VFR

JFK definitely gets a Delta One lounge (because it's been announced) because JFK has a lot of transatlantic flights (17 year-round destinations by my count, multiple frequencies on several, and 4 more seasonal). Assuming close partner airlines will use it, add in KL and LA.

LAX has PVG, HND, and SYD... I would bet LHR comes back at some point, not sure about CDG. That's not that many, but I still think they get a D1 lounge, but mostly because AA has a Flagship Lounge and UA has a Polaris Lounge.

ATL has a ton of destinations worldwide, but a lot less competition, it's kind of the opposite of LAX. I would bet they still get a D1 lounge for product consistency and because it's headquarters.

SEA is a question mark... they don't have a ton of long-haul flights, they've vacillated on whether the transcons are D1 or First Class with lie-flat seats, and their lounge competition (AS and BA) is weaker than the Sky Club.

BOS is another question mark. They are building up transatlantic flights (including moving them to Terminal E). The BA lounge in BOS is wonderful and beats the Sky Club easily (and the AF lounge is a dungeon). The AA / UA lounges are nice for what they are, but AA/UA only compete on BOS-LHR. JetBlue still has no lounges.

DTW I could see going either way as well. A lot of transatlantic and transpacific traffic, but DL dominated.

MSP and SLC heavily skew domestic and don't have much competition, to the Sky Club with you!

So you end up with 3 - 6 Delta One Lounges... AA has 5 Flagship Lounges (+1 if they ever open PHL), and United has 5 Polaris Lounges.

USCTrojan83

Plus 8+ flights a day to JFK, all of which offer D1 service. Maybe a couple other domestic D1 branded routes but not sure offhand.

VFR

AA offers Flagship Lounge access on transcons, but UA does not. My suspicion is that DL will let transcon D1 into the new lounges but who knows.

MSPeconomist

This would be part of being competitive on the LAX-JFK and vv route. If certain other hubs like SEA and ATL don't have a D1 lounge, it wouldn't matter as much for some routes, although if there's a D1 lounge at JFK, it would be hard to permit only some D1 routes touching JFK to use that lounge.

Pianoman109876

Just an FYI… the main club (large one with showers) is undergoing maintenance (AKA limited food for the next few weeks). The new A43 club is, as a result, ALWAYS full. So if you want any semblance of hot foot, you better be prepared to schlep over to B/C or end-cap A club, where hot food is limited at best (only one hot pork dish tonight).

rylan

BOS is finishing renovations on the satellite A17 club, which supports some of the TATL traffic - less now that AMS/CDG/LHR now depart from E instead of A. There isn't any space left in A either for more lounge space without major construction. DL definitely needs a club in E, since they're reliant on the AF lounge which is garbage, especially for pax with D1 tickets. Hopefully when the E 'expansion' opens, DL will have a SC there, or at least AF will have a larger better one. The VS clubhouse in BOS is great but just too small to support DL pax. Maybe I can dream and VS will open a large clubhouse as part of the E terminal expansion and DL pax can access it for E departures.

ChurnieEls

Well this is pretty draconian if its across the board:

https://thriftytraveler.com/news/air...-access-rules/

Essentially the same as the Centurion access rules;

• Can only access 3hrs prior to departure
• No arrivals access

I can't imagine this not having a carve out for members/Reserve cardholders.

Adelphos

Not having arrivals access hurts the most. Honestly when I do this, it is usually to grab a snack and restroom break before heading on to the location, 30 minutes at the most.

Not sure why people would need more than three hours of SkyClub access before a domestic departure - that seems reasonable to me.

Would love to see an original source

javabytes

https://www.delta.com/us/en/delta-sky-club/access

buckeye91

I'm happy with the new Sky Club access changes. I know not all aren't for legitimate reasons. Overcrowding has become so significant that most times I find it more relaxing to sit in the terminal. In addition, there are plenty of folks that take advantage of the situation, most of us have seen this.

3 hours is plenty for me domestically plus the flexibility regarding time with connections. Lots of lounge lizards out there. It's always a few that the cause the changes for all

Goodoldflyer

I'm wondering how many people this even affects.

Adelphos

A lot of detail in the FAQ as well. May merit a new thread, or at least thread title

javabytes

Losing access on arrival is a big loss for business travelers who no longer have the opportunity to clean up after a long flight before heading to a customer site.

ChurnieEls

I suspect the ability to drop into a SkyClub after a flight to catch up on some work before you head to your final destination is a big attraction to the memberships. Nixing that will push a lot of business travelers to AA/UA I suspect.

Adelphos

This is a good point. To me this suggests that SkyClubs, similar to Centurion Lounge, are targeted more to a mass luxury, leisure customer rather than pure business travelers these days. On the other hand, I think same day business travel is down - increasingly people are flying a day or two before.