When it comes to places to wait for a connecting flight, it’s hard to beat a Delta Sky Club lounge. There are more than 50 Delta Sky Club lounges around the world that offer complimentary cocktails, fresh and healthy food options, free high-speed Wi-Fi and more.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), over the past few years, Delta has made these lounges harder to get into. Here, travel journalist Ramsey Qubein, explains the changes.
Delta invested heavily in its lounges to make them truly impressive spaces that are arguably the nicest airport lounges in the US. But in a sense, Delta has become a victim of its own success, with so many travelers seeking entry that the spaces have become overcrowded. To combat this, the company is scaling back some of the modes of access that it previously offered, including limiting visits to within three hours of the passenger’s scheduled flight time.
The most direct way to gain Delta Sky Club access is to purchase a Delta Sky Club membership. For $1,495 (up from $845) or 149,500 miles, Medallion-level SkyMiles members can purchase an Executive Membership to Delta Sky Club that grants you and one additional person access. For $695 (up from $545) or 69,500 miles, you can buy an Individual Membership that provides no guest access.
In the past, if you weren’t a Delta Sky Club member, you could show up and pay $50 to get into a lounge—but now this is an option only if you’re a member’s guest.
You also will have access to the lounge if you purchase premium cabin international tickets on Delta. That provides you with lounge access only for that trip.
Several credit cards provide Delta Sky Club lounge access, including American Express Platinum…American Express Business Platinum…American Express Centurion…Delta Reserve…Delta Reserve Business…Delta SkyMiles Trust Club Platinum…Delta SkyMiles Trust Club Gold…and Delta SkyMiles Diners Club cards. But some of these cards have new restrictions. Example: The Delta Reserve card no longer grants unlimited lounge access. Instead, you get 15 visits a year unless you spend $75,000 or more on the card. Check with your card issuer for restrictions.
Platinum-tier membership used to provide non-Sky Club members with lounge access on international trips as long as they weren’t traveling on a basic economy ticket. (In fact, with few exceptions, no one with a basic economy ticket may enter a Delta Sky Club lounge.) Now, Platinum members may use the lounges only if they are in the premium economy or business cabins.
Alternatives: If these new rules leave you out in the cold, consider getting a credit card that has Priority Pass membership, which can get you into more than 1,700 airport lounges (not Delta Sky Lounges) around the world. Or gain access to American Express Centurion lounges with an Amex Platinum…Chase lounges with a Chase Sapphire Reserve…or Capital One lounges with a Capital One Venture X card.
