Delta to open new ‘premium’ lounges for highest paying passengers after trying last year to limit access to overcrowded Sky Club lounges
- Delta opens ‘premium’ lounges in New York, Los Angeles and Boston
- They will reportedly only be accessible to business class passengers
Delta plans to expand its airport lounge offerings by introducing a more exclusive tier reserved for its highest-paying passengers.
Starting this summer, three new ‘premium’ lounges will open at airports in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.
Although the airline has not specified who will get access to the new lounges, travel website The Points Man reported this they are intended for Business Class passengers only.
They will operate to complement the popular Sky Club network of more than 50 regular locations, which became overcrowded during the post-pandemic travel boom, the airline claims.
In September, the company announced new limits on the number of times Delta SkyMiles Reserve and American Express Platinum card holders could visit Sky Club lounges each year. After a huge setback, things later turned around.
Last year the airline became embroiled in controversy after announcing new limits on how often certain credit card holders could visit Sky Club lounges.
In the photo you see a mock-up of the new premium lounges that Delta says it will open this year
Delta did not respond to a request from DailyMail.com to confirm that the new premium lounges would only be open to business class passengers.
A 38,000-square-foot space at New York’s JFK airport will be the first premium lounge to open in June and will feature dining areas, “a chef-supported market with open kitchens” and “dedicated wellness areas.”
Two more will follow, one at Los Angeles International Airport and one at Boston Logan International Airport, both of which will open in the fourth quarter, the airline said in a news release. press release on Thursday.
As it stands, Delta is the only major U.S. airline that does not operate lounges reserved exclusively for business class flyers.
In opening the premium lounges, it joins United Airlines, which operates Polaris business class-only lounges, and American Airlines, which operates its Flagship lounges.
The airline’s regular Sky Club lounges are open to business travelers, as well as those who have eligible credit cards and members of the frequent flyer program.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian arrives to unveil the A220 aircraft in Atlanta in 2018
A direct mail advertisement for an American Express SkyMiles credit card
As part of this year’s investment in lounges, Delta will also improve some of its existing Sky Miles lounges.
Later this year, it will also open its first Sky Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a second in Seattle. It will also expand its clubs in Miami and LaGuardia in New York.
The move is part of a trend where airlines are investing millions in lounges across the country in the hope of winning customer loyalty.
But in December, transportation officials launched an investigation into the transparency of several U.S. airlines’ frequent flyer programs.
The DOT said it is meeting with passenger airlines to discuss issues with loyalty programs, including the fact that some customers are charging fees to transfer points, while others have changed the rules to devalue points.