Delta Sky Club Seeks Balance to Prevent Overcrowding
Delta Sky Club had a stellar year of openings and expansions across Delta's network in 2022. According to the airline, this resulted in a record number of visits. This has prompted the airline to change certain ways customers can access Clubs starting next year.
The Delta Sky Club has opened four new Clubs since April. This included the two largest in New York's LaGuardia and Los Angeles International. It also included the only International Club at Tokyo's Haneda, as well as a 22,000 square-foot space at Chicago O'Hare.
Across the board, Delta has invested in Clubs with increased seating capacity, premium design, and locally driven food and beverage offerings.
Popularity Creates A Blessing and a Curse
The widespread popularity of Delta Sky Club has resulted in growth that outpaces the Club's capacities. This creates frustration for those who wait in lines or have to search for seating once inside.
“It’s incredibly important to us that Delta Sky Clubs continue to deliver an industry-leading experience for our guests,” said Dwight James, Senior Vice President – Customer Engagement & Loyalty, and CEO – Delta Vacations. “While we’re thrilled to see so many customers enjoy the fruits of our teams’ hard work, our goal now is to balance the popularity of the Clubs with the premium service and atmosphere for which they were designed – and that our guests deserve.”
These updates will start in 2023. To "better invest in our most loyal customers," the annual Club memberships will be available to Diamond, Platinum, Gold, and Silver Medallion members only. The fees will also increase. Individuals will pay $695 instead of $545, and executives $1495 instead of $845.
Delta Sky members flying with Basic Economy tickets cannot enter unless they own an eligible American Express Card. Individual Membership and Credit Card Guest Pass access will no longer be offered through Choice Benefits for the 2024 Medallion Year and Beyond.
The Future of the Delta Sky Club
Among their plans to thwart Club overcrowding, Delta Sky Club members in Atlanta and Detroit will be able to monitor availability in the Fly Delta app. Clubs will display occupancy levels from "not busy" to "extremely" so flyers can better plan their visits.
“Empowering Delta Sky Club customers with greater visibility via the app is a small change that we believe will make a big difference,” said Claude Roussel, Managing Director – Delta Sky Club. “With a digital window into Club occupancy levels, we can give customers more control over their airport journeys and better set expectations when the airport is busy. We chose ATL and DTW for the initial rollout because of the high number of Clubs at both airports, so they can select an alternate Club if their preferred Club is at capacity.”
The Sky Club's Local Flavor also showcases rotating hometown chefs and will expand to all hub locations in January 2023. The $1.5 billion infrastructure overhaul also allows Delta to open its first-ever Sky Club location at Kansas City International Airport in February.
