What has happened to loyalty?
#16
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, GlobalEntry, Admirals Club, United Club
Posts: 1,930
So finally made diamond for the first time and also hit 1 million miles. Used the awards to get the sky lounge pass. And also reduced my Amex from Plat to gold as I don't really pay for much myself anymore and it was a waste of money. A few weeks ago, returning from Munich I went to the lounge but was refused entrance because I was only in Comfort Plus, and this lounge was only for Delta 1st. Was then told if I had purchased the SAME ticket through KLM or Air France, I could have had access even in coach. Then to rub salt into the wound, some young guy walks up and because he had the Platinum Amex card he was allowed entry!!!. Oh and as a nice person he asked them if I could go in as his guest. And that was ok!. So Delta now puts revenue from Amex above loyalty?
Not sure why the age of the guy walking in matters. Unless he was 15 years old, that doesn't seem notable.
#17
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC, BOS, ORD
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM
Posts: 840
#18
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3,097
#19
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3,097
I am pretty sure it will not matter if it's a DL operated flight. Operating carrier is what determines lounge access in this case, and DL does not pay for sky team elite plus access to third party lounges, regardless of which program they get the status from.
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 26,956
Correct. If OP had been flying AF/KL then he'd get access as STE+. Delta however only provides it for STE+ (regardless of which airline status is with) to third party lounges when passenger is in J.
#21
Join Date: May 2004
Location: formerly Gold now Diamond, formerly MSY, now LAX, formerly NW, now DL
Programs: Hyatt Plat, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, Delta Diamond/1MM
Posts: 4,635
This is not new but I still think it's totally lame and very cheap for Delta. HND for example is such a biz airport (hopefully, if they actually have 5 more flights, the will open their own lounge or maybe SkyTeam would actually do something and open a co-operated one), which only D1 get a lounge. My Chase Sapphire Researve/PP helps most places (BRU is my other regular airport) but not HND. FYI, the PP lounge in TPE has amazing beef noodle soup, much better than the CI lounge.
#22
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3,097
That's kind of a weird way of putting it, since in those cases the passenger's STE+ status doesn't have anything to do with why DL is paying for their lounge access. They pay for access for ALL passengers in J regardless of status.
#23
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3,097
This is not new but I still think it's totally lame and very cheap for Delta. HND for example is such a biz airport (hopefully, if they actually have 5 more flights, the will open their own lounge or maybe SkyTeam would actually do something and open a co-operated one), which only D1 get a lounge. My Chase Sapphire Researve/PP helps most places (BRU is my other regular airport) but not HND. FYI, the PP lounge in TPE has amazing beef noodle soup, much better than the CI lounge.
#24
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Delta DM, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, National EE, AS MVP Gold 75K, AC 75K
Posts: 995
#25
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC, BOS, ORD
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM
Posts: 840
There is an AF/KL operated lounge but it's not accessible to the Delta gate (separate sterile areas - though if it was accessible this customer would have had entry). The lounge in question was a third party lounge, which evidently was displaying the AF/KL logos on the sign of airlines that use the lounge