Today we’re excited to announce the Delta Sky Club’s new Luxury Bar! It has arrived in the Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Palm Beach, Seattle and Washington, DC (DCA) Clubs and is coming soon to additional locations. The new Luxury Bar offers premium wines, champagne and spirits for purchase, plus you’ll also be able to purchase master mixologist-created specialty cocktails including “Wheels Up” and “The Take Off”

We sat down with Elayne Duke, head mixologist for Diageo Wine and Spirits, our new premium wine and spirits partner, to learn more about the creations and what inspired them.

Q: Thanks for sitting down with us, Elayne. So first things first—what exactly is a mixologist, and how did you become one?

Becoming an accomplished mixologist took years of study and practice with the legends of our craft.  Taking countless classes, reading every book about the craft and working with the finest luxury spirits have developed me as a mixologist

A mixologist is somebody who has the passion for the art of creating delicious well balanced drinks, who takes pride in his/her craft and is dedicated to delivering a premium experience.

Q: What inspired your drink creations for the Delta Sky Club?

The drink offers at the Delta Sky Clubs were inspired by the exotic destinations Delta flies, as well as the Season.

Q: What do you think will be a Club favorite and why?

With the variety of options, it is hard to choose one.  All of the cocktails designed for the Delta Sky Clubs are sure to be favorites!

Q: Customers want to know—will the Clubs still offer complimentary wines and spirits?

I know that many of you are questioning what these additional options mean for the current complimentary alcohol program, and I’m happy to tell you that it isn’t changing. Period. You will still have the complimentary alcohol options you’ve had in the past, free of charge, at all Delta Sky Clubs. The premium spirits program offers additional options for customers looking for premium alcohol during their Club experience.

Q: What else should customers know when picking out the right drink for them?

All of the cocktails and spirits offered at the Delta Sky Club are made with a luxurious portfolio of spirits including: Tequila Don Julio, Johnnie Walker, Ketel One Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon and always fresh seasonal ingredients. Customers should be adventurous when choosing their beverage and step out of their cocktail comfort zone. Travel, whether for work or pleasure, is always a bit adventurous so your choice of beverage should be as well.

Elayne Duke

Head Mixologist, Diageo Wine and Spirits

Elayne Duke has been the head mixologist for Diageo Wine and Spirits for the past five years, creating cocktails for some of New York’s finest restaurants, including Le Bernardin, Central Park Boathouse and Villa Pacri.

She studied mixology as a student of the Beverage Alcohol Resource, America’s premiere course on spirits and cocktails, where she honed her technique under world-renowned mixology experts Paul Pacult, David Wondrich, Steve Olson, Doug Frost and Dale Degroff.

In 2009, Elayne was honored by the James Beard Foundation as one of the most prominent female mixologists in the country.

Hello parents of some of our youngest customers! As the busy summer travel season gets underway, we have some great news for those of you sending your kids through our unaccompanied minor program. Now, when your kids connect through Atlanta they’ll enjoy our new Delta Sky Zones on Concourses B, C and E!

So what can you tell your kids to expect? We gave each room a complete makeover with your kid’s perspective in mind. The clubs feature new furniture, tile, carpet, X-Box 360 video games with individual play stations, plus educational materials and more. The Zones accommodate children as young as 8, (while the average age of unaccompanied minors traveling on Delta ranges between 11 and 14), so we worked to ensure every age group is entertained!

If your kids aren’t traveling through Atlanta this summer, don’t worry. We’re planning future Sky Zone development in some of our other hubs next year.

We know how important it is for your kids to travel safely, so we’re looking forward to hearing what you and your kids think of their new digs.

James C. Johnson

Delta Sky Zone Atlanta Employee

In light of our recent 25 year anniversary of flying to Shannon, I want to take a moment to share with you my special relationship with the city, and the experiences I’ve had these many years at Delta.

I applied as soon as I heard Delta was starting flying into Shannon Ireland from Atlanta in 1986 – I was 19 years old. I remember at the end of my interview I leaned forward in my chair put my hands up in front of me and said “look I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this job” The interviewer leaned back in his chair, laughed and said “that’s the first time I’ve finished an interview like that!”

Audrey (right) at the Shannon Ribbon Cutting, May 9 1986

I got the job and spent three weeks at Gatwick training. I had such great fun and learned all about the position, including how to print a boarding pass which was a recent invention around that time. Before that all the boarding passes were handwritten.

So many things have changed in the world and in our industry since then…

I have worn a number of uniforms through the years. My favorite is still my first one; navy, white blouse and a navy, red and striped tie that clipped onto the blouse. My least favorite was the grey uniform. I was lucky as I had three navy maternity uniforms during my time, but I can’t lie, the grey maternity uniform was not flattering!

When I started there were only two ways of communicating with other stations, the telephone and the ultra-modern (at the time) TTY (telex’s) .The ideas of mobile phones and email were still way off with the idea of someone instantly communicating (like something from Star Trek!). As for blackberries….you ate those. Most things were done manually, even bag tags at check in…and there were even smoking zones on the aircraft.

What hasn’t changed is that our business is all about the passenger. It was back then and is today. The passenger may now be able to book online and check-in on their phones, but the customer service element remains the same.

What I love about working for Delta is the friendships I have formed, working with some of the same wonderful girls for the last twenty five years. I love the fact that when you enter the “office” each day you never know what is ahead of you. To know that customers I have assisted have been happy with the service they have received is what I call job satisfaction. And I hope to continue doing that for many years to come.

Here’s to Shannon!

Audrey Murray

Senior Airport Services Agent – SNN