It's official: Delta will finally open exclusive premium airport lounges in 2024, souped-up Sky Clubs with a la carte dining and more space to stretch out for business class passengers – and perhaps others? And not one, not two, but three of these lounges are on the way this year.
First up is New York City (JFK), where Delta aims to open a mammoth, 38,000-square-foot exclusive lounge in June – in time for the beginning of the summer stampede over to Europe. A second premium lounge is scheduled to open by the end of the year in Los Angeles (LAX), where the airline already opened a ritzy check-in area for Delta One customers. And Boston (BOS) will get its own premium lounge space in the international terminal by the end of the year, too.
After opening several new clubs last year in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), Newark (EWR), and Boston (BOS) while expanding several more, Delta also has new or improved lounge locations on tap this year in Charlotte (CLT), Miami (MIA), Seattle (SEA), and New York City-LaGuardia (LGA). But these premium lounges catered toward top-paying international travelers are the headline item – and they're long overdue.
While American Airlines has Flagship Business Class Lounges in its biggest hubs and United Polaris Lounges are among the best in the nation, the airline that fancies itself the nation's top premium carrier hasn't offered a special space for business class passengers. Even with a business class ticket that costs $4,000 (or 400,000 Delta SkyMiles) in hand, you get access to a standard Sky Club like everyone else.
But don't call them “Delta One Business Class Sky Clubs” – at least not yet. While the entire point is to give lie-flat flyers a more exclusive space in the airport, Delta still hasn't announced the access policies for these new lounges – and heck, they don't even have a formal name. But it's clear Delta is upping the ante from service to amenities and dining to the spaces themselves.
“We want each of our guests to receive a highly personalized and dedicated level of service,” Claude Roussel, Delta's vice president of Sky Club and Lounge Experience said in a statement. “It’s not enough to have beautiful spaces and exceptional offerings. Premium lounge customers should feel welcomed and known when they walk in the door, just as they would at their favorite hotel or restaurant.”
So we wouldn't expect travelers to be able to waltz into these new premium lounges with *amex platinum* or even a top-tier *delta reserve card*. Delta has been cracking down on its overcrowded lounges with the heftiest restrictions on tap in a year: Come Feb. 1, 2025, these cardholders will be restricted to as few as 10 visits a year.
Surely Delta One passengers can get into premium lounges … but what about business class passengers flying SkyTeam partner airlines like Air France, KLM, or Virgin Atlantic? Will flyers with top Delta Diamond Medallion Status have a path to get in? Might there be a way for Delta passengers with standard Sky Club access to buy their way into the premium lounge?
We don't know yet. But whoever can get in, they're in for a treat.
Delta's very first premium lounge in New York will be its biggest lounge by far, complete with a year-round outdoor terrace. Details are still scarce, but Delta says there will be both a full-service restaurant as well as “a casual, chef-assisted market with open kitchens” and dedicated wellness areas.
In Los Angeles, the premium lounge will connect to Delta's existing (and excellent) Sky Club, which opened back in 2022. But this will be a private 10,000-square-foot space, with its own outdoor terrace. Private is the theme for this upcoming lounge: Eligible passengers will be able to get straight to the lounge via a private elevator after whisking through the dedicated Delta One check-in area and private security queues.
Delta says that will open sometime in the final three months of 2024.
Both the New York and Los Angeles locations have been in the works for years – Delta announced them way back in early 2022. But Boston (BOS) is a surprise addition.
Like Los Angeles, this new premium lounge will connect to an existing Sky Club: Delta opened a lounge in the airport's international E Terminal last year. But this will be a dedicated, 6,300-square-foot space for up to 120 guests.
Bottom Line
After opening plenty of Sky Clubs last year while expanding even more, Delta is finally turning its focus to premium lounges in 2024 with exclusive spaces on tap for passengers in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.
Who can get in? What will these premium spaces look like? And what will these lounges even be called? We don't know yet. Stay tuned!