Delta Continues Building at LAX — Still Waiting on That New Business Class Seat

A couple of Delta developments worth tracking — one that’s genuinely good news for premium travelers at LAX, and one that’s been quietly unraveling for a while now.

A Second Delta One Lounge Is Coming to LAX

Delta confirmed that a second Delta One Lounge will open at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — this one in Terminal 2 — with an initial phase expected this summer. Construction signage is already up.

The rollout is phased. The summer 2026 opening brings the core Delta One Lounge experience to Terminal 2: full-service dining, elevated Delta One check-in, private security, and ground transportation to the lounge. Interior design enhancements are planned, but the full transformation comes later — a complete renovation in 2028, with a brand-new Terminal 2 Delta Sky Club opening in 2027! (Delta really has done a good job with upgrading their real estate at LAX.)

Ben Schlappig at OMAAT speculates the new lounge will occupy the former Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse space in Terminal 2 — which was once a Delta Sky Club.

Delta frames this as part of a broader LAX expansion moment: new nonstop service to Hong Kong launched last week, Chicago O’Hare (ORD) on this past Sunday, and the airline is a big-time sponsor for 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, where it’s the inaugural founding partner.

For Diamond members and Delta One travelers connecting through LAX, the practical upside is real. Terminal 2 access to a Delta One Lounge — even in its initial phase — adds a little more convenience for Delta One flights that usually leave from T2 (Hops to Boston, Hawaii, and Washington National, maybe?) We’ll have more details as they become available closer to opening. I also wonder if this signals more Delta One routes to come?

That brings us to another Delta One-related topic.

The New Business Class Seat Isn’t Coming Anytime Soon

The other Delta story making the rounds this week is less encouraging, and it matters if you care about what Delta’s premium transcon product looks like a few years from now.

The short version: Delta ordered a fleet of Airbus A321neos intended for high-value transcon routes — think New York-Kennedy (JFK) to LAX, San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and others. The idea is that these planes will replace the 767s and 757-200s that fly these routes (such as LAX to BOS and DCA). Those aircraft were supposed to feature a genuinely differentiated business class suite: the Safran VUE, a narrowbody flat-bed product that would have faced passengers toward the window rather than away from it.

The Safran VUE hasn’t gotten FAA certification. The delays have been bad enough that Delta installed 44 standard domestic first class recliners as a temporary measure just to get the planes flying. Now, according to reporting from Gary Leff at VTFW — who credits aviation insider JonNYC for first flagging it — Delta appears to be walking away from Safran entirely.

Bloomberg confirmed this week that Delta is now evaluating the Thompson Aero VantageSOLO seat as an alternative. Delta’s Chief Marketing and Product Officer Ranjan Goswami said the airline expects certification by mid-2028 and will go with whichever supplier gets there first. So it looks like two more years of these:

Oh, the humanity!

The VantageSOLO is a known, proven product — JetBlue, Iberia, and Delta partner LATAM, use it. It’s also angled away from the window, like what American and United already use. Which means Delta’s A321neo business class, when it eventually arrives, will look more or less like everyone else’s. And it won’t arrive for at least two more years. (Side note: how about that? Delta copying someone else instead of the other way around?)

Here’s where I’ll offer a slightly unfashionable (and old fashioned?) opinion: I still think the widebody transcon is a better product than it gets credit for. I grew up flying DC-10s between Minneapolis and LAX — yes, I realize that dates me — and the case for a wide cabin, lie-flat beds, and actual aisle access on a five-plus hour flight hasn’t really changed. Delta’s 767-300ERs, 767-400ERs, and A330s on JFK–LAX aren’t glamorous and sexy like a “neo,” but they work. (Sure, maybe they use a little more gas than the A321s but oh, well 🙂 ) The question is whether Delta’s premium product on those routes stays competitive while the narrowbody situation gets sorted out.

There’s also a loyalty angle worth noting. Delta Diamonds and SkyMiles cardholders who book transcon Delta One are paying — in cash or miles — for a premium experience that’s been running on aging hardware and delayed promises for a while now. The new Delta One Lounge at LAX is a meaningful improvement, I guess? On the product side, mid-2028 is a long time to wait.

I’ll keep watching both.

Final Approach

Two Delta stories, two different directions. The lounge expansion at LAX is real progress and worth getting excited about — even if the full picture is a few years away. The seat situation is a genuine setback, and the timeline keeps moving. Neither story is over.

What’s your take?