Update 5/12/22: Delta has now reversed the arrival part of the change and WILL allow access to arrivals. The 3 hour limitation for departures is still around. (Looks like layovers and arrivals will not have the 3 hour limit.)
Original Post 5/9/22:
Delta has announced changes to lounge access that will be implemented on June 1. Changes are as follows:
- You will no longer be able to access lounges on arrival
- You will be able to access lounges three hours before departure (no limit for connecting flights)
Delta is making these changes due to overcrowding but I’d be interested to know how many guests are actually using the lounges on arrival or more than three hours before departure.
Didn’t Platinum carr used to work with United and American lounges? Probably a matter of time until they lose Delta
Nope
Never realized how many people want to stay in an airport (even in a lounge) after a flight.
free food and drinks
Some of them have showers. Not hard to think of situations where you’d want to shower ASAP after a long flight.
Makes sense, however… last few times I tried to shower the wait was so long. Is it really a lot of people with like 2 hours free after a flight (not connecting) that can wait to use the shower?
Because this policy is to avoid overcrowding, so I’m not talking about times when it’s “empty”. When it’s crowded, it can seriously take more than an hour of wait to shower. I never thought people really had time after a flight (not connecting) to spend in a lounge just to shower.
I’m just surprised with all that!
Strikes me primarily as an east-coast domestic red-eye scenario: arriving very early AM, long transcons, without access to your hotel until late in the day. I suspect there’s quite a bit of demand for that.
Outside of that, seems a much less useful amenity for non-connecting passengers, especially since international arrivals (ie most long flights) would need an onward boarding pass to be able to get past security to access.
There’s not a ton to do when you land at 7 a.m., but most stuff to see/do isn’t open until 9.
Bigger use case for me would be flying multiple itineraries. Just because I’m not connecting to a Delta flight doesn’t mean it’s not connecting.
For international destinations it’s sometimes better for travel time, scheduling, even price at times to book separate flights through different airlines.
i.e: Origin City –> LAX(Delta) *few hour layover* LAX –> Latin America(Avianca, Copa, etc) I’ve done that one a few times.
You have a departure (I understand it is not Delta) and would make sense to use the lounge. I’m talking about being in a lounge at the final destination.
I used to take the LAX-LHR overnight flight and land around noon with a driver ready to take me to meetings that afternoon so always took a shower in the lounge. Now I would have to beat off a herd of travel influencers doing TikTok dances while shoving free food in their face.
Uh, people that don’t like using the airplane lavatory and/or airport restrooms? Club stall for one, please.
The ones who feel that they are the special people (i.e. the problem people).
Ive gone in for a quick shower (morning flight) enroute to meeting and/or quick meal before heading off. Usually my time in the lounge on arrival is about 15-20 mins. Or if I’m meeting others from other flights, and I’m early and we’re traveling that day together. Many reasons tbh.
I know I am going to sound like the “get off my lawn” guy, but there is a group of people that are causing airlines to change rules to try to figure out how to make the lounges work as they intended. Using the lounge as your free meal upon arrival, or I flew from Miami to NYC and MUST HAVE a shower and eat before I head into the city, and while I am at it I will film/photograph it all to upload it to social media wasting even more time. Because of this behavior, the people that have a layover after an overnight international flight are waiting in line for the person from Miami to eat their 5th meal of the day and take a second shower in 5 hours just because they can. It’s the AskSebby, TPG, etc crowd. Vermin.
Ehh, I don’t disagree that there are people who abuse the lounges, but that has always been true.
What does seem to have changed is the pool of people with lounge access in relation to the number of lounges available, and at the end of the day responsibility for that balance falls solely on the airlines. IMO, they need to do their job and ensure the supply meets the demand, and if they can’t they need to reevaluate how they’re offering the product.
So you could make it showers only for those arriving from long haul flights during peak hours, which should be clearly listed on the website.
secondly add a time limit to arrivals of 1 hour, so people can just eat and go. This can be enforced by charging your card if you fail to sign out of the lounge by a certain time (arrivals only of course)
Guessing that’s location-specific. Most of the people I see in lounges are either well-behaved businesspeople or loud Americans in their 60s on their way to a cruise.
Well back in MY DAY it used to be you if had access to a lounge, you just WENT to the lounge. Whenever. Because it was a club you paid to be a member of or flew so so much you qualified. You didn’t even need to be flying that day, as this was pre-9/11 so you could just visit it if you were at the airport waiting for a friend or whatever. And it was all hunky doory.
So all of this scummy “well you need to be a MEMBER and you need to be FLYING with us THAT DAY AND you need to be within X hours of your flight blah blah blah” is just cheapskate business. Airlines should build lounges appropriately and charge whatever it is to maintain them without cutting corners. If someone is so thrilled with the lounges that they want to get two showers a day I mean it’s weird, but really how many days do they want to do it?
This is proof that outrage works. Viva la revolution!
I just got an email from Delta that they have reversed the policy on arrivals. Apparently, enough people complained. “Arriving customers – with or without a connection – will be able to enjoy the Club upon arrival, as you do today.”
Last week we announced updates to our Delta Sky Club access policy with the intention of improving your experience during the busy summer months. We heard your feedback in response to the updates, including that some customers want to visit a Club to refresh after landing or to recharge ahead of a meeting.
We value your input – and we’ve acted on it. Just as you can today, customers with Delta Sky Club access may continue to use Clubs upon arrival. You can review Frequently Asked Questions for more details on the revised policy:
Customers will be able to access the Club anytime within three hours of their scheduled departure time (and connecting customers can continue to access the Club at any time during their layover) starting Wednesday, June 1.
Arriving customers – with or without a connection – will be able to enjoy the Club upon arrival, as you do today.
It’s back on arrivals! Woooohoooooo
Never have used a lounge upon arrival. Nor have I ever used one for more than 3 hrs before flight. I’m usually in for about an hour. While it’s getting a bit more crowded in TSA Precheck, Clear lane is still fairly open. So with Sky priority at check in, getting bags checked and through TSA is fairly painless.
Off topic here, but I would like to see a frequent flyer TSA lane. It is frustrating when flyers who travel a couple times a year, don’t pay attention to how Precheck works, especially those going on vacation with children. Airports that have Clear lanes, have helped this, but I’m sure it will not be long before those same infrequent flyers gum that up to. I have seen it get backed up at ATL already.
To be fair I can’t imagine anything is much worse than ATL. Regular entry, Pre-check entry, Clear Entry, and Clear + Pre-check entry, with poor identifiers to get you going.
CONTROL CONTROL CONTROL
This just made me pull my application to be a pilot for them. We use lounges when we travel as nonrev since we are standby! Yup, delta lost a pilot app!
I stopped flying when the played politics. Till then I will use my credits and I will cancel their cancel culture!
Lol But you felt it necessary to bring your politics here.