Despite draconian rules that limit passenger access to its Sky Clubs, Delta still has problems with overcrowding in lounges and long lines to get in at some locations.
Basic economy passengers are banned from lounges completely. Credit card lounge members have the number of visits they can make each year capped (unless they hit spending targets on their card). Passengers showing up early at the airport can’t use lounges until three hours before their flight. And the price of access has gone up dramatically.
Nonetheless, they still have a ‘regular line’ that can back up – especially at places like New York LaGuardia – and a ‘priority line’ for first class passengers and top SkyMiles elites. Not all club members are equal!
- Delta has more of a problem with crowding than United or American because they offer more robust food in their lounges, so people show up and stay longer.
- Delta also has a deal with American Express that lets in anyone with a Platinum card – not just those with the airline’s own premium co-brand credit card like at rival carriers.
- And they don’t do a very good job managing the space they have inside their lounges. The lounges themselves aren’t well-designed to maximize use of seating, either.
Past line at LaGuardia Sky Club
A reader encountered a line “30 deep” at the New York LaGuardia Sky Club – but no one in the priority lane, so he skipped the queue. However no line should have been needed!
I get upstairs and there are dozens upon dozens of seats. Either they don’t have a system to actually control capacity or they’re intentionally holding non-status guests in line.
I easily count 25 seats empty in just my section. But then you have a couple taking up a table designed for 6. …Two people taking up a table for four. Why does Delta have a table for six? These are three separate tables, each designed for 2, pushed together.
Delta probably doesn’t have as good real-time tracking of the lounge’s capacity as they ought to. But I want to address the issue of space utilization.
- Capital One ‘reserves’ all tables larger than two tops and staff escort larger parties at these tables themselves.
- Air Canada’s Signature Suite in Toronto hsa only tables for two, and moves those together to accommodate larger groups – but two is the default.
- Of course, if lounges did a better job accommodating jackets and bags those wouldn’t take up tables and chairs. Capital One designs built-in furniture to have space underneath for standard-sized carry-on bags, so those are out of the way. Jacket hooks go a long way in winter, or else people just stick their jacket on a chair.
Lounge capacity is as much about number of seats – which are easy to count – as about thinking about how people use space and designing around that. What’s the flow like in the lounge? Once you get to the front of the line, does the space feel busy? Are you dodging and weaving other guests going to and from the buffet? Is the line at the bar 15-20 people deep? Or is the bar designed to provide quick service, with the most frequently-requested drinks on tap and the most-needed items prepped and readily available?
Size is the single most important factor, but getting larger space is usually difficult in an airport – so managing that space becomes the difference between a great lounge experience and one that feels equal to or worse than the terminal itself.
My biggest qualm is when solo travelers take up a table that seats two. That selfish act alone cuts down lounge capacity by 50%. I sometimes engage in vigilante justice by joining a solo traveler at their table.
Design isn’t the problem, IMO. Could there be an “induced demand” problem similar to highways – where if you add more lanes, there will soon be more traffic to fill those lanes.
Right now some number of people aren’t signing up for Amex cards, or aren’t choosing Main over Main Basic, because they know their home airport lounge experience is cooked, as the modern lingo would have it.
Here’s what DL ought to do. Create a tier of lounges between Sky Clubs and Delta One. Call them Sky Club Plus or something and designate high-demand lounges like LGA with this branding. Allow AMEX cardholders unlimited annual visits to Sky Clubs in low-demand locations but 1-2 annual visits to high-demand Sky Club Plus locations.
Just jack up the annual fee on the Platinum cards. They’re way underpriced.
Packing more seats into the Delta lounges isn’t going to make things better. Gary, I think you’ve lost sight of the fact that lounges were always supposed to be exclusive respites from the chaos of the terminal. And yes, “exclusive” means exactly that: expensive and intentionally difficult for most of the general public to access. That’s changed rather dramatically as lounges have been re-invented as something perversely different — and they never should have been.
The real solution here is extremely simple: Delta needs to achieve market equilibrium by raising the cost of admission further than it already has. That could mean any number of things, but it occurs to me that they could certainly do this on a location-specific basis, e.g., those clubs with higher-than-average demand come at some sort of premium per entry, or perhaps cost more during certain hours. In any event, a premium lounge isn’t really premium at all unless it’s uncrowded.
Is it mostly Amex card members mucking this up? If so, keep the designated ‘Priority’ entry for those with First, Diamond, 360, etc., and actually let them in before anyone else. Problem solved.
@E. Jack Youlater — One more time, fantastic name, along with @Erect, and a few others. Never stop. Again, I thought @Mike Hunt was also doing a ‘bit,’ but he still hasn’t clarified (my c..t). Also, are you the same person as @Un (also went by @Unintimidated) because he also used BOLD font.
Too much FOMO and people wanting to feel important. Waiting in a line longer than 15 or so mins for SkyClub is kinda dumb.
Most airlines don’t know that there’s still plenty of overhead bin space available before gate-checking, so this sounds par for the course.
Chase Sapphire PHX Is a good example of this as well. They have an insanely small lounge (just over half the size of the PHL Centurion) in a terminal with 2 large airline hubs connected airside, and they decided it needed 2 separate food serving areas, including one with an airstream trailer and a foosball table (probably 12-16 seats displaced as a result) and the full size Sapphire bar shoehorned into a tight diagonal space with a full-size back bar counter and a rectangle shape instead of something closer to a right triangle – probably another 6-10 seats gone for that.
20 additional seats doesn’t sound like much, but when there’s only something like 60 in the first place, it’s a huge difference.
@Ben — Yeah, but that Admirals Club at PHX is also super tiny, so ‘pick your poison’ there. I’m just grateful when there’s an open seat and my flight isn’t too horribly delayed there.
@David S. Waiting for 15 minutes to spend 70 minutes in the Sky Club is not dumb at all. And it has nothing to do with wanting to feel important. Your cynicism and resentment is clouding your view.
@LAX Tom — Well said. @David S would prefer View from the Clouds, bah!
That they let paid F passengers skip the line is a huge help. But if they ever dropped their deal with Amex, that would seriously dent the value of Amex Plat.
@Blake K:
“My biggest qualm is when solo travelers take up a table that seats two. That selfish act alone cuts down lounge capacity by 50%. I sometimes engage in vigilante justice by joining a solo traveler at their table.”
Every moment of every day must be an excruciating trial for one who sees the world in such terms.
The best thing about travel, even if it’s somewhere I’ve been before, is getting the chance to meet someone different and giving life a bit o’ spice.
I guess that’s why they invented basements, so the misanthropes, the mean-spirited, and the anti-social among us have a place to go too; and no overcapacity there so they can all stay as long as they like. And the longer the better.
@Gentleman Jack Darby — You’d like to think travel makes us more open, tolerant, compassionate, and wise, yet for some, like wealth, it just exaggerates who they already are. @Blake K is clearly more of a ‘zero-sum’ individual; seeking out the winners and losers in life/society. Yeah, a shame.
Alternatively, I’ve always appreciated how Rick Steves categorizes travelers into three main types: ‘tourists, travelers, and pilgrims. Tourists focus on popular landmarks and boast about their travels, while travelers engage more deeply with local culture and aim for authentic experiences. Pilgrims, on the other hand, undertake journeys with a sense of purpose and spiritual significance.’
A Premium Paradox
I always when they baldly state. “Air travel was better when the normies knew their place and stayed off airplanes (“we let them use the roads!”)
“Just jack up the annual fee on the Platinum cards. They’re way underpriced. ($695). Cringe.
The entry limits that the user experienced could be related to a fire code occupancy limit. In which case the unused chairs are there for configurational flexibility and usage patterns. How well the entry staff on any particular day monitor the count (perhaps leaving a margin or not) is up for debate.
Talk about a being a victim of your own success! Yep, I’m with Gary. You can’t really change the size of the lounge so you really have to be mindful of every square foot during the design process. I appreciated a lot of the examples cited. No lounge is perfect sadly but some are more perfect than others. Would be fun to be on the team that gets to design the spaces.
Agreed with @1990 on priority system, its the right thing to do. And with @LAX Tom and @Muke Hunt (typo or imposter?) on the simplest solution being to increase the barrier of entry. But I worry that’s a slippery slope where the only winners are the CC companies. In general I’m okay with waiting a little bit (< 15 minutes) if I'm traveling at a peak time (i.e. Sunday afternoons), but at an off-peak time (i.e. Tuesday mornings, good store btw) people should be able to just get in.
I personally try to be thoughtful so when I'm lounging solo I aim to sit in the row of seats with the bar chairs rather than places designated for multiple people (which often have more comfortable seating). But I don't judge anyone who does, you gotta look out for #1. Perhaps I need to learn to enjoy the finer things in life. Some people are also more social than others — I like meeting new people when traveling but err on the side of caution and assume people just want to be left alone as a default.
@ Blake K – that’s not vigilante justice – it’s being a weirdo
@L737 — He’s got the photo, so I’d go with typo. Bah! As for your ‘philosophy,’ well said. And also, ‘look out for #1.’ Niccce. As for socializing, it depends, but why not ‘shoot your shot.’ Don’t be too hard on yourselves out there.
Is Delta really busier because they have better food?? That really is a broad hypothesis. Once could also state that Delta is busier because so much of their business is connecting people thru JFK and ATL and they haven’t dedicated the appropriate resources to support so many connecting passengers.
I fly AA and AS and have had an Admirals Club membership for several years. I have never had to wait in line to enter an Admirals Club or AS lounge. When I see the lines for entry at the Centurian Lounges and Skyclubs, it makes me feel happy that I chose AA and AS. In my opinion, easy access trumps the better food options at the more crowded clubs. If I had to regularly wait in line to get into a club, I would drop my subscription. I would not allow myself to be conditioned to accept it like the DL and Amex sheep. I’m in the Admirals club enjoying a slightly more basic meal, a nice cocktail, and getting work done while the DL and Amex sheep are waiting in line.
Joe,
Delta gets more corporate contract revenue than any other US airline. That has an effect on club membership and everything else.
DL’s percentage of traffic at its hubs is in line with the industry.
and DL has more lounge capacity than any other airline including of the JFK Delta One lounge – the largest airline lounge in the US.
add in the demand shift that has taken place from EWR to LGA and JFK airports over the past 2 months courtesy of the runway rebuilding project at EWR (and UA”s handling of it) and summer thunderstorms which keep people at airports for longer periods of time, and lounges are going to pushed to their limits.
If the ATC system is not built to handle 100% normal capacity during weather events, you can bet airline terminals and lounges are not going to be.
@ 1990 — I thought the Premium line was for D1, First, 360, and DM. I never paid any attention and did not realize that Gold and Platinum status received priority. Gold can be achieved without stepping foot on DL, and they should absolutely not receive priority. I agree with your list. Let the peons wait.
I still say…when you walk out of the SC and heading to your gate…notice how many people DON’T have the lounge. Amazing. That said, another problem is the folks who think they’re so entitled to use up a perfectly good seat at the bar…with their bags!!! (Can’t post the pics…)
@Gene — Hadn’t realized that either (Gold, Platinum included in Priority for lounge lines); maybe that’s a SkyTeam Elite Plus thing. I mean, these days, getting $10K MQD isn’t ‘nothing.’ Oh, poor Silvers, red-headed step-children.
So the clarification is that the AMERICAN EXPRESS PLATINUM (not co-branded with any airline) DOES get Delta lounge access up to 10 visits a year as of 2/1 with additional visits $50 and unlimited if spending $75,000+ annually. IRONICALLY the Delta American Express Platinum DOES NOT carry a lounge benefit.
Someone should ask the Delta lounge gatekeepers what their take on lines vs. open seats inside the lounge is to really gauge if there is any kind of oversight or if it’s what everyone suspects and just a general crapshoot.
Personally I’ve been in a few United lounges a few times a year (at least they give free passes to credit card holders) and generally NOT been impressed, at least as of a few years ago. They are just full of weird people who do weird things in the space and it’s an ENCLOSED space, versus sometimes you can find a quiet space at an unoccupied gate to actually be away from the weirdos.
@JT$ — Ok, so, I generally prefer SkyClubs to UnitedClubs, too, but your comment about so-called ‘weirdos’ is highly subjective and anecdotal, even for me, and lemme tell ya, I do enjoy speculative, odd-ball comments more than most folks, just sayin’…
This is easily solved, revert back to lounge access being given to customers that achieve their status with butts in seat time. Either Ed Bastian runs an airline where the person traveling with them multiple times per month is valuable, or he’s just an SVP for Amex.
Delta starts running a queue at the SkyClubs and D1 lounges when the lounge is at about 80-85% capacity. The idea behind this is that they don’t want people to not have a seat when they get in, and of course to make the experience still somewhat comfortable for the guests inside without the feeling of too much overcrowding.
Because they have queues, they have become an easier target for people to complain about lounge overcrowding (easier to take a photo of the queue and then bitch about it online). I use Polaris lounges and United Clubs as well and they are usually just as if not more crowded; but they don’t use queues and instead let everyone in to go fend for themselves. I have been to many a Polaris lounge and left when I couldn’t find a seat after going around the lounge 3-4 times. No lines outside gives the impression that the lounge is not crowded and doesn’t help to generate clicks!
@tyrone B
50%-ish of Delta’s profit comes from AMEX so they’re not just in the business of flying people around. I don’t fly much but my Reserve card revenue might be more profitable than some frequent flyers. Oh, and I want lounge access when I fly because otherwise it’s miserable, so I’m paying for it through the annual fee. So you see why I don’t like your idea. Not at all!
Just expand the lounges. They’re obviously making a fortune from these credit cards and demand for air travel. It’s wild people think the solution is raising prices and not expansion. Imagine if there was just one really expensive Starbucks somewhere in Seattle. In fairness, Amex seems to be doing just that. Delta needs to step it up.
Hey Big 3, as suggested just increase the seating density in the lounge…it’s worked out so well for Economy. Perhaps smaller WC’s will help.
@Blake,
You’re welcome to sit at my table to dish out you “vigilante justice”.
I hope you don’t get bored with my tall tales that go into excruciating detail if how I once ate a burger in Philadelphia.
Cheerio
@Breck Prewitt – Space for lounge allocation in airport terminals is usually limited, so expansion frequently isn’t an option.
“When everyone is elite, no one is elite.” These lounges are overcrowded because it’s too easy to get into them. Gone are the days of feeling special. It’s become a joke, really. Just slightly better than waiting at a gate, yet people spend thousands for the opportunity to get in. The airlines have a stranglehold on the consumers, along with their Credit Card partners.
Time for a kids free zone. Tired of parents treating this space like its their living room and lettting their entitled off spring run amok.
I understand family travel is difficult but wtaf?
If ur gonna charge me more give us a kid free zone ….
I mostly fly through MSP and DTW, occasionally ATL. I’ve never once waited in a line. The problem feels isolated to certain airports to me. Or maybe I choose better days to fly one.
This seems to be a very location-specific issue. I fly pretty regularly with delta in the western US and even in bigger places like LAX and SLC, I’ve only had to stand in line for up to 5 minutes to get in. Even in smaller locations like DEN and PDX I’ve always just walked in unless a major airport-wide cancellation occurred.
I fly about 5 international trips/year to Europe and Australia from SFO. Always in economy as I travel for leisure and am price sensitive.
So I am very rarely in a lounge. On the occasion I do get upgraded (rare), it’s just before departure so there’s no lounge for me.
I am quite content to wait in the boarding area or a nearby restaurant. The scrum of lounge lizards is entertaining to read about. In the few times I’ve been in lounges the experience has been underwhelming and I’m not sure if “lounging” is a true luxury or a psychological benefit to make one “feel” important.
I do understand that it adds some civility (or reduces the incivility) of the airport experience.
But when I calculated the actual dollar cost of a single lounge visit via premium credit cards (US$90-110), I simply could not justify the expense, especially with the downgraded experience discussed in this article.
A good book solves the dilemma for me.
The value these clubs deliver is questionable. High prices for mediocrity. Nope.
i
It’s not about the price ,you need good credit to even qualify for the Amex . People just don’t want to relax while they wait for their flight. Skyclub needs to be expanded that’s all.
If you look forward to eating food at an airport club, you need to have your head examined.
Between the Skymile program, the merger between Delta and Northwest, as well as all the SkyTeam passengers, and now adding credit card holders, and not forgetting families traveling together, this makes accessing the Sky Club and other clubs complicated, to put it mildly. I read a few months ago that Delta’s earnings with the club are in the US billions, so all Delta has to do is make more and bigger clubs. And it’s also true, because I have access to three different vip lounges and Delta has the best food and service of all.
What AMEX cardholders are allowed in? I held a Delta Platinum card and was denied even paid access.