News and notes from around the interweb:
- How on earth can it make sense to stand in this line to get into the Delta Sky Club in Orlando? Once you’re inside, it’ll be packed, too. And it’s not even that good. Get it together people, don’t be a schmuck. At least it’s not like in the old JFK Sky Club queue days where the lines got so back they had to pass out provisions to people waiting, like it was some sort of refugee camp.
And here’s New York LaGuardia:
Sure, there are ‘reasons’. This is still the experience that premium Amex cards give you only a limited number of annual visits for. Though I guess if you can’t actually get in, that does not matter? I guess people wait because I paid so much for this credit card, I’m going to use it! forgetting that the whole point of the lounge is to escape the busy terminal! By the way, here’s one way to hide the lines. Keep it virtual.
First time seeing something like this…
by
u/Crossinator in
delta - At the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference on Tuesday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged the havoc their pilot contract has created for them when their operation melts down.
[W]e still are facing some challenges with our overall ability to respond quicker to snapbacks. We are working on that issue, particularly with our pilots. We had some changes that went into effect in our pilot contract over the last year that we’re still adjusting and working together with not just our team, but with the union to make certain that we can respond in a fashion which our customers expect.
- American rolling out pre-order hot entree choices in premium economy on transcon and Hawaii routes that sell the cabin.
- Through March 31, Marriott is offering 1,500 bonus points to members who link their Uber account for the first time.
- “What happened after the kangaroo drank coffee?”
Long haul flights arriving at outstations usually get a message their ground team with some instructions. Mundane things like the gate & baggage claim
But before arriving in San Fransisco, Qantas gets a joke 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/x62SqU4jsW
— Analytic Flying (@analyticflying) March 18, 2026
- Mel Brooks said it best. This shouldn’t be happening, Ted Cruz tried to make it law and nearly got it into 2024’s FAA reauthorization before it came to light and politicians were too embarrassed to do it.
Rules for thee but not for me https://t.co/5qeZJtiOK6 pic.twitter.com/KpgIcwCs5c
— Marky Mark (@DCCelebrity) March 18, 2026
“I have an AMEX and by gawd I’m gonna use it!” Seriously, find an empty gate or a seat at a bar. Much better experience. Connecting through ICN last week and 1 hour wait for KAL lounge too. Skip it.
The lines at Delta Sky Club lounges are absurd. They were supposed to disappear a couple of years ago. And yet, no matter what Delta does with access rules, the lines never go away. For the amount of money people spend on premium credit cards for lounge access—only to stand in line—they could just go to an airport bar or restaurant and enjoy marginally better food and wine. In Orlando, there’s a Vino Volo right by the lounge. I’d rather drink wine there.
Nevertheless, it was a Premium waiting experience.
I have no idea of how anyone would value a lounge with a long line, no seating or seating so you have to sit in the middle of a family, dirty, loud with lines to the bathroom.
I’ve given up on all airline clubs. They are ALL like this.
I’ll find a restaurant or bar or any empty gate. It is a much better experience than waiting in a queue, then trying to find a seat, only to get some buffet-level food, and a glass of wine.
Absurd, why wait only to enter an overcrowded club? The terminal is the new airline lounge.
The purpose of the Skyclub has been lost.
DL’s desire to create an entire loyal ecosystem has not come without consequences…but I’m not sure they care. If they’re still signing up new cardholders faster than people are walking away because they don’t see the value this will continue.
For me, the card is all about MQDs to get me to stays that barely value anymore. Much more benefit erosion and I’ll do with this card what I did with my AMEX platinum earlier this year…I’ll cancel it.
And, in case anyone from DL other than Tim Dunn is monitoring this thread…STANDING IN LINE IS NOT A PREMIUM EXPERIENCE! It’s an experience for people who don’t know the difference or who want to show off.
“some sort of refugee camp” … for real, Gary? *facepalm*
@Parker — Is TD actually from DL, or just a crazed-fan?
Honestly, I don’t get it. I guess if you want to get free drinks it may make sense to get into these lounges, but still. Even the once vaunted United Polaris Lounge at SFO is overrun, and the troughs of slurry, I mean ‘Pan-Asian’ noodles, they put out there are not worth it. Frankly, eating that stuff increases the risk of involuntary bowel movements once in the air.
Gary Leff reports, “How on earth can it make sense to stand in this line to get into the Delta Sky Club in Orlando? Once you’re inside, it’ll be packed, too. And it’s not even that good. Get it together people, don’t be a schmuck.”
I agree. Gary’s perspicacity is perfect. After waiting an hour at the velvet ropes for entry to the Delta Sky Club® in Orlando (MCO) or LaGuardia (LGA), here is my Pro Tip: To truly earn your Delta Sky Club Schmuck Badge, try sprawling out on the carpet by the emotional support dogs—bonus points if you out-cuddle a golden retriever. As a Medallion® Member, you’ll enjoy the best elite travel experience whenever you fly. The packed Sky Club floor offers a picnic-like ambience where you will meet other Diamond Medallion members enjoying an array of food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soups, antipasto, cured meats and cheeses, hot entrées, fruit, dessert bars, cookies, soft drinks, and Starbucks coffee. Just remember Delta’s official word of caution: unless you want to board with a unique aroma, avoid sitting in any dog poop on the Sky Club floor because nothing says “first class” like eau de kennel.
The “secret sauce” at Delta remains that miracle AMEX deal. Any future growth in revenues and earnings are tied to continuing the Ponzi scheme of AMEX sign-ups.
OTOH, many quarters Delta makes no money flying the planes and transporting passengers. So they are forced to over-promise and under-deliver on the Card-and-Lounge Act.
To answer Gary’s question– No, nobody who thought about it would suffer the Delta Lounge indignity, unless they were just obsessed with their own credit card’s greatness.
I never see these problems in using the United Club, so again think the Delta addicts should re-think their choices in life.
@Sukwinder Dixit — Sunk cost fallacy? Eh, you paid the annual fee, you get access, even if it’s unpleasant, you feel obligated to wait, find a seat, sip a mediocre IPA, then head to your inevitably delayed flight (which is delayed because of ‘weather’ for the inbound aircraft, even though your origin and destination are not directly affected.)
@Ken A — Bless you, sir. Wear that Schmuck® Badge, proudly. Ahh, eau de kennel! LOL.
Went to the SkyClub, home of the poors, last night. I figured a little something to eat there would be better than the Premium snack basket on the plane. Wrong. Packed with pigs eating stale food cuz they paid for it and workers talking like they were hanging on the corner in the hood. Some old woman practically ran over 5 people going from the PlaneTrane to the escalator so she could get to the SkyClub faster. Once she arrived with her hubby, she is turned away for not having the correct AMEX card.
I really prefer arriving at the airport with no more than 15 minutes to spend in the lounge, grabbing water and using the Premium restroom, but with the highly-variable TSA wait times, we had to arrive earlier. Barf. Big corporations manage to ruin everything without fail.
If you are not a Delta 360 or other top status, you may still jump the line with proper credentials if you are in domestic F. I should have taken a photo of the sign outside of the mid B club in ATL where it so states.
I wonder if Mr Dunn has a problem entering these Sky Clubs? I can’t imagine this EVER happening. More than likely it’s like the Red Sea whenever he approaches the door.
I only have access to lounges on my international J flights. I was in the DFW Flagship lounge earlier this week. They brought out lunch. A total of zero dishes appealed to me, as happens with UA and DL, too. The club had no wait and wasn’t crazy busy. But, it reinforces my belief that, even if not packed, these clubs offer little value to me. I will continue to use them when I fly J, but I’m not waiting in line.
just as with everything else that gets discussed on here, anecdotal evidence means precisely nothing.
Nobody would pay for a service they could not use even half of the time.
We are in Spring Break, TSA security lines are horrendous in many airports so people are getting to the airport early, and premium demand is still strong – all of the airlines just said that at the JPM conference. As noted, this is far more common than it used to be at all US lounges.
It might not be worth having a club membership but this or one or more anecdotes doesn’t change anything.
So much fake drama over lines and lounges. As @TD said anecdotes are just that.
Here’s my anecdote from LGA TB this morning – no wait at all for TSA pre check (walked right up with touchless ID, maybe 10 folks in line with regular precheck). Centurion lounge walked right in (while waiting for Chase), it was packed though. Waited 5-10m for Chase lounge which does a better job with crowd control. Food was made to order and great – migas eggs, apple chai oatmeal, oat cappuccinos at the bar.
Does this change anything? Nope! Get precheck and activate touchless ID. Get credit cards with lounge access. Go to a bar in the terminal if the lounge is unappealing or has too long of a line. Enjoy life.
Tim
‘Nobody would pay for a service they could not use even half of the time.’
Why not? Delta fanboys seem to be willing to pay 500K Skypesos for a flight to Saudi Arabia on Saudia.
as usual, you spew rage bait in the absence of facts and data.
KCLT,Chick-fil-A, Rocking Chair
@Tim Dunn anecdotes? Try gas lighting.
We have all see excessive SC lines. DL has admitted it as a root cause for why they rolled back access. So, stop with the “it’s just anecdotes” crap, Tim. It really destroys your credibility.
But, since you like anecdotes so well, here’s where I’ve seen SC lines already this year:
ATL B
ATL C
ATL E
JAX
FLL
PHL
DTW A-center
DTW B/C
And we’re not in March. But, I guess according to you, my experience is an anomaly.
As noted above, the key is to be in F. Then even with the Amex Plat you can skip the line.
Dopes. Must. Have. Lounge.
Parker
If I hung around any airport long enough, I could find anything. I have seen lines at DL SkyClubs and I have also not seen lines.
and you still can’t or don’t respond to the assertion someone else made that this is common everywhere.
Again, logic, not your anecdotal evidence – no matter how many SCs you claim to have “walked by” argues that DL could not get by with continual sustained lengthy lines or people would not pay for the product.
Is life flawless? no. Does logic dictate that your anecdotes can’t be reflective of the norm? absolutely.
The same is just as true w/ any other airline.
Lounge lemmings.
Without the cliff.
Or the lounge.
The Club at SFO terminal 1 (Priority Pass) also had a QR code to get onto a waiting list — warned wait was ~50min. My Gate was literally next door & I was early for an international flt so was able to weather the wait (ended up being 25min). But was given supposedly only 10min to checkin. Wasn’t too crowded inside, but food wasn’t appealing.
Re: representstives skipping to fron of TSA line. Isn’t this an airport choice and not TSA. Airports sell the right to queue jump to Clear and to airlines to give certain pax the same ability. Thus, say, DCA could decide to move reps to the front. I do, in part, see a justification for this. If the rep is known by those in the queue, I could see it might get ugly.
@Tim Dunn do you have a condition that makes you this way or is this just your personality?
You believe what you’re told to believe. I’ll believe what I see. And what I see is that not only are DL SCs generally more crowded that the other clubs I visit, but I also see that you are incapable of ever saying a critical thing of Delta. Therefore, your opinion carries no weight with me. You are simply not credible. In the face of obvious reality you still choose to gaslight and deflect. Instead of being a lackey for Delta you would do work for our government. You’d be a hit.
So, go standing in the SC lines while telling yourself there is no line and everything is fine. I’m too smart for that sh!t.
*You’re.
To be fair, while each Skyclub is different, from my experience I’ve seen long lines in ATL and then swing back 30 minutes later and it’s walk-in at your leisure with no line. Seems like the lines come and go in waves according to the flight schedule. Or maybe everyone in line just gave up and tried another Skyclub. Regardless, lines THAT long are not ideal to say the least. I do like how you can see how busy each of them are in your app so you can make a game plan.
My favorite SkyClub so far has been MSP G17. Thursday night before close, zero line and a fantastic experience.
L737 gets it
Delta, just like every other big 4 carrier, operates its schedule in banks.
I can see on the app IN ADDITION to what I see in person how busy or not DL SkyClubs are.
My beef w/ people like Parker is that
1. They think what they see at one point in time is indicative of what happens all the time. I have NEVER denied that crowding happens. I do take great issue that anywhere close to the majority of people encounter waits.
and
2. People like Parker always fail to note what kind of lines he sees at other airline clubs when other people AND I know that other airlines have the same issue as well.
Delta has more club space than any other airline in the world and people buy it.
It is beyond logical to think that the tide, net net, has turned that people are walking away because they can’t get in.
More people are flying w/ premium services than ever before. Perhaps some will say it isn’t worth it but that day has simply not come – at Delta or any other airline.
and, no, Parker, it has nothing about being able to admit anything negative about DL.
You’re, not youre.
A bit much to unpack here…but…I’m a sucker for throwing in my two cents. The airline clubs will always be better than the airport restaurants (meaning the cost) and the hideous terminal bathrooms. That said, Delta is in the middle of a perfect storm right now. The fact that the Amex Plats still have access, combined with the fact that it’s only March (still a lot of everyone’s allotment of visits still to go) and everyone is panicking and getting to the airport WAY earlier than usual. I also saw an insane line to get into the TGI Fridays in E ATL last week. Is that a better alternative? Finally, not sure why LGA only has one club. Then old LGA had three (albeit smaller). ATL has 8. Even JFK has 2 plus a D One lounge.
These lines at Delta lounges are simply giving the airline what they clearly asked for when they perpetually pushed for more credit cards. They wanted more customers and they got them. Did they think that they had to contribute nothing?