jghassell

I'm curious if anyone has received a reply from [email protected], which is where the FAQs on the new policy announcement page direct people to inquire about a prorated refund. I emailed last Wednesday within an hour of getting the email announcement about the policy changes, and I followed up again yesterday. I didn't expect an immediate reply, but I also expect a response within a reasonable timeframe as well, particularly if we have to have a "discussion" as the FAQ entry suggests...

jghassell

I work with data in a tangential industry and I can assure you it is an almost universal truth that in any company, the data you'd expect to be there is almost never there. It may never have been collected in the first place (70%), it might have been collected but not stored for a reasonable length of time (15%), or it may have been collected and stored in a system out of which you can't get any useful information (15%).

Thinking that DL has some sort of image recognition/computer vision system at a club tracking individual visitors to understand the length of their stays, and then having the ability to slice, dice, and wrangle that data in a way that leads them accurately to these conclusions, is fantasy.

jetsfan92588

There's no way Delta would ever release detailed statistics like these to the public, whether it supported their actions or not. They do not have to justify their decisions to you. So, while your conclusion may not necessarily be incorrect, the logic is flawed.

emma dog

That's not at all what I'm thinking, and I, too, work in data analytics. Thanks for the assumptions.

DL knows what flights everyone takes and based on FF number, knows with a high degree of certainty who everyone is. They also know who is entering their clubs and what time with a high degree of certainty. They'd create a join between the two and then easily know:
1) Average time people spend in a club based on entry time and flight departure time
2) Number of people who come into the club after a flight without an onward flight
3) # of guests
4) Day passes, etc.
5) Amex entries vs club memberships
6) Time of day
7) An imperfect estimate of club occupancy which can then be correlated with actual head counts that are done on a regular basis and then modeled
8) Average Delta revenue/earnings based on each type of flyer (to include club fees charged to members vs entry fees paid by Amex)
9) Average food consumption per pax at various times of days and stations

But, hey... yeah. Everything above is a fantasy.

Trust me... DL knows all this stuff and they have some strong analysts working for them in Atlanta. Just because you perceive weak IT capability doesn't mean DL actually has weak IT!!!

UnevenGray

Are you saying this as an assumption or as experience? My buddy worked in RM until very recently, and let me tell you, the quality of analyst was across the board, but the average analyst was mediocre at best. There were, of course, some rockstars.

I'm very willing to bet that this is what actually happened:

• Delta executive says that they should follow Amex's rules because of overcrowding (or Amex executive gives Delta executive this great idea)
• Delta executive asks his/her report "Will this work/Can we do this/Let's do this"
• "[Executive name's] ask" eventually filters its way down middle management to the actual team, and it becomes a red-hot ask to quickly determine if the new rules would reduce visits (note: does not answer the question of if that is the best way to reduce overcrowding)
• Of course those rules will reduce visits
• Team collectively spends several hours and thousands of "salary" dollars putting together a pretty powerpoint about how going to the Amex rules will reduce overcrowding
• Rules get put in place

CO_Nonrev_elite

There should be an exemption for delays and cancelations. If you end up with a 6hr delay and Delta kicks you out of the lounge after 3hrs it defeats one on the main benefits of having the lounge. I get the rules in general, but there should be an exemption for delays and cancellations

Minnyappleus

Per Delta:
What if my flight is delayed?
Flight delays or interruptions will have no impact on Club access, as long as customers enter the Club within three hours of their originally scheduled departure time.

jetsfan92588

Very poorly worded faq answer. Does that mean if the flight is delayed from 2pm to 10pm, I can't enter the SC at 6pm since I didn't enter within 3 hours of originally scheduled time? Does this only apply if I enter within 3 hours before scheduled departure, or within 3 hours on either side?

I feel a lot more for the employees who are going to possibly have to make these calls on their own because the (at least public facing) guidance is lacking a lot of information about things that can happen.

sydneyracquelle

Delta/SC has zero exit controls. Just entry controls. Nowhere has DL or anyone ever suggested that at the 3-hour mark of your visit they will come find you and ask you to leave.

ijgordon

It means you can enter as early as 3 hours before originally scheduled departure. Yes, it could be worded differently to be explicit, but it's quite obvious what the intention is despite your edge case.

Goodoldflyer

I doubt a lot of people believe the part in bold font.

I think we all figure they keep some kind of records of when people enter the club, and likely the conditions under which they do that, be it arrivals, departures, or connections. They likely make some kind of assumptions about how long people stay. They know how much food gets consumed. And they probably have a better idea about all of this than the folks on this site who are "analyzing" the data without any access to it whatsoever, or based on their anecdotal experience or personal desires.

Some folks here are saying "arrivals aren't that big a deal in terms of cost/capacity (but it's a big deal to me)" without any data at all.

Beckles

Nah, it's a problem that is working itself out over time.

AtlantaX

As a valued Delta SkyMiles® Reserve or Reserve Business American Express Card Member, we’re grateful for your loyalty and hope you are enjoying your complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club.

We continue to invest in an elevated experience for you with new and modernized Clubs, robust food and beverage offerings, and premium amenities to enrich the value of Club access. So many of you have shared positive feedback on the benefits of these investments. As even more customers come to value the Delta Sky Club experience and an increasing number of customers return to travel, our Clubs have seen a growing number of guests in recent months.

To help ensure the best possible Delta Sky Club experience for you, we’ll start taking steps to implement the following policy updates beginning on Wednesday, June 1:

• Guests will be able to access Clubs anytime within three hours of their scheduled departure time (and connecting customers can continue to access Clubs at any time prior to departure).
• All departing and connecting customers will have access to Clubs. With the exception of arriving Delta One customers, Club access will be unavailable for arriving customers without a connection.

Rest assured that if your travel is impacted by a flight delay, you can still enter up to three hours from your originally scheduled departure time. If you have a layover, you can use the Club in your connection airport for the full duration of your connection.

You can review Frequently Asked Questions for more details on these policy changes.

Our goal is to ensure that the best Club experience remains available to you, while making certain you can enjoy the service and exclusive atmosphere you’ve come to expect through the Delta Sky Club. As we continue to invest in our long-term growth with bigger and better Clubs across our network, we appreciate your understanding as we strive to balance the popularity of our Clubs with the elevated experience you deserve.

As always, we thank you for being a loyal Card Member and look forward to seeing you in the Club soon.

Sincerely,

Claude Roussel
Managing Director – Delta Sky Club

MSPeconomist

Look at the post you're quoting,. It talks about using the lounge for 5-10 minutes upon arrival.

fsuj25

I will miss the post flight stops to get ice for my water bottle.