ATLANTA- Delta Air Lines (DL) announces Delta Sky Club entry alterations using the American Express Card.
Responding to the issue of Delta’s Sky Club lounges experiencing overcrowding, the airline implemented a restriction on lounge access last year, allowing it only within 3 hours of departure. Subsequently, additional modifications were introduced.
Delta Sky Club Entry
These changes are as follows,
- Increased club membership costs and limited membership purchases exclusively to SkyMiles elite members.
- Revoked club access for members traveling on basic economy fares.
- Removed access for mid-tier elites and higher tiers traveling internationally in economy class.
- Revoked access for employees holding purchased memberships or premium credit cards, despite promoting lounge access to employees the previous year and even soliciting employee volunteers for club cleaning.
These actions have proven insufficient! Delta lounges offer a slightly superior experience compared to United Clubs and American Airlines Admirals Clubs, particularly in terms of their food offerings.
Additionally, more individuals now secure access through credit card programs. This is due to the fact that access extends not only to Delta’s own cardholders but also to American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders who are flying with Delta.
Delta is taking steps to address the situation by inaugurating additional lounges. The introduction of new business class lounges is expected to alleviate the congestion experienced at certain hubs’ Sky Clubs.
The most pressing overcrowding issue has manifested at New York JFK, where Delta has even taken the extraordinary step of providing sustenance to individuals waiting in lengthy queues.
However, despite the recent inauguration of a new Sky Club at New York JFK, the problem of lengthy queues persists.
While increased capacity was aimed at accommodating those who had previously refrained from visiting the lounges due to lines, it appears that this has led to a new predicament—more individuals, now encouraged by increased capacity, are joining the lines once again.
Monday, July 24, 2323. (Chiris Rank/Rank Studios)
American Lounge Access Card
Recent speculation has gained significant attention, suggesting that Delta and American Express are poised to modify their lounge access policies for cardholders:
For Delta Reserve Amex cardholders, a revision may be in the works. Instead of the existing unrestricted entry to Sky Clubs while traveling with Delta, cardmembers could potentially receive a set of 10 complimentary visits annually.
This allocation would be shared between both primary cardholders and authorized users. However, those who accumulate expenditures totaling $75,000 or more per year on the card would continue to enjoy unlimited access privileges.
Amex Platinum cardholders could also face a shift, with the potential transition from unlimited access to a limit of 6 complimentary visits per year.
Concerning Delta Platinum Amex, the possibility looms that the option to pay for access might be discontinued.
Delta Airlines has now provided a response that veers away from these rumors. The managing director responsible for Sky Clubs shared insights with The Points Guy, stating:
“Our collaboration with partners remains ongoing, and we are diligently addressing this matter. The matter isn’t resolved; we must continue making advancements. Feedback from our guests is clear. They value the clubs but urge us to tackle the overcrowding issue… We will provide further updates as soon as we’ve reached a state of readiness.”
Thus, it is evident that forthcoming alterations to lounge access are on the horizon. This time, the adjustments involve American Express, referred to as “our partners.” However, the specific modifications remain either in the process of finalization or are not yet ready for public announcement.
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