to leave Thursday morning instead of taking a midnight Friday red eye flight, that I so commonly do flying back to the east coast. This decision allowed me to miss out on all of the crazy travel turmoil that ensued, starting that Friday, from the Microsoft/Crowdstrike update error. It also allowed me to experience lounge access for the first time, after almost a year of priority pass access, through my Venture X credit card.

On this trip I ended up having a 3hr layover at Minneapolis International Airport (MSP - Not formally on my top 5 list) on my way to Arkansas. In the past I’ve only flown through this airport on very tight connectors, and usually late at night. For these reasons I’ve never been able to explore the airport, or check out the lounges. On this trip I was able to take full advantage of all of the perks of lounge access.

The Club at LAS

Before getting to Minneapolis my journey started at The Club lounge at my home airport in Las Vegas. This was my first ever lounge experience and, although other, more seasoned loungers, may disagree, it did not disappoint. I will admit I did not know what to expect. I’ve never been in a lounge before. I thought there would be snacks like chips and bottled water. Nicer seating in a quieter area to get work done or just relax. What I was not expecting was a Hampton Inn style breakfast bar, complete with eggs, breakfast potatoes, bagels and assorted pastries. There was coffee, juice and a bar as well.

Amenities at The Club lounge at LAS. - *Photos taken with iPhone 13 Pro. Collage made with Collage Maker App.

The seating was as expected. There were more private areas to have a little more quiet of a space to do work. There was more open seating near a giant window looking out over the airport tarmac. Then there was the open seating in the kitchen area. The bathrooms in the lounge were all private stalls. Very clean (though I was there right at open) and spacious. They had lockers which I believe were to be used in conjunction with the showers they had in the bathroom area. In all, my very first experience with an airport lounge started off great. I got a nice breakfast to start my trip. A place to wind down before my flight. As well as a place to fill up my water bottle with better water than at the water fountains.

Minneapolis International Airport (MSP)

MSP was much larger than I already thought it was. I’ve only ever walked from concourse F to the back of concourse G, and that was an incredibly long walk as it was. Considering those were E and G I should’ve known how big the airport was! This blog post is about lounges, not the airport, but I just want to mention that even when I went to Minnesota for a vacation, I never noticed how large of a center mall this airport had. Considering the state of malls these days, this airport “mall” could rival a lot of neighborhood malls. Complete with a better food court than the malls near me (yes including Fashion Show). Again what should I expect from the city with the largest mall in America!

MSP has two Priority Pass Lounges. The Escape Lounge and the PGA MSP Lounge. Both lounges are located right next to each other on the north end of the mall. This makes it easy to check out both lounges, for a first timer like me, or to see which one is less crowded at the time.

Escape Lounge

My first visit was to the Escape Lounge. In the past I had always wanted to go to the PGA lounge because of the perks ($15 food credit), but after my experience at The Club in LAS, I wanted to know if this was more of the same. Entering the Escape Lounge I was welcome with another pleasant, albeit more crowded, experience. They too had a buffet worth of food with lunch delicacies. Sicilian sandwiches, basil chicken & rice, baked mac & cheese, cucumber & tomato salad, fruits, sliced cheeses & meats, etc… There was something for almost everyone and I didn’t need any excuses to fill up my plate, twice!

This lounge is where I found out that drinks at the bar were free. Although I am not a regular drinker, I wanted to try out all the perks of the lounge. I ordered a drink (Jack and Sprite with a lime) and was surprised when it was free (leave a tip if you have cash). This is a plus for you airport bar drinkers, it can cut the cost of your trip!

The lounge itself was okay. The window looking over the tarmac extending the majority of the lounge is a nice touch that makes the space feel more open. The bathrooms weren’t great though. There was one men’s and one women’s that looked to be shared with other airport facilities. The men’s bathroom had only one stall which meant you would have to leave the lounge if you really had to “go.”

PGA MSP Lounge

I didn’t spend as much time in this lounge as I did eating and drinking in the Escape Lounge. Mainly because it was almost time to make my connecting flight. I still had to check it out and get my $15 voucher of course.

The main draw of this lounge is the golf experience (it’s a PGA lounge duh!). They have virtual driving ranges and a putting green. The putting green is free and fun for some downtime in between flights. The driving range does come with a cost ($45 for 30 mins), but you can use your $15 voucher towards the driving range. I am not sure if the $45 is per screen or per person, but I would hope per screen so you can split the cost between your party.

Amenities at the PGA MSP Lounge at MSP. - *Photos taken with iPhone 13 Pro. Collage made with Collage Maker App.

The lounge is connected to a restaurant, Ike’s Clubhouse. You can use your $15 voucher in the restaurant, at the bar, or on grab and go items. I chose to use my voucher on a chef salad that came out to just under $15. Perfect!

The lounge experience at MSP really elevated my 3hr layover. Outside of the bathrooms at the Escape Lounge (I didn’t check the PGA MSP Lounge bathrooms) the lounges added a luxury I previously didn’t know I was missing, or needed. Now it’s going to be much harder to have a layover without lounge access on my itinerary. I might have to throw MSP into my top 5 favorite airports for layovers now!

What about the Delta AmEx part of the trip?

It was now time to leave and get to my destination of Bentonville Arkansas (XNA). This is where Delta and AmEx take over to continue to elevate my experience. At the gate to XNA I got upgraded to comfort+ and was able to enjoy more leg room, and more room to eat my chef salad. Since it was on a smaller Embraer jet there weren’t many other elevated perks on this flight. If you paid for the seat you wouldn’t get the extra perks either, so a free upgrade is a free upgrade.

The stay in Arkansas was great. The weather was beautiful, which was unexpected for July. The wedding was amazing. Seeing family is always a joy, especially when you have a great and fun family. I was able to explore a little and get some more photos as well. All in all it was a fun 5 day trip.

CrowdStrike/Microsoft Update Catastrophe

Now it was time to head home and for everyone this became a crapshoot. By Sunday systems, rebooking and rerouting still had not been resolved on most airlines, primarily Delta (unfortunately). Family members had flights canceled, and delayed on Sunday, and were being offered rebooked flights on Tuesday, as Monday was, apparently, already a problem for the airlines. Delta was the largest culprit, and I was flying Delta on Monday.

It pains me to talk negatively about Delta. They were crushed in the news, because they were slower than most to get their systems, and flights back together. So I’m happy to say I don’t have to talk negatively about them. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith. I also want to say that I would not have cared if my flight got rebooked in Bentonville or in Minneapolis, I had time to spare. With that being said, my flight leaving XNA not only left right on time, I also got upgraded to first class! See, it’s hard to talk negatively about an airline you are loyal to, that when the world around you is crumbling, they try to pamper you in luxury.

It was my first domestic first class experience as an adult (I flew international business class as a teenager once). If I’m to be fair, and honest, it wasn’t much, because, again, it was on a smaller Embraer jet. It was still more than comfort+ on the same flight though. You still had access to your own personal flight attendant. You were offered free premium snacks multiple times during the flight. Drink service was quick and prompt, including complimentary alcoholic beverages. The seat was wider, more padded and had more armrest space. Allowing you to truly relax and fly in comfort. If this was the experience on the smaller jet, I think I need to avoid it on a larger plane! I could get used to this, and I can’t afford to get used to first class just yet.

MSP Again!

I was expecting to miss my connecting flight at MSP because of the tight time between flights. There was a storm coming into MSP (that made landing fun), which delayed flights at the airport including my connection. What luck! Looking at the flight board the 2 early flights from MSP to LAS were canceled. The last flight of the night was delayed, even though it wasn’t meant to depart for another 2.5 hours anyways. Great, looks like I’m spending the night in Minneapolis. Mall of America here I come! 15 minutes after arriving at my gate we were boarding. Guess who also got upgraded to comfort+ again!

Baggage Claim Chaos!

I would later find out that the last flight of the night was also canceled. Somehow everything worked out for me. Even if I didn’t care if it did or didn’t. I received free upgrades, and made it home only 1.5hrs later than I was originally expected to. The baggage claim area in LAS, especially surrounding the Delta carousels was something I’d never seen before. It could only be explained as sheer chaos. Bags from multiple missed flights all over the country were lined up in rows surrounding the carousels. It took longer than usual for the new flights bags to arrive. It was hard to grab your bag when it did arrive because of all the other bags and people in the way.

An experience to remember

My mom always makes fun of Delta if something goes wrong, because I love Delta so much. She had a great time with the chaos they seemed to put everyone else through that weekend. Even she had to admit my loyalty and faith in Delta were rewarded handsomely, through all the chaos.

These reasons make it easy for me to justify the annual fee on my Delta Platinum AmEx credit card. Even without using the companion pass (which is arguably the most valuable part of the card.) I’ve gotten value simply through upgrades on 5 out of 6 flights this year. The cost difference from the main cabin to comfort+ can be $200+ and I won’t even get into the cost difference of first class even from comfort+. When AmEx raised the annual fee to $350 I really contemplated if keeping the card would be worth it. If I continue getting upgrades and am able to use my companion pass yearly I will continue to get value.

On the other side my Venture X will continue to be a staple card while it is in its current form. I get plus value just holding the card and not doing anything else except booking travel through their portal. Every year I get $400 worth of travel awarded to me for an annual fee of $395. Getting to experience the Priority Pass side of the card just solidified the placement of the card in my wallet. I can’t wait to get the privilege of using one of Capital One’s flagship lounges.

Holy Check?! It’s Worth it!

Both cards combined do lead to a hefty check of $745 in annual fees. That sounds like a lot, and for a person in my annual salary range, you normally wouldn’t want to be paying annual fees that high. I’m not a normal person in my salary range though. I take about 4-5 trips per year. With me traveling that much, as mentioned earlier, it’s a no brainer for me to hold a card like the Venture X. Having that card is like prepaying for a nice flight or a nice few days at a hotel. After that all extra perks on the card are icing that add more value to your trips.

When I fly I try to exclusively fly Delta. Getting upgrades on those flights or being able to bring a companion on one of those trips for free (and split the cost if it is between friends or family) pays for the card itself. Then the additional perks on the AmEx become icing as well. A $10 a month Lyft credit, in case you need to use Lyft on one of your trips. You also get a $150 credit for stays booked through Delta Stays. This can get you a night at a hotel around your town or on a quick trip out of town.

At the end of the day I gain value from both my AF credit cards. Are they the most swiped cards in my wallet? No. They do give me the most value in my wallet, outside of the Bilt to Hyatt transfer partner situation, though, and that's enough for me to keep them. If you are looking for an annual fee credit card, you have to ask yourself what you want out of this card. Annual Fee cards are usually specific to travel perks, so if you aren’t going to travel, you really have to see if there is enough value in other ways to hold onto the cards. Don’t be afraid of annual fees, understand them, and use the cards that have them to your advantage.

Venture X? Check. Delta AmEx Platinum? Check. Annual Fees? HOLY CHECK!