Delta Air Lines has done a great job at building Sky Clubs that travelers actually want to visit.
From brand-new outposts popping up around the country to expanded facilities in major airports, the Sky Club network keeps getting better. But what if you’re in a rush and don’t have time to stop at the lounge? Or what if there’s a long line to get into the lounge (a frequent occurrence, particularly when flying with Delta)?
The Atlanta-based carrier has an exciting new solution.
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Delta is opening “grab-and-go” areas within two of its most popular lounges. It’s part of a pilot program that’s testing a new concept the carrier might roll out more broadly, Delta’s managing director for Sky Clubs, Claude Roussel, said Tuesday in an interview with TPG.
These “grab-and-go” areas will open in May in the lobby areas of the Sky Clubs in the following two airports.
- Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Concourse B.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Terminal 4, Concourse B.
Delta recently finalized the menu for its takeaway food options, and it’ll include (at minimum) sandwiches, fruits and snacks, as well as a selection of drinks, Roussel said. He teased that there “will be a lot of [food] options there.”
“Often enough, we see that people are going in the lounge, using the bathroom, grabbing a cup of coffee, grabbing a fruit and coming out,” Roussel told TPG. “So this will give them the opportunity to just get what they want.”
During the test, Delta will install air screens to demarcate the “grab-and-go” areas within the Sky Club. Based on how the pilot goes, the airline will open more of these concepts nationwide — and not necessarily just within existing Sky Clubs.
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This way, flyers would have more lounge options when flying with Delta, and the airline doesn’t need to find massive spaces within the busiest airports to build more full-fledged lounges.
Notably, the airline is still working out what it’ll call this offering. (The “Sky Club Express” moniker is already in use for temporary lounge spaces in Boston and New York.)
This trial isn’t coming at the expense of any other investments in the Sky Club network, Roussel confirmed to TPG. The airline is charging ahead with blockbuster growth in 2023 (and beyond) for its airport lounges.
The grab-and-go concept for airport lounges has soared in popularity in recent years.
Major airlines, including Air Canada, Lufthansa and United Airlines, have embraced this idea, opening dedicated lounges stocked with takeaway food and drinks at some of their busiest hubs.
Meanwhile, Capital One’s first lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) features a special “grab-and-go” fridge that’s filled with juices, sandwiches and other snacks packaged specifically for consumption before or during the flight.
These grab-and-go offerings are a win-win for travelers and airlines. Travelers can enjoy a “visit” to the lounge when they’re in a rush, and airlines can use this concept to help combat overcrowding. For Delta passengers, this will mean that you can grab a bite to eat without waiting in line to use the lounge itself.
If I had to choose between waiting in line to enter the Sky Club or heading straight to the lobby to grab a snack, I’d probably go with the latter — especially before a short domestic flight.
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