Sky Clubs -- what will May 1 and beyond really be like??
 

Does anyone else wonder what the Sky Clubs will really be like May 1 and after?

Will the clubs be less crowded? Will they feel more "exclusive"? Will you be able to find a place to sit? Will they be the best club among US airlines (excl intl F lounges)?

Or

Will Delta find ways to fill the clubs with members and day-trippers willing to pay something to gain entrance?

And

Will the reduction in tag-a-long guests drinking complimentary beverages and nibbling on snacks lower catering expenses enough to make up for the increase in spending due to enhanced food and service offerings?

I doubt any of this will happen May 1st. There are plenty of us who now have "Executive" memberships that can still bring along folks. Amex folks can still get in. Day passes will still be available. Very little will change day one. Over time, maybe a reduction a bit. But May 1st? I don't see it being much different.

No one really knows exactly how things will play out. Post-9/11 airport experiences became sufficiently painful that more people decided it was worth going for lounge access around the same time airlines decided lounges would be more of a revenue source than a product differentiator.

In the airline business today "premium" priced products are actually what premium coach should be...and most people don't pay sticker price whether using a credit card to access a lounge or an F cabin full of free upgrades.

Delta is climbing higher by using the same strategy Bethune used to save Continental: that people would pay more for a premium product. I'm optimistic that by increasing the cost to patronize the Sky Club and culling the elite herds Delta will have more pricing power.

Even with all the b!tching on FT about the reason for the overcrowding being AmEx Platinum cardholders and guests, my guess is that we will see little change in the numbers of people in the clubs. Then we here on the DL forum will find other reasons to b!tch :D

DL management have programmed me to expect that, when they promise an improved experience (especially if it involves increased costs), I should be prepared to be underwhelmed.

:D

The food was terrible, I'm with you, any other enhancement would be underwhelming.

Not expecting any great reduction in crowds...

My prediction is that we'll see angry AmEx Plat and DL Reserve cardholders who are not aware that they can no longer bring guests for free. There will be arguments with dragons and long lines as a result.

Under the new guest policy are parents still allowed to bring in as many kids as they want? If so then DL has really let us down and is unfair to those of us with executive memberships and limited to only two guests. A body is a body, no exceptions. You had better pick the two kids you love the most or else stop pinching pennies and pay for the day passes.

I agree. Better yet, give everyone a very limited number of lounge passes or day passes per year to use on family or colleagues as they see fit. Otherwise, some people will bring two guests almost all the time while others rarely use our guesting privileges, but do want the option to do it occasionally.

Automatic improvement there. Free entertainment.

^ That Is the one highlight :)

^. I am all for a set number of passes.

Perhaps the forum should be renamed FB. :D

As a Platinum Amex cardholder, I would be delighted if Amex keeps opening Centurion lounges. The one at DFW is outstanding.

David

A bit confused
 

So, this year, I got my SC access via my DM status.
After May 1 of this year, am I still allowed to bring in guests? I thought the changes would only be for SC memberships purchased after the announcement.