Last week, Canarsie and I had the opportunity to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the grand re-opening of the newly renovated Delta Sky Club at Delta’s Atlanta Worldport on Concourse A across from Gate A17. With greater than 55,000 visits each month, this Sky Club – currently one of nine in Atlanta – is the busiest lounge in the Delta Sky Club system.



The newly renovated club has a much more open look and feel. The bright and colorfully renovated club – decorated with sleek lighting fixtures and aerial photography – measures nearly 16,000 square feet, accommodating more people. It provides an inviting and comfortable oasis for travelers before, between or after their flights.



The conference rooms, workstations and walls were removed from the upper area of the club and you can now stand in the middle and see out the windows on both sides of Concourse A. The Sky Club team heard our feedback, and the renovated club now incorporates extensive use of electrical outlets throughout this Sky Club ensure that power is available to more members.



As a point of interest, this club, which has undergone several renovations, was the first Delta “Crown Room” when the new Atlanta Hartsfield mid-field terminal opened in 1980. Check out the 80's hairstyles and briefcases! Many thanks to Marie Force, Archives Manager, Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum for providing the picture and validating that the A17 Crown Room was Delta's original Flagship club in ATL.



Canarsie and I also have the pleasure of being able to meet with Kelley Moore, General Manager, Delta Sky Clubs, as well as several members of her team. We got additional insight into some of the changes will you be seeing in the near future - Look for the opening next week of the 5,700-foot club on Concourse D, near gate D27. The D concourse club which will be the first club located on the ramp level in ATL, and will also mark the first time that Delta has had a club on every concourse in Atlanta. We will have pictures of that new club shortly after the opening. This will be followed up by the opening of a new roof top club in Seattle at the end of August, with great views of Mt. Ranier.

What’s in store for 2012? – Look for the opening of the 10th Atlanta Sky Club in the new Maynard Jackson International Terminal, also known as Concourse F, as well as some expansion of the Concourse E Sky Clubs, including increasing the number of showers from two to eight!

Once the flurry of action over the next 30 days slows down a little, we will be meeting with Kelley and her team again to gain some additional insights on the futures for the Sky Club program. We will have an exclusive “behind the scenes” discussion on what additional changes and services we can expect with the Sky Clubs over the next year. We will also be working to help foster an interactive dialogue with FlyerTalk members and hopefully develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the Sky Club program team in the future, including an opportunity for some Q&A dialogue. So stay tuned, there will be a lot more to come.

Finally, as I committed, we are working on a comprehensive on-line guide for FlyerTalk members of all the Atlanta Sky Clubs This will include a map of the clubs, hours of operation, amenities, and a set of pictures of each of the clubs. I have of course solicited support from the ever helpful Canarsie who in addition to being a FlyerTalk moderator is also an incredible photographer! We now have a very comprehensive set of pictures that we will be sharing with everyone in the guide. Look for that to be completed in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, we hope to see you in a Sky Club soon. Safe travels!

P.S. Check out my favorite picture from our photo shoot last week.