As part of their efforts to address a major overcrowding problem (that mostly stems from offering lounge access to everyone with an American Express Platinum), Delta raised the price of its Sky Club memberships. If you want an ‘executive membership’ that allows you to bring in guests without charge, that’s now $1,495. And paid memberships are only available to elite members of the SkyMiles program.
Starting in a little over a year, Delta’s own premium Amex cardmembers will only be able to access Sky Clubs on 15 trips a year without additional charge unless they spend $75,000 on their card each year. More visits will cost $50 apiece.
At the price point some club members, and those using what will become limited visits with their Platinum cards, may be trying to milk every last dollar of value out of their time in the lounge. How do you get $50 worth from a visit?
One woman shares video of herself taking salami: “If you get 36 slices of salami per Delta sky club lounge visit, you break even on your annual fee after just 30.5 lounge visits.”
“Delta executives hate this 1 money saving trick,” she says. Except you’re going to want to break even far faster if this calculation is a concern to you. Bring plastic bags. Wait around for trays to be refilled several times. And load up on around 80 slices of salami?
There’s been a lot of inflation over the past couple of years, but 1200 slices of salami over the course of a year’s worth of visits doesn’t seem like it will cover the cost. If you want to break even you’re going to have to drink a lot of alcohol. Of course that may lead you into an inflight altercation, a flight diversion or at least an arrest, and then you’re once again behind financially.
@meat.slut Delta executives hate this 1 money saving trick #meat #traveltiktok #travel #foryoupage #fyp #meatslut @delta ♬ Little Bitty Pretty One – Thurston Harris
Several years ago this incident perfectly captured why it’s just these sort of passengers who are the reason we can’t have nice things.
We noticed two persons grabbing a lot of beer and putting it in their bags. They had some round trips to the bar and even stopped to get more when leaving (all within 3-4 minutes) They noticed me filming, but looked like they couldn’t care less. Guess they nicked 20+ cans and 5 bags of crisps.
I actually think the salami costs Delta more than a shot of booze.
Good on the salami woman!
I actually witnessed a young woman asking for a bottle of wine to go in one of the ATL clubs. Maybe her version of the salami trick?
Ahhhh
The old grab the salami scheme
it never yields anything good in the end
Ask any woman of class and she will likely tell you
This is why I can’t stand lounges. Like I understand that the prices of these memberships are skyrocketing and the waits are ridiculous. But the answer isn’t strict cost-benefit calculation. If you’re the kind of person that is always calculating the cost-benefit for each interaction, then you really shouldn’t be going to an airport lounge.
The value of the lounge is not in the consumable unit marginal utility or whatever. It’s about some peace and quiet from the madness of an airport terminal. Some days you’ll “get your value” out of the club when you’re delayed or skipped lunch. Other days you’ll come in, have glass of water, and get some work done.
The problem with linking airline clubs to credit cards is these kinds of people are the credit card churners that have maximizing utility a hobby, and airline clubs were not designed for these people. And for people that are actual road warriors, the prospect of an airline club wanes with each one of these stories.
I used to fly 2x per week before the pandemic, and back then the airline club made sense. But if I were still doing that and had a damned line to get into the lounge, there’s no way I’d even bother. I’d just expense a meal at a restaurant that has a separated seating area (like a Volvino or whatnot) and wait at the terminal restaurant for about the same level of peace and quiet.
Missed clickbait opportunity: Travelers play “hide the salami”
Such white trash behavior. Sadder part is that you know that most of those went uneaten to waster -or- should have gone uneaten by the fat slob. J-ws have a word for that, schnorrer
Given Premium Eddie’s behavior, this is almost a moral imperative, whether you ultimately eat the salami/drink the beers or not
At these membership prices, you should be encouraged to bring dinner home.
I always take beers and food from the lounge. I need my money’s worth.
@ Gary — Glass of water, wifi and peace and quiet is all I go to the lounge for. Certainly not worth waiting in line or paying $1,500 per year.
Proof positive that raising the AF to clear out the riff raff from lounges and class up the place will not work. Plenty of trash that can afford $695 out there.
Delta only provides premium salami and as a result is able to charge premium prices.
Don’t take my word, look at the data.
The same trash that steals salami also populates internet chat forums.
If you are going to steal salami, you will do it regardless of the price.
If you are going to trash other people, it is in your DNA and you just have to be pitied.
Such trash. The same kind of people I see filling zip lock bags from the snack towers. If you’re that hard up, you shouldn’t be flying.
Stuff like this is why the only time I go to an airport is to leave this country and go to a more civilized one.
Why are you still bemoaning any of this as if it’s news? No thinking person should have been participating in any airline’s “loyalty” program for at least a decade if not more. There are never any “seats of that class” available when you try to redeem your miles, if they haven’t moved the goalpost yet again in the first place.
Non-airline-specific credit cards are the only worthwhile place to concentrate purchases now. If you haven’t learned that already, you’re a willing victim of airlines, AKA scumbags.
Truly, the big problem with Delta SkyClubs as opposed to those of other airlines is that Amex Platinum cardholders have access. That just massively increases access to and demand for the lounge. I don’t ever have problems like this at United Clubs — they can be busy, certainly, but never to the point of needing to wait to get in or not being able to find a seat somewhere. Sure, most are pretty drab, but they serve their purpose, and the newer ones are pretty nice.
I cancelled my AX Plat card last year, and, with it, access to Delta Sty Clubs. Giving AXP holders access is both the incentive and the problem. I don’t miss DSC or Centurion Lines.
We tried the AMEX Delta Reserve card this year as we had 3 trips planned (with layovers) where my partner and I could use the included Delta lounge access. Unfortunately, by the second trip we ran into lounge overcrowding in Atlanta with a long line out the door. No way will I renew Delta Reserve since the lounge benefit is worthless due to overcrowding. IMHO, Delta Lounges can go stick their salami where the planes don’t fly.
Lounge guests went from being frequent flyers to being extreme couponers. If you want to act like a decent human, and be treated like one too, “generic airport bar” is the better option.
Honestly I don’t get the big deal about airport lounges.
They are like the buffett at a holiday inn. I’d rather go spend $50 at a bar near the gate then get excited by “free” salami and alcohol of a quality I wouldn’t usually drink.
And an Admirals lounge in DFW gave me wretched food poisoning.
I don’t get it. I think the trade is over on miles cards, lounges, etc. I’m sitting looking at a 150k miles offer from Amex, pondering whether it’s worth it and trending no. Cash back is better
Airport lounges are the stupidest thing in the world ! Yea that’s right I said it.
Do not worry: that trashy pig woman will succumb to illness soon enough from eating that much cured meat.
The lounges are overcrowded for the same reason airline service is poor, customers allow it. If travelers stopped patronizing airlines with poor service or overcrowding the airline would improve or close.
Airline lounges have been lacking for years. The problem isn’t credit cards or too many travelers rather a lack of lounge capacity. Airlines need to build substantially more and larger lounges. What incentive do airlines have to build out their lounge capacity if their customers are willing to accept the status quo?
My last Delta flight was delayed by 2 hours so I went to the lounge, lasted 10 minutes , then left and found a very nice restaurant where I could sit down without having a bunch of slobs climbing over me to get another round at the buffet. I guess that’s the bright spot-many sit-down restaurants seem to be more empty because the herds of white trash are all in the lounge, guzzling down their Bud Light.
I’m guessing her family will be eating a hell of a lot of salami casseroles for the foreseeable future.
I would’ve believed this was Delta sponsored content! She did them a publicity favor! Lol