(Line for the @Delta Sky Club at JFK T4 is insane)
Posted on 01/12/2023 10:52:32 AM PST by where's_the_Outrage?
Delta employees will be barred from the airline's Sky Club lounges unless they pay for a ticket.
That means flight attendants and pilots will not be permitted access when flying standby for free.
The airline is working to fix long lines and overcrowding at its popular airport lounges.
Delta employees will no longer be able to access the airline's popular Sky Club lounges unless traveling on a paid ticket, the airline told staff in an email sent Thursday.
The controversial changes come as Delta struggles to combat overcrowding in the lounges, first announcing major restrictions on which passengers can buy annual memberships to the clubs back in November while significantly raising yearly fees.
"If you've visited a club recently, you may have seen lines out the door and guests — including our 360 and Diamond Medallion Members — waiting for seats once inside," the email said, according to a screenshot obtained by Insider. "This is not the experience our best customers want to have, nor the one we wish to deliver."
(Line for the @Delta Sky Club at JFK T4 is insane)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
But I've experienced crowded lounges for multiple Airlines and countries in the past several years.
I lived at TWA’s Ambassador Club growing up. Great memories.
Just make a rule forcing everyone to wear face masks in the Sky Club and the problem solves itself.
Buy a refundable fare ticket. Then cancel it when you get a seat assignment.
It’s been a while but I used to fly about 20 weeks a year up until 2017 or so. The lounges at all the major airports were generally quite crowded even back then. One of the reasons was that anyone with a Platinum Amex Card could gain entry, even if you were flying coach. So lots of business travelers or people with the credit and $400 a year to pay for the Platinum card could enter. Heck I’m not even sure you had to be on a Delta flight. The card alone just got you in.
Sure it is a nice perk, but not how the clubs used to operate. It used to be for people like me who racked up millions of air miles.
When I was with American, I don’t remember having access to the clubs flying non-revenue. Probably would have drank myself into a stupor.
“Buy a refundable fare ticket. Then cancel it “
I actually did that, but it was more to get into the terminal. An Army bud had a 5 hour layover near my home so I met him at inside the terminal and took him to the skyclub (which I have membership), the place was packed.
What really surprised me was that I went to the Skyclub counter to cancel my flight and the rep said she did not have that capability, I would have to call delta on the phone. Afterwards I complained to the Delta and the customer service rep was flabbergasted that the club could not provide that service.
Next up, Delta execs griping that they can’t get enough competent workers.
In the good old days you had to have a business class ticket to use the business. Then they sold memberships. It went down hill when they started giving away memberships with credit cards.
Is there an open bar and free food in the Sky Club? If not, what’s the big deal?
Reminds me of a return trip on American 1st class ticket. I was the 2nd person to board the jet, and all the overhead storage in first class was full. All bags had CREW tags on them. Yep, employees deadheading back to Dallas from St Louis. Man was I pissed!
Yes and Yes.
Most also have showers, nice to have when traveling 20+ hours.
Agreed. The credit card perk was what put it over the top.
I’m a frequent flier but not at the level where you don’t pay for anything, so I buy a yearly membership because it’s worth it to me to be able to hang out there between flights. I usually pay with miles.
I don’t know if they can undo the credit card thing, though. These places are getting very crowded.
This was a good perk pre-Covid. I’m almost a Delta million-miler. Last couple times trying to use the lounges found them suddenly extremely overcrowded. Seemed to happen from one week to the next, not sure what changed so quickly.
I put over one million frequent flyer miles on the board in my work career and never joined an airline club, I would get invites to join but never did, I never saw the value versus buying a beer at the bar in nearly every major US Airport
The rest of the airport was so nice (Tokyo Haneda) with reasonably priced shops, restaurants, exhibits and the like that I never even got around to checking in the longue.
They have this weird notion over there that customers are to be served and enticed, not herded like cattle.
As one who frequents airport lounges, this is starting to become a big problem with overcrowding.
Kind of like what happened with TSA Pre-Check, now so many people have it, it’s basically defeating the purpose.
I must say though the Capital One Lounge at DFW Airport is really nice.
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