Several months ago, Delta Air Lines formally revealed that it would be bringing its international premium lounge concept to its biggest hub. However, we had virtually no details at the time. While details continue to be limited, there is an update, as we now have a timeline and location for the lounge.
In this post:
Delta One Lounge ATL location & opening date
Delta is investing in its network of Delta One Lounges, which are primarily for those traveling with the airline in business class (Delta One) on long haul flights. So far, we’ve seen these lounges open in New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Boston (BOS). A lounge in Seattle (SEA) is expected to open in the coming weeks.
A Delta One Lounge is planned for Atlanta (ATL), which is Delta’s largest hub. While the timeline for airport construction projects is always subject to change, the current plan is for the lounge to open in 2028, as flagged by JonNYC, so that’s a few years from now.
Opening of DL D1 lounge at ATL not currently scheduled till 2028, SLC, DTW and MSP still no date as of now However I believe that D1 dedicated check-in for all hubs supposed to be open by end of this year.
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) June 2, 2025 at 10:08 AM
The Delta One Lounge is expected to be in Concourse E, which is one of the airport’s two primary international terminals, along with Concourse F. It’s not clear whether we’re going to see the conversion of an existing lounge, or whether the airport has found some new space in the terminal that can be converted into a huge lounge.
One thing is for sure — the Delta One Lounge Atlanta needs to be huge, given the size of Delta’s network out of Atlanta. Currently the New York location is the biggest in the Delta One Lounge network, at roughly 40,000 square feet, so one would hope that the Atlanta location would be at least as big.
What about Delta One Lounges at other hubs?
What about Delta One Lounges at the carrier’s other major hubs, like Detroit (DTW), Minneapolis (MSP), and Salt Lake City (SLC)? Well, it’s something the airline is currently working on, though we don’t have any sense of a timeline beyond that. For example, we know that a Delta One Lounge is coming to Salt Lake City, but that timeline is less certain than the timeline for Atlanta.
Airlines generally undertake these projects as they can, but it goes without saying that real estate at airports can be hard to come by. Opening a new lounge either requires the renovation or repurposing of an existing space, or an expansion of a terminal that opens up more space.
As these opportunities are identified, I’m sure we’ll get more of a sense of when we can expect to see more Delta One Lounges. But it sounds like there are plans for Delta One Lounges to open at all international hubs… eventually.
Bottom line
Delta is working on opening a Delta One Lounge in Atlanta, located in Concourse E. Unfortunately we’ll have to be patient, as the lounge isn’t expected to open until 2028. Either way, it’s nice to know that this is in the cards.
Unfortunately there’s still no timeline when it comes to Delta One Lounges in Detroit, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City, but I’m sure that will change over time.
What do you make of plans for a Delta One Lounge in Atlanta?
The plan, as of now, is for it to be located where the current E Sky Club is.
if DL will convert the current SkyClub on E to the D1 lounge, then they are certain to open 1 or more new SCs on E, perhaps by taking over space that retail locations are using.
DL is not going to be without SkyClubs on E concourse.
Either way, it is a space issue that is pushing out the opening of the E concourse ATL D1 lounge whether it is replacement space for SCs or new space for a D1 lounge.
Until the new D1 lounge opens at ATL, if you have a little time (and don't need access to a shower), go to the new SkyClub in Terminal D. It's the largest at ATL, spans the entire width of the concourse with high ceilings and tons of windows, huge bar and a double buffet (same items on two ends alleviating congestion). Or the Centurion lounge in E is solid if you can get in with the overcrowding issues.
and there are showers in the E and F SCs. So you can put your name on the list there and go back to the D SC if E and F are crowded.
Concourse E, the oringial international concourse at ATL where my first experience with a DL business class lounge was the Business Elite lounge. It used to get so busy in the late 90's and early 2000s that I would walk over to the old E Crown Room and have a better experience being less crowded.
DL and ATL really need to think this new lounge through with size and traffic flow.
"Concourse E, the oringial international concourse at ATL"
No it isn't. The T-gates were the original international concourse at (the current layout of) ATL.
Recently visited the Delta One lounges at JFK and LAX - the one at JFK was the gold standard for US airline lounges. Food and bev. was good restaurant quality (fish, steak, and souffle were standouts - stunned this was airline lounge catering), space was gorgeous, service friendly, and despite the crowds wait times were manageable.
LAX I was less than impressed due to the higher expectations from JFK and the review here. The food...
Recently visited the Delta One lounges at JFK and LAX - the one at JFK was the gold standard for US airline lounges. Food and bev. was good restaurant quality (fish, steak, and souffle were standouts - stunned this was airline lounge catering), space was gorgeous, service friendly, and despite the crowds wait times were manageable.
LAX I was less than impressed due to the higher expectations from JFK and the review here. The food and bev. was fine but not restaurant quality (esp. the steak and seafood), and the service was middling despite lower occupancy. It was no better than Polaris or Flagship, and frankly I prefer SFO's Polaris and AA's DFW Flagship or Chelsea Lounge.
I'm curious to try Boston next month and hopefully Seattle once it opens later this year. Overall I agree DL will catch up to Flagship and Polaris, but whether it is an industry leading offering or just one of the pack will depend on whether it's more JFK Delta One or LAX Delta One.
you need to be on meth to think Polaris/Flagship lounges are better than Delta One Lounges. what are you smoking?
I said the LAX Delta One lounge specifically - not JFK which is far ahead if you had any reading comprehension capabilities. The food and cocktails were simply subpar at LAX - the presentation and hard product was nice, but that's about it.
Polaris with the dining and some of the Flagship lounges (e.g., Chelsea Lounge) are not so bad but more hit or miss - you'd get far more premium liquor at any Flagship...
I said the LAX Delta One lounge specifically - not JFK which is far ahead if you had any reading comprehension capabilities. The food and cocktails were simply subpar at LAX - the presentation and hard product was nice, but that's about it.
Polaris with the dining and some of the Flagship lounges (e.g., Chelsea Lounge) are not so bad but more hit or miss - you'd get far more premium liquor at any Flagship First Dining / Chelsea Lounge than you would at any Delta One Lounge btw. For me the quality of the food was paramount - JFK had it down while LAX absolutely did not. If you look at the new PHL Flagship Lounge or the upcoming expanded ORD Polaris Lounge they don't look that far behind.
At worst, D1L is equal to Polaris and Flagship. Yes, it’s opinion, but D1 is definitely not lower. Only question is if it’s higher.
I haven't been to the one in JFK and LAX, but the dinning at BOS is legit!
100x better than what I had at the Polaris ORD 2 years ago.
Their staffs are truly incredible, like on a different league compared to Polaris!
I have to agree with you. While JFK gets much more busy than LAX, the LAX service has been generally worse.
JFK attendants seem more proactive, while in LAX it's a struggle to even flag someone down to take your order or get water.
Customer service at LAX, and LA in general, has gone down the toilet. No one cares, no one is trained.
great news for Delta pax
Sure I read that planning was recently granted for a new modular building connected by a bridge to concourse E at ATL.
I could see something like that at Terminal F since there are some potential spaces there but where would a modular building be connected to E? I don't see room off a glance at Google Maps. I assume half of Delta corporate would lose their minds if the "Fly Delta Jets" sign was removed. ;)
I can really only see any new construction going up vs out if it's a new space in Concourse...
I could see something like that at Terminal F since there are some potential spaces there but where would a modular building be connected to E? I don't see room off a glance at Google Maps. I assume half of Delta corporate would lose their minds if the "Fly Delta Jets" sign was removed. ;)
I can really only see any new construction going up vs out if it's a new space in Concourse E.
It's rather impressive how little room ATL has left for growth compared to their large airport peers in the US. DEN and DFW have near limitless room for more terminals over the coming decades. DEN seems like they have limitless room for more runways, unlike DFW & ATL.
Hell, DFW was initially envisioned for up to 13 terminals while it's difficult to see a limit for DEN terminals on a map. DFW is already in line to be the biggest single airline hub once the new Terminal F is complete.
@MaxPower looking on GE where that lone plane is parked at the north gates could feasibly be connected to the main terminal and even create a few more gates.
huh. good point. thanks
In the works is building Concourse G, H, and (maybe I). These will be located where Delta Cargo currently is. G will attach to F to form a U-Shape. H and I will be linear short concourses. Delta Cargo will be relocated.
There is still plenty of space to expand, it's just gonna require some reconfiguring and relocation.
doesn't that require relocating a big portion of Delta TechOps? Certainly doable but a much more expensive gate than a simple terminal expansion
No. Some of Line Maintenance will have to be shifted around, but Tech Ops is mainly just the large hangars that are south of 26L, and they will be unaffected by this expansion as the new Concourses will not exceed the footprint in depth of Concourse F.
Not premium at all. Absolutely pathetic.
It was always a given that Delta One lounges would not be announced for the other 3 interior US hubs until ATL is announced to get one. Expect to see Delta announce D1 lounges in DTW, MSP and SLC with space for several of those already identified. Some of those other D1 lounges are likely to open before ATL.
This will undoubtedly be a new build lounge; if they were going to repurpose an existing...
It was always a given that Delta One lounges would not be announced for the other 3 interior US hubs until ATL is announced to get one. Expect to see Delta announce D1 lounges in DTW, MSP and SLC with space for several of those already identified. Some of those other D1 lounges are likely to open before ATL.
This will undoubtedly be a new build lounge; if they were going to repurpose an existing lounge, it could be done much faster.
It will be interesting to see if DL shifts how it uses E and F concourses once the D1 lounge opens. E is much larger and better suited for connecting traffic but F is better for local ATL passengers.
The bottom line is that, in the space of 4 years, Delta will go from zero business class lounges to at least on par w/ any US competitor to potentially surpass them which is similar to the amount of Sky Club space compared to AA and UA's standard clubs.
While the ATL lounge clearly needs to be big, Cirium data suggests Delta has more Delta One seats out of JFK than ATL (thanks in large part to the SFO/LAX flights being marketed as D1, as well as a bunch of Europe markets served out of JFK but not ATL, or served more often out of JFK) ... I may be missing a few here and there but I see something like 11K per week...
While the ATL lounge clearly needs to be big, Cirium data suggests Delta has more Delta One seats out of JFK than ATL (thanks in large part to the SFO/LAX flights being marketed as D1, as well as a bunch of Europe markets served out of JFK but not ATL, or served more often out of JFK) ... I may be missing a few here and there but I see something like 11K per week out of JFK vs 8K per week out of ATL. Though some of Delta's partners also have their own lounges at JFK but not ATL, which may even out demand somewhat.
@Bgriff - I was thinking the same thing. Delta's ATL operation is huge, and they no doubt serve a lot of long-haul markets there that are dependent on connections. But everytime I go through JFK, there seems to be an infinite number of Delta 767s and a good number of A330s, much more than at ATL that are going to long-haul destinations. Also, Delta has a huge bank of international flights at JFK in the...
@Bgriff - I was thinking the same thing. Delta's ATL operation is huge, and they no doubt serve a lot of long-haul markets there that are dependent on connections. But everytime I go through JFK, there seems to be an infinite number of Delta 767s and a good number of A330s, much more than at ATL that are going to long-haul destinations. Also, Delta has a huge bank of international flights at JFK in the evening and night with Delta One passengers. If you go through T4 past 9pm, all of the gates are occupied with DL widebodies going abroad. Meanwhile, the Delta One passengers at ATL are more spread out throughout the day, and JFK has more DL flights to Europe than ATL. I do hope Delta adds some special amenities to its ATL D1 lounge which will draw people who would rather fly AA or UA.
However you have all the skyteam partners in the same terminal(ish) and not cast off to terminal 1 at JFK or Bradley in LAX. I do like skyclub F but it's not a D1
THREE YEARS. Just close the current Sky Club in E and make it a temporary Delta One lounge. This is absurd.
It was a Business Elite lounge back in the day. At that point it would go full circle and back to being a lounge for business class flyers and actual frequent travelers, before the credit cards ruined the experience.
exactly. Ridiculous!
You would cry about it in every post if the lounge opened and wasn't good enough for you though.
I'd rather them take their time and do it right.