Delta to Open Three ‘Premium’ Lounges This Year

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Delta Air Lines plans to launch premium lounges in Boston, Los Angeles and New York airports and add Sky Club lounges at Charlotte and Seattle this year.

The premium lounges will offer a "heightened level of service and hospitality” to travelers with each one including elements inspired by and unique to its host city, Delta says on its website.

Details on access to the lounge are not yet finalized, said the airline, which was forced to modify rules to its SkyMiles loyalty program last October amid fierce customer backlash to previously announced program cutbacks.

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The first premium lounge to open will be in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in June. It will feature a 38,000-square-foot space that includes a brasserie, a market with open kitchens and dedicated wellness areas.

Both the Boston and Los Angeles premium lounges are expected to be completed by year-end.

The airline’s plans also include expanding its Terminal C Sky Club at New York’s LaGuardia Airport by early summer 2024, as well as its Miami International Airport Club by June.

Last year, Delta added five Sky Clubs and expanded or reopened two more.

The move comes at a time when travel lovers face eroding credit card offers, with many credit card issuers reducing the points or miles sign-on bonuses.

Last October, following the backlash over loyalty program changes, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that customers made it clear that the airline's previously announced changes “did not fully reflect the loyalty you have demonstrated to Delta. Based on your feedback, we are making program adjustments and adding new benefits to begin earning in 2024 toward your 2025 status."

Those updated changes include:

Reducing the number Medallion Qualification Dollars needed to reach Medallion status tiers
Increasing the number of visits per year to the Delta Sky Club for Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card Members
Adding an option to purchase access to the Sky Club on a per-visit basis for card members
More options to rollover balances
More recognition for frequent flyers, including upgraded annual complimentary Medallion status and enhanced prioritization for complimentary upgrades
Enhanced rewards for Diamond and Platinum Medallion members

In September, Delta had announced it would start making a series of cuts to its rewards program on January 1, 2024, including denying Sky Club airport lounge access to Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express credit card holders as well as basic economy class passengers. Other changes included making annual memberships, including renewals, to the club only available to SkyMiles Medallion members. Medallion Qualifying Dollars would have become the only way to qualify for Medallion reward status.

News of those changes blew up on social media with many angry Delta loyalty program customers threatening to leave. That led to Bastian saying in a CNBC video interview that the company “went a bit too far” and that it needed to make some of the changes.

Overcrowded lounges a problem

According to a November 2022 post on its website, Delta said that its club lounges had become overcrowded and that it would be announcing updates in 2023.

“A byproduct of Delta Sky Club’s widespread popularity is visit growth that has outpaced club capacity — resulting in frustration for some customers who find themselves waiting in lines or searching for seating once inside,” the airline said at the time.

Travel rewards options

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Joey Solitro is a freelance financial journalist at Kiplinger with more than a decade of experience. A longtime equity analyst, Joey has covered a range of industries for media outlets including The Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Market Realist, and TipRanks. Joey holds a bachelor's degree in business administration.