Sky Club Access questions (June 2022 onward)
May 4, 2022, 8:49 am
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
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Posts: 16,376
Sky Club Access questions (June 2022 onward)
Starting June 1, most arriving passengers (except Delta One pax, Delta 360, and Amex Centurion cardholders) will lose the ability to access Sky Clubs on arrival.
Departing passengers will be able to access the Sky Club starting three hours before departure. Connecting passengers will be able to use the Sky Club during connections regardless of connection time. (But in a special twist of the knife for travelers with a same-day return, the time in between your arrival and return flight is not considered a connection.)
https://www.delta.com/us/en/delta-sky-club/access
Departing passengers will be able to access the Sky Club starting three hours before departure. Connecting passengers will be able to use the Sky Club during connections regardless of connection time. (But in a special twist of the knife for travelers with a same-day return, the time in between your arrival and return flight is not considered a connection.)
https://www.delta.com/us/en/delta-sky-club/access
Last edited by javabytes; May 4, 2022 at 10:22 am
May 4, 2022, 8:58 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2021
Programs: Marriott Ambassador - Delta Diamond - United Silver - Frontier 100k - Sixt Plat
Posts: 581
I'm not a business traveler but even I use arrival access just to use the restroom and grab a snack on the way out. I assume they did a study to figure out what is causing the overcrowding I just can't imagine people are sitting 3+ hours in the lounge. Is arrivals that bad though? Losing that might make me not even bother renewing my executive club membership since I have the reserve card.
They should have just pony'd up and tiered access for paid club members, benefit club members, then card members. To be honest though the changes they are putting in require no IT changes though, just the rep telling them "sorry no access"
They should have just pony'd up and tiered access for paid club members, benefit club members, then card members. To be honest though the changes they are putting in require no IT changes though, just the rep telling them "sorry no access"
May 4, 2022, 9:00 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
I literally just paid my Delta Reserve Amex fee, and frequently use the club on arrival (usually for 5-10 minutes to complete quick work tasks or grab a bite). This is a big change for me. I called Amex to complain and they said they had no idea what I was talking about, so seems like Delta did it unilaterally. I asked Amex to see if I could get some partial refund of the fee given the change and was told to kick rocks. CFPB complaints filed.
May 4, 2022, 9:03 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: CLT
Programs: US CP, SPG Gold
Posts: 600
I use the Sky Club frequently upon arrival in airports with them to use the facilities and grab a decent cup of coffee to go. For $845/year I expect what I had. I will seek a partial refund. This fundamentally changes the value proposition of the membership for me - -the point for me to pay for the club was to be able to go into the club whenever I had a DL itinerary, not to micromanage my departure and arrival times and also lose access to a decent bathroom and a cup of joe on my way to a meeting or customer site.
May 4, 2022, 9:05 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,968
Aside from just using the restroom and grabbing a snack (which I have done on occasion), arrival access is definitely useful for those situations where you may have some time to kill before a meeting and it's too early to check into a hotel (or you have time to kill and don't have time to make a pit stop at your hotel on the way). This is definitely a disappointing change; on the other hand we know certain SkyClubs have definitely been having capacity issues, particularly as of late.
May 4, 2022, 9:08 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: ORD / MDW / FLL
Programs: DL DM/1MM, AA EXP, SPG Platinum, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 2,295
So, we are all (myself included) moaning and groaning about how overcrowded the SCs have become, the indignity of having to queue in-line to wait to get in, limited seating in pack clubs and so on. Yet, here we are upset that DL has taken a step to try and get their hands around the situation. We can't have it both ways. If folks use the SCs in a way that DL will no longer permit it seems reasonable for them to reevaluate their value of their membership investment, but not to flame DL for trying something to get a handle on the crowds.
May 4, 2022, 9:09 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 608
I rarely stop upon arrival, I don't think this will affect me. However, I would have preferred they make an exception for a domestic overnight flight. Often there is no food served on those red-eyes. Nice to freshen up with coffee and a snack before leaving the airport.
May 4, 2022, 9:09 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2022
Programs: DL, UA, AA
Posts: 2,002
From the reaction here, this certainly seems like it will have an effect.
It won't affect my current use of the clubs, as I'm usually leaving the airport at my final destination as quickly as possible.
Is this really some folks' primary use of skyclubs?
It won't affect my current use of the clubs, as I'm usually leaving the airport at my final destination as quickly as possible.
Is this really some folks' primary use of skyclubs?
May 4, 2022, 9:11 am
#13
Join Date: Mar 2021
Programs: Marriott Ambassador - Delta Diamond - United Silver - Frontier 100k - Sixt Plat
Posts: 581
So, we are all (myself included) moaning and groaning about how overcrowded the SCs have become, the indignity of having to queue in-line to wait to get in, limited seating in pack clubs and so on. Yet, here we are upset that DL has taken a step to try and get their hands around the situation. We can't have it both ways. If folks use the SCs in a way that DL will no longer permit it seems reasonable for them to reevaluate their value of their membership investment, but not to flame DL for trying something to get a handle on the crowds.
May 4, 2022, 9:11 am
#14
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 225
This seems pretty extreme, and I wonder how much it will actually help. I can't imagine that many people are accessing a SkyClub more than 3 hours before their flight or are spending a long time in a Club on arrival. My uninformed guess is that people on layovers are clogging up the spaces, and these measures wouldn't even address that.
May 4, 2022, 9:12 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: CLT
Programs: US CP, SPG Gold
Posts: 600
Arrival use isn't primary but that doesn't mean secondary uses aren't a factor in deciding whether to pay for membership.
I would grumble but accept the changes if I got complimentary membership through a credit card, but I paid out of pocket in December to join, so this is half the membership period that had the terms materially changed.
I would grumble but accept the changes if I got complimentary membership through a credit card, but I paid out of pocket in December to join, so this is half the membership period that had the terms materially changed.