While Delta is by many metrics considered the most premium airline in the United States, one area where the airline has historically lagged the competition is when it comes to premium lounges dedicated to international passengers. American has Flagship Lounges and United has Polaris Lounges, while Delta hasn’t had dedicated international lounges… until recently.
Fortunately this is starting to change, with the introduction of Delta One Lounges. Delta has firm plans for at least five premium lounges, with the first two now being open. In this post I wanted to go over all the details of the lounge network, based on what we know as of now.
In this post:
Delta One Lounge locations (current & planned)
Delta has plans to open five premium lounges, which will be in New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Boston (BOS), Seattle (SEA), and Salt Lake City (SLC). These are called Delta One Lounges, with Delta One being how Delta markets its premium business class product.
Here’s how Claude Roussel, Delta’s VP of Sky Club and Lounge Experience, describes the concept:
“We want each of our guests to receive a highly personalized and dedicated level of service. It’s not enough to have beautiful spaces and exceptional offerings. Premium lounge customers should feel welcomed and known when they walk in the door, just as they would at their favorite hotel or restaurant. We look forward to providing that warm welcome and making ‘premium’ feel personal for each guest.”
Let’s now go over the details of the five lounges that Delta is opening. No two of the premium lounges will be alike, as each location will include elements inspired by and unique to its host city.
Delta One Lounge New York (JFK)
The Delta One Lounge JFK is the first lounge to open. It’s located in Terminal 4 of New York Kennedy Airport, between Concourse A and Concourse B, right near the security checkpoint. The lounge is open daily from 4:30AM until 11PM.
This is Delta’s biggest airport lounge to date, as it’s 39,707 square feet, with seating for 515 guests. The lounge features some pretty awesome amenities, ranging from a full-service brasserie, to a casual chef-assisted market with open kitchen, to a bar. There’s also a dedicated wellness area, as well as a year-round terrace. Thanks to a new partnership between Delta and Missoni, the lounge features some items from Missoni’s home collection, which is pretty cool.
See this post for more details on the Delta One Lounge JFK.
Delta One Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
The Delta One Lounge LAX is the second lounge to open. It’s located in Terminal 3 of Los Angeles International Airport, immediately adjacent to the Sky Club, and accessible directly to the Delta One check-in area. The lounge is open daily from 4:15AM until 11:30PM.
This lounge is much smaller than the JFK location, as it’s around 10,000 square feet, with seating for 191 guests. The lounge features a la carte dining throughout the lounge, a sushi counter, and signature bento boxes, rotating every two weeks, highlighting a Delta One destination from LAX. The lounge also has a dedicated wellness area with massage chairs and zero-gravity chairs, as well as a year-round terrace.
See this post for more details on the Delta One Lounge LAX.
Delta One Lounge Boston (BOS) opening late 2024
In December 2024, Delta will be opening a Delta One Lounge in Terminal E of Boston Logan Airport (BOS). The lounge will be 6,300 square feet, with seating for 120 passengers. This will be connected to the newly opened Delta Sky Club in Terminal E, so eligible guests will have access to both the premium lounge and the Sky Club.
Given how small the lounge is, I suspect the intent is that the premium lounge will have an elevated dining concept, and then you can hang out in the main Sky Club, if you’d like, as that’s 21,000 square feet.
Delta One Lounge Seattle (SEA) opening early 2025
In early 2025, Delta will be opening a Delta One Lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. As of now, details about this location remain limited, though we should learn more in the coming months.
Delta One Lounge Salt Lake City (SLC) opening eventually
At some point in the future, Delta has firm plans to open a Delta One Lounge at Salt Lake City International Airport. Unfortunately we have no real details beyond that, as we don’t know when it will open, how big it will be, etc. This is an interesting development, since Salt Lake City is Delta’s “fortress hub” with the least long haul traffic, so one wonders if that strategy may shift over time.
Delta One Lounge access rules
Who can access Delta One Lounges? The access restrictions will be the same across the lounge network, and there are generally three pathways to accessing these lounges. Note that they don’t follow standard SkyTeam lounge access rules. Let’s break it down by entry method.
Delta One passengers get access
As you’d guess based on the name, the primary people who have access to the Delta One Lounge are Delta One passengers. This is the name of Delta’s premium business class experience. So if you have a same day Delta One ticket (whether arriving or departing), you get access to the Delta One Lounge.
It doesn’t matter if you paid cash for your ticket, redeemed miles, or upgraded, as access rules are the same regardless. Note that no guests are allowed to be brought in.
Select partner airline premium passengers get access
It’s not just business class passengers on Delta who get access to the Delta One Lounge. First and business class passengers departing or connecting on Air France, LATAM, KLM, Korean Air, and Virgin Atlantic, also get access to Delta One Lounge.
Keep in mind that in some cases it might not be practical to use a Delta One Lounge when flying these airlines, due to terminal setups. However, access is allowed. Note that no guests are allowed to be brought in.
Delta 360 passengers in first class get access
Delta 360 is Delta’s invitation-only elite status. These passengers can use the Delta One Lounge whenever traveling same day on a first class ticket. Delta 360 passengers are the only ones who can pay to bring guests into the lounge.
Delta 360 members eligible for access may bring their immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under the age of 21), or up to two companions, for an entry fee of $100 or 10,000 Delta SkyMiles per person.
Bottom line
Delta has confirmed plans to open five Delta One Lounges, in New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Boston (BOS), Seattle (SEA), and Salt Lake City (SLC). The first two lounges are now open, in New York and Los Angeles. These lounges are open to Delta One passengers, select SkyTeam business class passengers, and Delta 360 members traveling in first class.
Delta is long overdue for introducing dedicated lounges for its premium international business class passengers, so it’s nice to see the pace at which Delta is opening these facilities. The JFK location in particular sounds impressive, as it’s Delta’s biggest lounge ever. While the LAX lounge is smaller, it looks great as well. As you might expect, crowding can be an issue during peak hours.
What do you make of the Delta One Lounge concept?
What about ATL. I thought that is delta’s biggest hub?
It’s curious to see Delta open a premium lounge in Salt Lake City over Atlanta, their home airport with more international routes.
If I’m flying LAX - SEA in FC and SEA - TPE on D1, do I still get to access the D1 lounge at LAX? I’m departing on FC but do have a same day ticket D1 but out of SEA
Yes, you should be good for both D1 Check in and the D1 Lounge at LAX
Awesome thanks. Looking forward to a visit to the lounge next month then!
How much care DL takes of premium customers at their fortress hubs with no Delta one lounges on the pipeline for ATL, DTW or MSP? UA rolled out Polaris lounges at SFO, IAH, EWR and AA have long had flagship first at DFW or MIA.
One thing to emphasize is that if you get access to these clubs even if you are connecting to a Delta One flight, and your first flight is not. So if you are flying JFK to ATL to JNB, for example, with the JFK to ATL in regular first and ATL to JNB on Delta One, you get access to the Delta One lounge at JFK. Similarly, when it opens, if you are flying JFK to SLC to OGG, with JFK to SLC in F and SLC to OGG in D1, you get Delta One lounge access both at JFK and SLC...
@Hodor
My thoughts exactly , we know how this is going to go … it’s DL DL DL
At this point, just seeing 'Delta' in a post title gives me anxiety about the comments.
DAL stands for DunnALert.
After The Happening this summer, I just skip them altogether if there's more than about ten comments.