How to Get Delta Sky Club Lounge Access

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There once was a time when Delta Sky Clubs were nothing to write home about, but those lackluster lounges are being phased out for high-caliber dining, drinking, socializing, and working destinations with striking interior design. 

Delta has more than 50 Sky Clubs across 35 domestic airports, plus a new international lounge in Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Access is granted via Sky Club memberships, bookings in Delta One (or a comparable cabin on a Delta partner), credit card holders, and certain tiers of elite status.

There is one major downside to consider: the Sky Clubs are notorious for overcrowding, and because of that, Delta has implemented an entrance limitation to three hours before your departure (excluding layovers). Delta also revamped its entrance policies to limit the number of passengers who have access. Still, if you happen to be in an airport with a newer Sky Club—and you still have access—it's certainly worth your time to stop in.

Inside a Delta Lounge

Delta Sky Clubs, on the whole, offer the standard suite of lounge amenities; free food and drink (including alcoholic beverages), free WiFi, and a variety of seating types. Some of the larger lounges include special amenities like showers, Sky Decks (outdoor spaces), rotating art exhibitions, and made-to-order food stations highlighting local cuisine (tacos at LAX, for example).

Seating in Delta Sky Clubs 

Seating varies per Sky Club, though each lounge offers multiple types of seating. Older lounges might only have dining tables, leather club chairs, and bar stools, while newer lounges have everything from hanging egg chairs (at the LAX Sky Deck) to restaurant-style banquettes. The newer lounges almost always have power outlets accessible from every seat, which is not the case in older lounges.

Wifi

Wifi is fast and free at Delta Sky Clubs, with a password that usually changes monthly. Download and upload speeds often exceed 100 Mbps.

Amenities in Delta Sky Clubs 

Amenities at the Delta Sky Clubs can be a little bit limited compared to the greatest lounges in the world: don't expect flashy extras like spas, gyms, or seated restaurants. Older lounges are simple and don't offer much beyond a buffet, a bar, WiFi, and magazines and newspapers. But the newer lounges are much improved, with private phone booths, wireless phone chargers, television zones, and art exhibitions. The pinnacle amenities of Sky Clubs, however, is the Sky Deck, which you can find at ATL, LAX, LGA, JFK, and SLC. These all-season outdoor spaces have a variety of seating options — most with views of the runway — and sometimes even outdoor bars.

Food in Delta Sky Clubs 

Delta Sky Clubs serve food all day via a hot and cold buffet. Some lounges have made-to-order food stations serving a local delicacy (noodles in Tokyo, tacos in Los Angeles) or mealtime stables (omelets in Tampa). 

Breakfasts include a continental spread plus hot menu items like quiche, pre-made omelets, and sausage. Lunch and dinner usually feature a salad bar, charcuterie and cheese, soup, sandwiches, and hot food from mac and cheese to sweet-and-sour chicken. Some alcoholic beverages are free for patrons of the Sky Club, including beer, wine, sparkling wine, and house spirits. 

There are premium drinks available for a fee, whether that's dollars or SkyMiles, such as craft cocktails, high-end wine, and spirits like Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky. Prices are generally pretty low compared to what you'd find at an airport bar, from $4.5 or 300 miles for a premium craft beer to an entire bottle of Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame for $249 or 16,600 miles (pending availability).

Showers

Delta has showers in its Sky Clubs at ATL, BOS, ORD, DTW, LAX, JFK, SFO, and SEA. They currently feature Grown Alchemist amenities.

Domestic vs. international Delta Sky Clubs 

Delta has just one international lounge: the SkyClub at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, which opened in July 2022. From a design and amenities standpoint, it's on par with Delta's fancier domestic Sky Clubs, including the new lounges at LaGuardia and LAX. And like those Sky Clubs, Haneda's facility highlights local food and beverage, from a selection of complimentary sake to a made-to-order noodle bar.

Delta One Lounges

In May 2022, Delta announced its first two Delta One Lounges, reserved exclusively for Delta One passengers. The first will open at JFK's Terminal 4 in 2023, while the second will open at LAX's Terminal 3 in 2024. Delta hasn't released much information beyond that; we know that the JFK lounge will be 36,000 square feet, while the LAX one will be 10,000 square feet.

Airports with a Delta Lounge 

Delta has Sky Clubs in 35 domestic airports and one international one (Tokyo Haneda). Learn more about its flagship lounges below.

JFK

JFK currently has two Sky Clubs: one in Terminal 2 and one in Terminal 4. Terminal 2 is a spacious lounge, but it lacks windows—it's located in the center of the terminal, and it has an indoor terrace that opens into the main terminal. Terminal 4 has the superior Sky Club, thanks to Delta's $3.8 billion renovation of the terminal, which included updates to the lounge. The 24,000 square space includes various seating areas, including quite a few workstations and a TV room, plus a marble buffet, a full bar, and showers. But the highlight is the Sky Deck, which was once pretty lackluster but now features greenery, more aesthetically pleasing seating options, and shade.

Atlanta

Atlanta has not one, but nine Sky Clubs—that's perhaps unsurprising, given that it's Delta's main hub. While frequent flyers can argue all day long about which Sky Club is superior, there's no doubt that the Concourse B lounge is the flagship. For starters, it's the largest at nearly 25,000 square feet, and it's also the tallest and brightest, with light streaming through the clerestory windows. It has all the Sky Club standards, from showers to a buffet, but it does lack a Sky Deck. For that, you'll have to head to Concourse F.

LAX

LAX, like JFK, is a major focus for Delta in terms of infrastructure upgrades; the airline is investing $2.3 billion into renovations. The Sky Club in Terminal 3, which opened in April 2022,  is a vast improvement on the two smaller lounges in Terminal 2 (just one of those remains open for passenger overflow). There's more than 30,000 square feet of space, including a large Sky Deck with an outdoor bar, plus special seating areas like the Coffee Grotto with a '40s-inspired mosaic wall that recalls the glamor of the Beverly Hills Hotel. There are two dining areas, one of which has a made-to-order taco stand, as well as bonus amenities like showers, a TV area, and private phone booths.

Seattle

Seattle's Sky Club has long been a favorite of Delta Medallion members, primarily for its floor-to-ceiling windows that fill a double-height (or maybe even triple-height) space. The 21,000-square-foot lounge has all the important details like showers, a buffet, and a bar, but it also has a mezzanine floor with additional seating and art installations that are a popular place to relax in peace. The decor may not be as eye-catching as some of the newer Sky Clubs, but the views here make a visit worth it.

SLC

Opened in September 2020, Salt Lake City has one of the newer Sky Clubs in the collection, and it's certainly an impressive one. At 28,000 square feet, it has plenty of room for two bars, two buffets, a Sky Deck, and numerous seating areas—including one around a 360-degree fireplace. It's an extremely well-laid-out lounge that feels more private than other Sky Clubs, even though they're all roughly the same size.

LGA

LaGuardia has made leaps and bounds in recent years, and its new Sky Club is the latest advancement. Opened in June 2022, the lounge will be the largest in the Delta Sky Club ecosystem once it's complete, at 34,800 square feet, with two buffets, one bar, and vast seating areas surrounded by museum-worthy New York–inspired art. As of November 2022, the Sky Club is awaiting an expansion that will include a 1,800-foot Sky Deck and a second bar.

Membership

Credit cards

Several credit cards get you access to Delta Sky Clubs.

The Centurion Card by American Express: The cardholder receives free entrance into the lounges when flying on a same-day Delta or WestJet flight. They can also bring two guests with them for $50 or 5,000 SkyMiles per guest per visit.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Premium cabin tickets

Any passenger flying in Delta One, both domestically and internationally, is granted access to Delta Sky Clubs. Passengers flying in first or business class on an international SkyTeam flight are also granted access. But passengers flying in first class domestically on Delta are not granted access to Delta Sky Clubs. 

Elite status

Passengers with SkyTeam Elite Plus status earned through airlines other than Delta are granted access to Delta Sky Clubs when flying SkyTeam in any cabin, but only before departure, not upon arrival. Delta's own elites, however, are not permitted to enter Sky Clubs without a yearly membership or an eligible credit card. (Through 2022, Delta Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members were able to enter Delta Sky Clubs when flying internationally on any SkyTeam flight in any cabin, or when flying domestically on SkyTeam and connecting to/from a same-day international SkyTeam flight, again in any cabin. But that entry was scrapped to reduce overcrowding in Sky Clubs.)  

Delta Diamond Medallions can select anExecutive Sky Club annual membership through the Choice Benefits program. They will have to use all three of their Choice Benefits to select this membership, which allows them to bring two guests into the lounge with them for free.

Yearly memberships for Delta Sky Club access 

There are two types of yearly memberships—Individual and Executive—and they are only available to Delta elites, from Silver Medallions to Diamond Medallions.Individual Memberships cost $695, $69,500 miles; they allow free entrance to the member only when they're flying on a same-day Delta or SkyTeam flight. Individual Members can also purchase guest passes for up to two guests at $50 per guest per visit. Executive Memberships cost $1,495, 149,500 miles; they allow free entrance to the member and two guests. Executive Members can also purchase additional guest passes for up to two more guests at $50 per guest per visit. Note that passengers with Sky Club memberships will be denied entrance if they are booked on a basic economy fare—you must be flying Main Cabin or higher in order to use your Sky Club membership.

Day passes for Delta Sky Clubs 

Delta used to offer Single Visit Passes to its Sky Clubs for $59 or 5,000 SkyMiles, but it discontinued the program in 2018.

Priority Pass

Priority Pass memberships do not include entrance into Delta Sky Clubs.

Bottom line

Delta's lounges, like its aircraft, are a mixed bag, but they're improving greatly. There are some older, more bare-bones Sky Clubs that simply provide quiet space to work or relax, with a small buffet and a self-service bar, but those are a dying breed. Delta's newest Sky Clubs are world-class marvels that emphasize bright and airy interior design, outdoor spaces, art exhibitions, and local food and beverage offerings.

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^{Going has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Going and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of all of the card offers that appear on this page are from advertisers; compensation may affect how and where the cards appear on the site; and Going does not include all card companies are all available card offers.}