Comments on: Delta is making BIG changes to Delta Sky Club access from 2023

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 23:57:05 +0000

Also as a qualifying Diamond Medallion (earned every year since 2018) with an annual spend of approx. $22k and MQMs that exceeded 250k the past two years, this is a HUGE slap in the face. I travel extensively for work and personal travel—mostly international. To say I’ve ‘earned’ my status, is an understatement. This sort of devaluation of the top status is just one of many reasons I will start to focus on moving my travel over to United. I have Premier 1K status with them, and their perks are starting to leave Delta in the dust. As a solo traveler, if Delta removes the Choice benefit of selecting a Sky Club individual membership for Diamond Medallion AND removes access to Sky Lounges when traveling internationally (if not in a premium class), then they’ve removed all the remaining value that kept me loyal to them after the last wave of devaluating perks (aka making Global Upgrade Certificates only available to upgrade one class). I hope they get a ton of bad press and backlash from other elite members. Why not remove perks from the lower ‘entry-level’ elite tiers like Gold? Or if you’re pushing it—Platinum as well. This new move simply doesn’t make sense—if the excuse is to alleviate overcrowding in lounges. Most of the Sky lounge crowding I experience at my home airport (in Austin, TX) is from active duty military and family members who are ‘gifted’ complimentary access to the lounge. Perhaps it’s quite noticeable due to the close proximity to the world’s largest US Army base, Fort Hood, just an hour north of this airport. I’ve seen 70% of the lounge filled at various times with military travelers. This is not to say some also don’t have elite status and qualify due to international travel—but when I see a family of 4-6 (with young children) enter the lounge at once, it’s hard to believe premium class tickets were purchased or each flyer has elite status. What makes this an even more outrageous change is the fact that my European coworkers with KLM elite plus status or coworkers who have ‘purchased’ a Amex Platinum card will be able to access the same Sky Lounges during international travel without change but I won’t be able to—without purchasing a membership or electing to ‘purchase’ an Amex Platinum card. Something tells me Delta knows quite well what they’re doing will NOT alleviate any of the crowding in Sky lounges around the globe. This is simply some ploy to appear to resolve a problem they have no intentions of truly addressing. Thanks to this latest round of insulting changes, I now get a jumpstart on planning my international travel and switch to other airline loyalty programs for the 2024 Status year.

By: Don

Don — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 21:23:26 +0000

As a multi-year diamond and million-miler I continue to ask what’s the point of maintaining my status with this airline as they continue to devalue perks and benefits. This is a bad decision because a) I’m guessing that a high percentage of people accessing the lounges are Amex card holders already so this move won’t have a huge impact on over crowding and b) it sends a clear message that Delta values it’s relationship with Amex in much higher regard than it does its customers who spend thousands of dollars per year. Delta needs to be careful about commoditizing air travel even further because from my experience American and United consistently are priced under Delta. If they really want to reduce overcrowding they need to limit access of the Amex holders.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 20:40:43 +0000

For 20+ years I had club access for the amount I flew each year. Cutting back a few years ago has kept me at Platinum. (Deltas gray status. Not good enough for real benefits but the occasional upgrade).

Club access became the DO Reserve card. Since I don’t bring guests, don’t drink alcohol and rarely eat much, I’m a profitable date for Delta.

The rule that bothered me more was arrival Club access and occasionally pre departure limits. I don’t have a club at my home airport and occasionally need to work on arrival or during a trip getting to the airport early. This change devalued benefits for me.

As a Million Miler, the loss of the international lounge flying coach or Comfort + (really coach+) was the only real gold benefit left.

Guess I’ll keep Gold on Emirates

By: Ziggy

Ziggy — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 19:01:54 +0000

In reply to RaflW. Delta elites cannot rely on their SkyTeam status to get them into Sky Cubs any more (like AA elites cannot rely on their oneWorld status to access domestic lounges). My understanding is that access for SkyTeam elites from other airlines remains unaffected.

By: RaflW

RaflW — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:49:09 +0000

How does this fit with the SkyTeam lounge policy? “SkyTeam opens its doors to Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers at more than 750 lounges worldwide.”

Is Delta going to force thru a policy change there? And to do this at the end of a qualifying year, after most of the fare dollars and miles are flown. I’m really grumpy.

By: Babblespeak

Babblespeak — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 17:38:18 +0000

Yep. AMEX says yay! The other winner is Delta. Higher fees with no change in the number of lounge users admitted means more revenue for the same product, and they get to market “we tried.”