worldwidedreamer

Sounds like you might, indeed, be the youngest lifetime member. Congrats!

pvn

How often are you guys really even able to use a club membership when you're not flying DL? If I'm flying AA and connecting in DFW, shlepping over to terminal E just to use the club for a few minutes seems... extremely unappealing. If I'm connecting in ORD on AA or UA I'm almost certainly not going to be anywhere near the skyclub. Denver is the only place I can think of where I might connect on either UA or AA and be reasonable close to a skyclub, and even there I don't think it's particularly convenient.

worldwidedreamer

Honestly while I love flying Delta, often I'm forced onto other airlines because I live in SFO which is an AS/UA hub city. The Delta Club is quite convenient to the former Virgin America, now Alaska, gates at SFO. I also frequently fly on regional UA jets through ORD and the DL club there actually more convenient than the UA club in the same terminal. Also---it is hard not to pass the great location of the HNL SC regardless of which airline flown due to the amazing staff who resonate with ohana.

The other thing, and this either really matters a lot or not at all, is that United has been removing showers and Alaska never offered them. Delta (and American fwiw) is/are much more generous with showers. I recently had a brutal red-eye ANC-SEA with a bit of a connection to SFO on AS. The showers at the SEA Sky Club really made me feel much more like a human.

pvn

yeah but if you're originating from SFO how often do you really need to use the club there? If I get through security more than 45 minutes before my flight I personally feel like I've had a massive time management failure. I guess this is just a personal preference thing, I dont' really have much use for clubs at my origin. I mean, sure, I'll hop in and grab a cup of coffee or whatever but I'm not going to lose any sleep if I don't use the club before my first flight of the day. the value is at connection points.

worldwidedreamer

My office is 11.6 miles from SFO Terminal 2. I've made it there in well under 15 minutes, and over an hour depending on traffic. My house is 12.1 miles away, and the same variance is under 20 minutes and almost two hours. I'd much rather be working/at the gym/cuddling with the cat/etc than at an airport lounge, but managing Bay Area traffic often means planning to arrive at the airport early to avoid missing a flight.

NOLAnwGOLD

I part bought my membership because I found I liked the access via AMEX Plat. The problem was that I would leave it to the last minute to go and having a space to work/sit and a free cocktail got me out of the habit. I remember once arriving to MSY curbside (was bad traffic) with less than 5 minutes to departure, thankfully pre-9/11 and got on just in time. Now I'm also dating someone that likes to get to the airport hours ahead (we've come to a better middle ground, but still very early from my standpoint) so the lounge is really really helpful in keep both people at good compromise.

For me, it's true usually I'm flying DL but say at IAH, it's KLM/AF lounge (in D, where DL used A) but I don't mind doing that. That will go buh-buy since I usually am flying domestically from there.

It's the constant take away from what you thought you got that is particularly annoying and why people have mentioned lawsuits about it.

srockgibson

There's a Facebook group that has just been formed to protest the January 1 change. It's a closed group, so only other Delta SkyClub LIfetime members can see who's in the group. Please join. Power in numbers, especially if we need to go the class action route to restore the access level that we purchased. On Facebook, click on the Groups tab then search "Delta SkyClub Lifetime Member Protest Group"

jasonNYC85

Can you link me to the changes? Is getting a million miles no longer worth lifetime silver?

hfly

At least you guys were able to keep your Lifetime club access, the internet is a powerful thing. I had Lifetime with Pan Am, and never was notified that DL would grandfather it, and just assumed that it was gone for everyone. It was not until after FT existed and I noticed/realized that I should have had my Clipper Club membership grandfathered. The best that I could ever get DL to do was to acknowledge that I may have had it, but that as so many years had gone by, they did not have the paperwork, so would not extend it. Honestly as I was always Platinum and then Diamond, it did not really matter. However as they stopped flying to my city, and I stopped being Diamond, it would have been nice to have!

hfly

jasonNYC, this is about Lifetime Club membership, not Skymiles membership.

hockeystl

As noted, be sure to click on the "Groups" tab before searching...otherwise the only result in the general search box will be Delta's regular FB page.

LegalTender

The Group page starts with this preamble:

If that's the case, any judge could reasonably grant a temporary restraining order.

If it's not the case, SOL.

srockgibson

I don't see the need for a restraining order. It would nice to have this settled by Jan. 1, but not at all critical. If lifetime members aren't grandfathered by that date, damages begin to accrue and it just makes the case more attractive to the class action firms.

The case seems to prove itself on its face. The behavior of the airline confirms what was purchased. Since the date of our lifetime membership purchases (20 to 30+ years for many of us), the airline has continuously allowed club access regardless of airline flown. Now, unilaterally, they are cutting that access. Depending on flying habits, that change can represent a reduction in access of more than 50%.

LegalTender

If "members were to be guaranteed access to the clubs for life, regardless of airline flown" that should be easy to document.

Otherwise, I don't see a case. Not acting in good faith is a mirage.

I agree with and support the cause, just to be clear.

xliioper

Former NW membership T&C's from archive.org --

"Use of all WorldClubs facilities is subject to the rules and conditions set by Northwest Airlines, which are subject to change at any time. Northwest Airlines reserves the right to restrict, alter or modify the fees, benefits, services, hours of operation, policies and locations at any time with or without written notice to its members."

There were no separate set of T&C's for lifetime memberships. Note that NW used to let members who were not flying at all to access the clubs (I recall people using the pre-security DCA and SFO clubs without flying). Shouldn't these folks be arguing for those rules??