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My wife and I recently got off the Holland America Eurodam. We got off the ship as some of the last to go ashore as we did not need to rush to get to the airport. So much so that in my estimation we would be through security with about 4 hour to spare before our flight. We were looking forward to checking out the Delta Sky Club as I had been told good things about this new-ish club. But can you guess what happened next?
Once again I am, for now, a Delta Diamond Medallion and have been for a long, long time. I am also a Delta million miler and my wife and I were flying in 1st class. When we went to check in at the club, presenting each our own Amex Business Platinum cards, the lounge dragon told us to come back, we were too early – in maybe about an hour.
I asked about the new relaxed rules for entry and she was firm and said NO!
- Great!
- Strive for Zero!
- #KeepDescending worthy!
We tucked our elite heads low and wandered off into the packed Delta terminal 2 (a big box) at Fort Lauderdale and tried to find a seat to charge up our devices and get some work done.
What we got to enjoy was nearly an endless stream of loud gate announcements and folks watching movies without headphones and competing music from overhead and bars around the area. So relaxing.
Then there was this lovely family with little brother kicking a ball in a Walmart plastic bag loudly all around the area while his sister sat upside down in the chair putting her feet all over the place they should not be – the parents could not have cared less.
- Once again remind me why I should be a Delta Diamond Medallion?
After duly waiting for an hour, now with a mild headache from all the noise and distractions, we made our way to the Delta Sky Club again. The dragon was gone and despite being a bit outside the three-hour window at this point we were welcomed in.
The club is upstairs and accessible via a slow elevator or a few flights of stairs. Being blocked from entering the club a little early I expected it to be packed to the gills after being so hard and firm about the “old” three-hour entrance rule but I instead was shocked to find this:
Yep. A mostly empty open and pleasant club awaited us. May I also add a quite pleasant club with very tall ceilings making the space feel huge. Plus the views are nice as well.
Below is where I did not want to be but I do appreciate the reminder that my loyalty is not valued with Delta.
This is not a huge club but toward the back there are ample drink options as well as a well-stocked and well-maintained buffet.
There are very few self service bars remaining in the Delta club system and this one had two friendly bar tenders who were very busy.
Unlike many clubs, the wifi printer was easy to find just next to the bar. While I rarely have need of one it is great Delta does still provide them for those that do.
Lunch was tasty and warm and just what I was looking for, some fuel to get some work done before our upcoming Delta flights, and the Centurion-style large conference table was the perfect spot with lots of outlets to finish charging our stuff before flight.
Just as we were ready to depart for our flights Delta switched over from only having lunch service to opening up a small burger stand at the end of the buffet and it was wildly popular walking back from the bathroom and seeing guests enjoying them (I mean everyone seemed to have one). We did not have time to sample but we were also having dinner on the flight home.
Overall it is a lovely oasis away from the very loud terminal below and I highly recommend a visit (if you can get in, that is)! – René
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I have had success beating the 3-hour SC limit by reserving a dummy spot on the same-day standby (not same-day confirmed) list on an earlier flight that I don’t intend to take as I’d rather wait for the better upgraded FC/C+ seats on my later confirmed flight. But it gets me into the SC earlier.
@Frankie – Unless the club is PACKED (i.e. a line out the door) under the new rules from Delta reps have the choice to admit you more than 3 hours out – this dragon chose to tell me to go pound sand! I should not have to play the “book and dump” game to get into the club.
Where under the new rules does it say you have the right to enter less than three hours before your flight at an agent’s discretion. I can’t find that verbiage anywhere on the Delta site.
@James – See: https://eyeoftheflyer.com/2023/05/20/delta-sky-club-three-hour-rule/
Can you link official policy? I couldn’t get to any delta page showing this.
@Steve – This post quotes a Delta insider who has seen the official Delta memo regarding the change: https://eyeoftheflyer.com/2023/05/20/delta-sky-club-three-hour-rule/
Thanks!
A relatively empty club (one with an admittedly smaller footprint) is achieved by controlled access. The very point to you attempt to make by claiming your rights as an elite are exactly what Delta are attempting to protect FOR you.
@Mikegof – Well if they keep everyone out then they will be very exclusive I guess?!
Good to hear they’re adhering to the rules. [personal attack removed]
@JonEWR – As shown in the post – no they are not. Delta reps have the flexibility to admit you MORE than 3 hours before your flight if the club is not crowded. In this case there was plenty of room.
I routinely get in 3-4 hours before my flight at the ATL SkyClubs. In BOS once at 3.5 hours, they denied me, and I challenged it quoting the new rule, and surprisingly they let me in – and it was only 10-20% full. Go figure. I know you know Ed’s email address. Write to him even though he himself won’t read it, but someone from the Executive Offices will and most of the time they answer.
You’re mad at an employee, calling them names because they follow the rules. You would be more upset if you couldn’t get in because there was nobody that followed the rules. You should be more mature and not call a policy calling employee names, because of a benefit that you could enjoy. Instead take your gripe up with Delta about the policy.
@Alicia – First off, for the 100th time, the rep was NOT following the current rules in place as the rep could have let us in (the club was NOT crowded nor were there any kind of lines to get in).
Next up, the term “dragons” guarding the gates has been used forever with frequent flyers and only fits when they are not following the rules. I have no gripe with the Delta policy – just reps who do not follow them.
“Could have” is NOT the same as “must”. Even per the link you submitted above the rule is being “relaxed”, not eliminated. You are in the wrong here, plain and simple. Could the agent have let you in? Absolutely. She chose not to which is 100% at her discretion. And, again, NO she did not break any rules; she chose NOT to exercise the loosened strictness.
@DCAWABN – You make my point regarding loyalty being pointless with Delta in 2023/2024.
There are the new relaxed rules (for half a year now). I am a Diamond Million Miler and was in 1st class and was told NO. If not me under those conditions, with a half empty club, who in the world should they give flexibility to? Only Fast Eddie and Mr. Ham Sandwich?
We live in Fort Lauderdale and use this Sky Club often—-we have never had any negative experiences and the recent expansion has made it even more comfortable to visit . The staff is very friendly and we have yet to have any Dragon sightings !
@DHR – As posted I agree the club is very very nice and the staff inside are tops. I must have had the rare one pop in to “make my day” I guess.
Visited this club again today – busy —but running well..staff was gracious and engaging —manager was observed assisting guests and guiding staff..- this is a VERY well run club – and I’ve visited most of them—-and ranked #1 in Florida amongst Sky Clubs and among the best in the country – once again did not encounter any Dragons !
@DHRDhrDhr – What is your status? Flying 1st? Did you try to enter more that 3 hours before flight???
I mentioned good staffing – dragon blocked me as top elite million Miller in 1st class = #fail!
I use the FLL Skyclub several times a year.
I’ve seen it fill fast and empty just as fast. I mean like in a 20 to 30 minute window. It’s possible that you arrived during the start of an up, or at a, full peak. I appreciate the reps, and Delta, trying to keep the head count lower, (the clubs are horrible when really crowded) although I dislike it when it has applied to me or my guests (making sure that I leave with the number of guests I bring in etc.). Also being Diamond or Domestic First Class or Million Miler won’t get you in the door but it will move you to the front of the line (separate line) when FLL has capacity controls in force (one person or, one person in).
@Ave Joe – While I appreciate FLL may, at times, fill up fast that was not the case for me. I had line of site of the club and there was no line when I got there and simply a slow and steady flow of folks both in and out during my hour in the penalty box. Having been a DM MM for years I understand it will not get me in the door (like a 360* or Centurion card holder) but again there was no capacity issue during my visit and the rep could have done the right thing – she did not.
Dear Rene:
The FLL Club during mid-week is not very crowded; but on Friday, Sat, Sunday (and sometimes) Monday, it is EXTREMELY Crowded. You know WHY? As you said it in the beginning of this article… The Cruises!!!! I cruise often (260 days a year) and know Fort Lauderdale Well. There are times, especially this time of the year (Nov & Dec – holiday season), there would be an upward of 11 to 15 cruise ships in port — and some of them are MEGA SHIP (ex: Odyssey & Harmony of the seas) which can hold an upward of 6000 passengers. Imagine 11 cruise ships disembark and embark on the same day, and the FLL Club will have to accommodate both inbound and outbound Delta guests who are on those cruises. Therefore, the FLL club can get filled-up and crowded in a heartbeat with passengers who have just disembarked a cruise and passengers who flew in early (just so they won’t miss their ship) and “camp-out” at the FLL SC to wait for their allotted embarkation time slot. I am not doubting you about your observation, but I just want to let you know this is a very nice club. The agents are always friendly, and I never had any issues there. Your may just have a one-off bad experience. I fly out of that airport and use that club weekly. I know!!!
Oh, did I mention the sun seekers (in addition to the cruise passengers), who fly in and out of FLL on the weekend for a short sunny get away or to see their (tele-commuting) parents and/or grand parents who gave them a “FREE” AMEX Platinum additional card? All in all, this club can get fill-up very quick and then it can get emptied in a flash when all the flights to ATL, JFK, LGA, DTW…etc all boarded at the same time. For sure, I can tell you that the JFK and LGA flight are usually depart within 15 to 20 minutes of each other. I know!!!
@Roger – Yep the LYFT drivers mentioned some day 10+ ships in port. That was not the case for me that day as very few ships mid-week day. In the post I mentioned again and again how nice everyone inside the club was. Not my point.
If a Diamond MM in 1st class, when ANY club is half empty, can not be granted a little leeway for entrance (as the memo stated they CAN DO if they wish) then why be loyal to Delta?
Just curious, since you seem so unhappy with Delta, do you actually believe you’d be better off with high status on another US airline? “not appreciated’ implies you think you’d be appreciated elsewhere. AA doesn’t have a lounge at FLL and the United terminal is adequate but unimpressive. Matter of fact that Delta lounge looked far better than any AA or United domestic lounge Ive ever seen. Everything in life is relative.
@Mark – I am giving up on the status chase on any airline but events like this 100% cement that in regards to Delta it is the right choice (and I think many others feel the same way).
For me for 2024 and beyond, I will simply book 1st on whatever airline offers the best price or points for the ticket.
As to being appreciated – for 2024 top Delta elites will have to spend more than EVER in history – if they are treated like I was why bother spending all that cash with Delta when you could be a free agent and spend where you get the best value vs. blind spending for loyalty that is not rewarded?
I love Eye of the Flyer for its insights on the travel experience, but posts like this one leave a sour taste. It’s hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for the delayed entry at the Sky Club, but the rest of the experience reads like a first-class tantrum on a plastic airplane seat.
Yes, flexibility in access rules is great. Yes, quiet, uncrowded spaces are a luxury. But let’s not forget the bigger picture: This wasn’t a battlefield for elite status, it was a lounge for travelers.
Imagine the staff’s perspective. Here they are, implementing new, flexible rules based on feedback, only to be met with frustration over a slight delay. It’s like offering someone a slice of cake, then getting scolded for not serving it warm enough. Remember when we were crying about overcrowding in the clubs? When some of us would get food and leave the lounge to go eat it at an empty gate? Now, we have that, and we find a way to complain about it. Seems to me like the title of the article should be “ Eyebrow-Raising Entitlement at the Delta Sky Club” instead.
And let’s be honest, the “loud terminal” described isn’t exactly Siberia. It’s an airport, a hub of activity. Maybe headphones and noise-canceling tech are better investments than entitlement-fueled blog posts.
The bottom line? Sure, the initial hiccup was inconvenient. But dwelling on it while enjoying a pleasant, well-stocked, and (crucially) empty lounge feels like a case of diamond medallions obscuring the view of reality.
Let’s celebrate the improvements, acknowledge the occasional bump, and remember, folks: sometimes, even first-class passengers have to wait in line. Just like everyone else. Sometimes, we get the diamonds we deserve, not the ones we demand.
@Bob – Thanks for your first comment on the blog from Delta’s home town!
I agree let’s get some perspective one this. I have been a Delta Diamond, as mentioned, for a long long time. Back in the day Diamonds all got full club access with guest privilege’s. That is gone. Then we could use two of our Choice benefits for the same perk that is now gone. We used to be able to use the club for as long as we like even when flying another airline – gone. Delta tried to pull the perk of arrival access but it is ONLY because of folks like me yelling about negative changes that they relented.
Delta Air Lines reads this blog (and many other blogs). They make improvements when we point out errors. I will continue to do this because if not more and more elite will spend their money elsewhere than with Delta and this at a time when Delta is so very very proud of virtually selling out 1st class.
Bottom line if Delta want to be the often bragged about “premium” airline and experience they need ALL the Delta folks to provide this – or folks will look for where they can find what Delta has promised them and not delivered on a consistent bases. Delta used to offer this across the board – today it really is hit and miss.
Hey René,
Thanks for the reply and additional context. I understand your frustration with some of Delta’s policy changes over the years. Losing perks is never fun, and it’s valuable to have platforms like Eye of the Flyer to hold airlines accountable.
I agree that Delta should strive for consistency in delivering their “premium” experience. However, I think your initial post may have unintentionally muddied the water a bit. Focusing heavily on the initial denied entry, while understandable, seemed to overshadow the rest of your positive experience at the Sky Club.
As a Gold Medallion myself, I rarely experience the same level of service or access as Diamonds. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t empathize with your frustration. We all want airlines to live up to their promises, regardless of our status.
Perhaps the next time you encounter something like this, framing it around the broader issue of inconsistent experiences (with specific examples) might resonate better with readers. Instead of dwelling on the “Lounge Dragon” and highlighting the noise in the terminal (contrasting it with the later-discovered oasis), focusing on the inconsistency between Delta’s advertised premium experience and your actual experience could be more impactful.
Remember, while constructive criticism is crucial, a spoonful of sugar can help the medicine go down. Finding a balance between pointing out flaws and acknowledging positive aspects can make your message more effective and less susceptible to interpretations like self-entitlement or whining.
Ultimately, we both want the same thing: better airline experiences for everyone. Let’s keep the conversation going, but maybe try a different approach next time to ensure your valuable point isn’t lost in the delivery.
Cheers,
A fellow flyer.