The free food, booze, and quiet space that Delta Air Lines passengers have long had access to before their flights will be drastically reduced in the upcoming years.
The Atlanta-based airline said that it would limit the number of entries into its Sky Clubs for owners of both the American Express Platinum Card and the Delta Reserve American Express Card beginning on February 1, 2025.
Six trips will be permitted annually for Platinum Card holders, and ten visits will be permitted annually for Delta Reserve Card holders.
Beginning January 1, 2024, anyone who books a basic economy ticket will no longer be permitted in Delta’s lounges, regardless of whether they have a Platinum Card or any other high-end credit card.
The news originally leaked on a Portuguese-language website and was confirmed by a Delta spokesman.
The news may not come as a surprise to Delta customers who have visited a Sky Club at Delta’s major hubs like JFK Airport or Atlanta, where lines to access Sky Clubs have been a common occurrence.
Delta is poised to open a second lounge in Terminal 4 at JFK to relieve some of the original club’s overcrowding.
The Platinum Card has become American Express’ most popular product, despite its high annual fee, among Millennials and Gen-Z, partially due to its travel perks.
Free lounge access to Delta’s Sky Clubs has long been one of the biggest selling points for American Express to justify its high annual fee to card members, and it’s likely to result in AmEx’s customers potentially reevaluating paying for the card each year.
The only ways to access the lounge without a premium AmEx card were by flying business or first class or by paying $695 annually for a membership.
The 15 Centurion-branded airport lounges owned and run by American Express are unaffected by the news.
According to a statement from AmEx, “the vast majority” of cardholders would still have access to the Sky Clubs, depending on how frequently they fly, despite the modifications.
Customers of AmEx will also receive unrestricted access to lounges if they charge $75,000 or more on their card each year, which is significantly more than the average AmEx cardholder charges.
Along with cutting back on the lounges, Delta is also making it harder for its customers to be eligible for status in its SkyMiles program.
The only factor used to determine a passenger’s status with Delta will now be how much money they spend with the company, not how many miles they fly with the airline.
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