by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:57 AM ET, Thu December 1, 2022
Due to widespread popularity that resulted in travelers being forced to wait in lines and search for seats, Delta Air Lines revealed its Sky Clubs would be harder to enter in 2023.
Starting next year, Delta Sky Club access will be available to Medallion Members who purchase a Sky Club membership, Diamond Medallion members who select Executive Club access via Choice Benefits, club members flying in Main Cabin or a more premium cabin, customers flying in Delta One and select Medallion members flying in Premium Select internationally and American Express card members with Sky Club access.
To combat overcrowding, Delta announced customers in Atlanta and Detroit would be able to monitor Club availability via the "Delta Sky Club" section of the Fly Delta app, starting next month.
The airline also revealed fees for an annual Club membership would increase, starting on January 1. Prices for individuals will jump from $545 (54,500 miles) to $695 (69,500 miles) and from $845 (84,500 miles) to $1495 (149,500 miles) for executive members.
The fee for companion guests will increase from $39 to $50, or from 3,900 to 5,000 miles for Club members who wish to pay with miles, beginning on February 2.
"Empowering Delta Sky Club customers with greater visibility via the app is a small change that we believe will make a big difference," Delta Sky Club Managing Director Claude Roussel said. "With a digital window into Club occupancy levels, we can give customers more control over their airport journeys and better set expectations when the airport is busy."
In addition, Sky Clubs will roll out a dedicated entry lane for the airline's most frequent fliers at high-capacity airports. Diamond Medallion, Delta 360 members and Delta One customers can take advantage of expedited entry when clubs are at capacity, just as they enjoy prioritized boarding on aircraft.
Since April, Delta Sky Club has opened four new clubs, including its two largest at New York's LaGuardia Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, the airline's only international club at Tokyo's Haneda Airport and a new 22,000-plus-square-foot space at Chicago-O'Hare.
Next February, Delta Sky Club will open its first-ever location at Kansas City International Airport as part of its $1.5 billion infrastructure overhaul. The 11,000-square-foot new club will feature two all-weather Sky Decks.
"It's incredibly important to us that Delta Sky Clubs continue to deliver an industry-leading experience for our guests," Delta Vacations CEO Dwight James said. "While we're thrilled to see so many customers enjoy the fruits of our teams' hard work, our goal now is to balance the popularity of the Clubs with the premium service and atmosphere for which they were designed - and that our guests deserve."
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