Delta Air Lines has announced plans to introduce a higher-end private airport lounge, just months after infuriating travelers by cracking down on Sky Club access.
The first of Delta Air Lines’ newest “premium” lounges is scheduled to open in June at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Atlanta-based airline announced. press release Published on Thursday.
The first lounge will be 38,000 square feet and include a full-service brasserie, market and dedicated wellness area, according to the announcement.
Similar luxury lounges will open in Los Angeles and Boston in the fourth quarter, but “no two premium lounges are alike,” Delta noted.
The company announced Thursday that it is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach, saying lounge access guidelines are still being finalized. It’s something the company has been working on since September, after announcing a complete overhaul of Sky Club access guidelines.
Delta Air Lines initially announced that American Express cardholders with Sky Club access would no longer have unlimited access to its airport lounges for three hours before departure.
Instead, annual membership fees range from $550 to $695 for a limited number of club visits. Additionally, upgrades will no longer be determined by distance traveled, but by annual spending with the airline, which loyal fans decried as a “terrible business decision”.
As travelers balked, Delta reversed some of the changes and lowered the standards for earning elite status. CEO Ed Bastian admitted the company’s enforcement had gone “too far”
Still, the spending-based status model is scheduled to take effect on February 1, 2025. In preparation, spending tracking for unlimited lounge access began on February 1 to determine next year’s club status.
Get unlimited lounge access when you spend $75,000 or more on your eligible Amex card in a calendar year.
Claude Roussel, Delta’s vice president of Sky Club and Lounge Experiences, said in a release: Premium He Lounge customers should feel welcomed and recognized when they walk in the door, just like they would at their favorite hotel or restaurant. ”
In another effort to appease customers who considered abandoning the airline after the SkyMiles loyalty debacle, AmEx last week announced that it was offering a $200 flight credit after spending a certain amount on its Delta SkyMiles credit card. introduced some updates.
Travelers can receive up to $240 in restaurant credits on meals booked with Resy, as well as $120 to $240 in credits to use on rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber.
AmEx announced on February 1 that its luxury card will also come with $2,500 in “Medallion Qualification Dollars,” which will move users closer to elite status with the airline.
Additionally, Delta Air Lines cardholders will be able to use their companion certificates on a wide range of flights, including not only the continental U.S. but also Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.
Delta Air Lines announced Thursday that new skylounges are scheduled to open in North Carolina and Seattle this year, and the existing Miami Club will be renovated in the fourth quarter.
According to Delta’s website, there are currently more than 50 Sky Club locations.
Delta and AmEx’s close corporate relationship dates back decades and has been a mutually beneficial partnership.
In exchange for providing AmEx customers with coveted airport lounge access, Delta Air Lines reportedly received $6.8 billion from the credit card giant in 2023 alone as part of an affiliated credit card partnership. That’s what it means.
This money comes from fees that AmEx collects from the billions of dollars that cardmembers spend on their cards.
For reference, Bastian told investors last year that about 1% of the entire U.S. economy is spent on Delta credit cards.
