Delta has just revealed the location for a fourth Delta One Lounge, which West Coast travelers will no doubt be excited about…
In this post:
Delta One Lounge SeaTac coming early 2025
We’re finally seeing Delta One Lounges come to life. The Delta One Lounge New York (JFK) opens today, and Delta had previously revealed that we’d see Delta One Lounges in both Boston (BOS) and Los Angeles (LAX) before the end of 2024.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian did a CNBC interview yesterday about the carrier’s new Delta One Lounges, and during this, he revealed a fourth location for this lounge network. Specifically, Bastian revealed that a Delta One Lounge will be coming to Seattle (SEA) in early 2025. You can watch the interview for yourself below, and this reference is at roughly the two minute mark.
From a passenger experience standpoint, it would of course be great if all major airline hubs had premium international business class lounges. However, practically speaking, airlines have a couple of other key considerations:
- Is there real estate available in an airport for a new lounge to be opened? That’s often not as easy as it sounds, given how limited available space is at airports
- We often see airlines first open these premium lounges in competitive markets, rather than fortress hubs; for example, there are no firm plans for Delta One Lounges in Atlanta (ATL) or Detroit (DTW), even though they have considerable long haul business class flying
Along those lines, Seattle seems like the next logical airport where Delta would build a lounge like this, since Seattle is largely competitive. Seattle has tons of competition from foreign airlines, and Delta also competes with Alaska and its oneworld partnership in the market (even though Alaska doesn’t operate long haul international flights).
What exactly is the Delta One Lounge plan for Seattle?
Bastian’s mention of a Delta One Lounge Seattle is the first time we’ve heard something like that referenced, so we don’t have any more details about what to expect from the lounge.
While there’s an existing Delta Sky Club Seattle, we’ve known that the airline is building a second Delta Sky Club at the airport, which is expected to open in late 2024 or early 2025. The lounge is supposed to be around 21,000 square feet, and will be located in the A Concourse.
I can’t help but be curious if the updated plan is that the new lounge space will be split between a Delta Sky Club and a Delta One Lounge? That’s the concept that Delta has in Boston. In 2023, the airline opened a 21,000 square foot Delta Sky Club in Terminal E. The new Delta One Lounge will be connected to it — it’ll be 6,300 square feet, with seating for 120 passengers.
The intent is that the Delta One Lounge Boston will be primarily for eligible passengers looking to eat and drink, and then if they just want to relax, they can hang out in the Sky Club. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar setup in Seattle, with the new Delta Sky Club and Delta One Lounge.
At least that’s my speculation. Though I’m curious, did I miss any Port of Seattle filings for construction that might hint at another location for a Delta One Lounge? After all, airport construction takes a long time, so if the plan is to open a lounge in early 2025, work must already be well underway.
Bottom line
A Delta One Lounge is expected to open in Seattle in early 2025, which will make it the fourth location for the lounge network. I’m happy to see the pace at which Delta is opening these lounges, as they make Delta’s business class ground experience more competitive.
What do you make of the plans for a Delta One Lounge Seattle?
I wonder if it's going to be located at the old Amex Centurion Lounge space on Concourse B...
It was announced that the Sky Club at the end of the A gates was opening in Q4. I wonder if the whole lounge is delayed till 2025 now, or just the D1 part.
This is just a rumor that one of the SEA Centurion bartenders told me, but supposedly United and Delta were in talks about swapping gates at SEA. When there were delays opening the new Centurion lounge, they were sweating it...
It was announced that the Sky Club at the end of the A gates was opening in Q4. I wonder if the whole lounge is delayed till 2025 now, or just the D1 part.
This is just a rumor that one of the SEA Centurion bartenders told me, but supposedly United and Delta were in talks about swapping gates at SEA. When there were delays opening the new Centurion lounge, they were sweating it a little because the old Centurion B gate lease was up and United was supposed to take the space over (moving their lounge from the A gates). United was going to take over some of Delta's B gates, and Delta would take over United's A gates. I am not sure if that is still (or ever was) true.
the gate and lounge swap is not a rumor. It is happening. Part of the reason why DL has invested in expanding A and asking for an expansion of the international arrivals facility is to consolidate as much of DL's operations on A and with closer connections to the FIS.
The lounge parts just fall in place in time.
@Tim Dunn Have you seen the gate swap (and United lounge swap) officially confirmed? I use the term "rumor" because my source is a bartender at SeaTac. It totally makes sense, for sure. But having heard this 1.5 years ago, and never seeing anything else about it, I use caution since I do not want to pass on fake news.
I have seen no press releases but it is all part of the A Concourse expansion and most people that have reason to know do know
It's on Port of Seattle's meeting portal. They're renovating Concourse B at the same time. Construction starts in September 2024, and the gate swap will happen in 2025.
Despite China Airline is in SkyTeam, their business class customer probably cannot access to Delta One lounge since it's not Delta's JV partner.
I doubt it would work well anyways due to timing. The China Airlines flight leaves at 1:40am. Delta has an LHR flight that leaves around 9:15pm. They probably would not keep the lounge open for 4.5 hours for a partner flight.
Makes sense! Wondering why they chose 1:40 am to depart...
@Will I am guessing it is slot availability and timing for connections onwards from TPE. EVA has flights leaving at 1:10am and 2:10am, and the Starlux SEA-TPE flight will leave at 2:10am. Delta is the odd one out, with their TPE flight leaving around noon. The 1:10am EVA flight means arriving at 4:10am, which just sounds painful.
I know the Taiwanese carriers are supposed to have much better catering, but leaving at 2:10am means...
@Will I am guessing it is slot availability and timing for connections onwards from TPE. EVA has flights leaving at 1:10am and 2:10am, and the Starlux SEA-TPE flight will leave at 2:10am. Delta is the odd one out, with their TPE flight leaving around noon. The 1:10am EVA flight means arriving at 4:10am, which just sounds painful.
I know the Taiwanese carriers are supposed to have much better catering, but leaving at 2:10am means eating a big meal around 3 to 4 in the morning. Not for me. I guess I would sleep better though.
"Wondering why they chose 1:40 am to depart"
That's the preferred arrival bank into Taipei for their business. They do the same at LAX and SFO too.
I'm wondering if this means the re-introduction of Delta One transcon.
They had those for a while and them axed them. I think SEA to BOS and JFK would make a lot of sense to fight JetBlue's Mint transcon. Alaska has a very subpar transcon experience and D1 transcon would definitely win over some business travelers.
Even if not, this certainly means Delta are looking to expand to more international routes out of SEA. Their...
I'm wondering if this means the re-introduction of Delta One transcon.
They had those for a while and them axed them. I think SEA to BOS and JFK would make a lot of sense to fight JetBlue's Mint transcon. Alaska has a very subpar transcon experience and D1 transcon would definitely win over some business travelers.
Even if not, this certainly means Delta are looking to expand to more international routes out of SEA. Their president cited large success with TPE and will be upgauging that route to an A350 next year.
Clearly Delta is here for the long run.
If Delta brings back Delta One in and out of Seattle, an obvious route would be Seattle to Miami, especially now with Miami becoming a quasi-hub and Delta having the LATAM partnership.
I do think Delta was forced into having a Delta One lounge at SEA with the Asian flights. Especially with United's strong Asian presence.
It's a pre-emptive strike imo.
SEA sorely lacks any premium lounges. Alaska's lounges are insufficient for any longhaul OW flights. The Centurion Lounge is great but is a credit card lounge. Almost all international flights use that crappy The Club at SEA, which is super dated. If it was modern like the new SFO one, I wouldn't complain.
Also interestingly, if access requirements remains this same, they will be turning away SkyTeam partner China Airlines...
It's a pre-emptive strike imo.
SEA sorely lacks any premium lounges. Alaska's lounges are insufficient for any longhaul OW flights. The Centurion Lounge is great but is a credit card lounge. Almost all international flights use that crappy The Club at SEA, which is super dated. If it was modern like the new SFO one, I wouldn't complain.
Also interestingly, if access requirements remains this same, they will be turning away SkyTeam partner China Airlines out of their lounge in SEA. Which seems be a defensive move for their new SEA-TPE route.
Your point about MIA is interesting. It's certainly a long flight, but JFK and BOS are the traditional East Coast premium transcon destinations, so perhaps it would be in addition to them.
I think SEA is a perfect size to use the new D1 A321neos rather than full widebodies.
Delta has tried Delta One between Seattle and Boston. It just didn't work. Miami would be very, very interesting. It's longer than SEA-JFK and SEA-BOS.
And Delta really, really needs to return to Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore and maybe add Kuala Lumpur from Seattle. I'd love to see Seattle-Guam-Manila.
with about 4 dozen new A350s/330NEOs and 9 ex-Latam A350s to convert to DL standard longhaul configuration, DL will be adding routes to its network.
Just as in NYC, BOS, and LAX, the Delta One lounge is part of growing DL's international footprint.
SEA to BOS and JFK failed because Delta didn't have the right aircraft. The D1 A321neos will be exactly perfect for it. They current already operate standard neos on those routes and it'll augment their business class experience tremendously.
Delta likely chose not to use the 757s w/ lie flat business class because they didn't have enough of that aircraft and AS - DL's primary competitor at SEA - does not offer a lie flat product. B6 has never competed well at SEA compared to AS and DL.
DL might use D1 equipped 321NEOs to SEA but they still are not ordering a large number of them.
Tim Dunn!!!
How many showers will there be in SEA? ;)
You said you're good at math using some wacky ratios. Calculate this.
They're bleeding out of SEA, but they'll make up for it in volume!
just let us know where AA and UA are bleeding money since they manage to post bottom line profits that are a fraction of DL's
...or perhaps execs at those carriers simply manage the overall less lucrative hub structures inherited from their respective predecessors more responsibly than the more lucrative hub structure presently being squandered by this generation of DL leadership with plays like SEA... who's to say? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The domestic airline industry has been deregulated for the same amount of time for AA, DL and UA.
If AA or UA inherited bad hubs, they could have fixed it.
DL has simply done a better job of managing its network and to rebuild its business to maximize profits
I get that some of you have a hard time admitting that reality but it is true.
Not a surprise that all four of DL's coastal hubs - in highly competitive markets - will have DL One lounges within 18 months.
Given that DL already gets a yield premium to its competitors, it is certain that they will grow not only their share of the US international market but also grow the number of routes they serve.
DL is not investing in these Delta One lounges in order to maintain the status...
Not a surprise that all four of DL's coastal hubs - in highly competitive markets - will have DL One lounges within 18 months.
Given that DL already gets a yield premium to its competitors, it is certain that they will grow not only their share of the US international market but also grow the number of routes they serve.
DL is not investing in these Delta One lounges in order to maintain the status quo and THAT is what got the fans of other airlines worried.
DL execs have said for years that they see great opportunity in the international marketplace and intend to grow. The DL One lounges are a means to achieve that goal and to further increase DL's high value revenues in the process.
If it's for international D1 passengers, The A concourse makes the lounge a walk & subway ride since all international flights depart from the South Satellite.
No they don’t. Delta and Virgin depart from the main terminal under normal circumstances.
They all were from A before the new International arrivals hall. Now they can do A, S and can even do one or two out of N (though no arrivals in N)
Personally, this doesn't make much sense. Seattle is a money loser for DL so they are just throwing more money at it to try to make it make money (same for BOS), but who am I. Good luck to DL and their new slogan. . .Following.
You WANT to believe DL loses money at SEA because that way you don't have to admit that DL has done what neither AA or UA have managed to do in the same 46 years since the US deregulated the domestic airline industry.
If DL loses money in SEA, where does AA lose all of its money since DL made 3X more than AA on the bottom line in 2023 and 2X what UA made?
BOS is actually a very successful hub and had their second highest PRASM out of all their hubs. Much higher than captives like SLC or MSP.
It turns out a premium product in a large competitive city can be very lucrative.
I don't know why everyone hates on Delta and won't accept reality simply because you like to be contrarians to Tim Dunn.
Right, because "least well performing hub" implies means losing money.... *eye roll*
just explain why DL has a profit so much higher than AA and UA.
If DL is losing money in SEA or elsewhere, then AA and UA are losing more elsewhere and have failed to generate revenues that DL has figured out how to generate.
And "gouging the local market in ATL, DTW, MSP and SLC" makes no sense and is contrary to facts that those hubs carry 60-70% connecting traffic and DL's average fares are in line with some of AA and UA's hubs.
"Seattle is a money loser for DL"
How would you know that though?
If you're basing it on that article that came out a while back, know that it is not an indicator of the hub's total performance. It only focused on domestic service, which would not paint an accurate depiction of the hub's financials at all, since its domestic service is primarily set up as a feeder to longhaul, versus a being domestic-to-domestic connector.
SEA's Delta international routes ARE profitable, it's those domestic ones that are the issue. Alaska claps Delta so hard with their superior route coverage and frequencies. It's all about balancing those margins. This D1 lounge is SEA is all about international since there's currently no domestic D1 service out of SEA
Great for Seattle. Great for Delta! Remember that when you fly, FLY DELTA AIRLINES!
Great news indeed. They already have arguably the second best Centurian lounge, and now a new Delta Lounge. Good for SeaTac.
Just a rumor: but supposedly the newest and smallest Sky Club in Detroit in "the center of it all" across from gate 40 is slated to be converted to a Delta One Lounge also.
It's not a rumor. The "new" (not really new at this point) Sky Club in Detroit was specifically planned and built before and during the pandemic as a Delta One lounge. That was stalled as the Delta One rollout was delayed. It's been functioning as an overflow lounge for the main Sky Club, but notably is the only Sky Club in Detroit (at present) with a premium bar and real silverware and real china. The...
It's not a rumor. The "new" (not really new at this point) Sky Club in Detroit was specifically planned and built before and during the pandemic as a Delta One lounge. That was stalled as the Delta One rollout was delayed. It's been functioning as an overflow lounge for the main Sky Club, but notably is the only Sky Club in Detroit (at present) with a premium bar and real silverware and real china. The main Sky Club will be renovated later this year with a premium bar and expanded buffet added. At that time or shortly thereafter, the smaller lounge is expected, according to staff, to become a Delta One lounge.
That’s good news for those flying from SEA
Also, another opportunity for Delta to charge for “premium” drinks despite many paid RT international tickets coming in over $4k
If you can afford a $4k ticket, you can pay for a glass of champagne. The only people that are going to be upset are "influencers" that book a ticket with points and complain about a $20 drink they have to pay cash for.
No. Some employers do not pay for alcohol.
It has nothing to do with being able to afford the drink. It’s simply frustrating because we know we can equal if not better drinks for free at many other lounges. It just feels cheap/silly.
Delta is clearly paying for the added costs of slightly better food and ala carte dining, which requires significantly more staff, by charging for alcohol. And they've no doubt watched as KLM has done this with their flagship lounge.
Don't forget. KLM also charges for the enhanced food at its lounge!
So you fly business class without having to pay for them and yet have been whining about having to pay for premium drinks for 2 days. Solution is simple - don’t drink. If you can’t live without drinking, then being a cheapskate is least of your problem
It's perfectly okay to criticize and/or disagree with a corporate decision. I will keep paying for drinks with SkyMiles (one delayed bag covers a few rounds haha) but it's always good to put things in perspective. Amex across the terminal serves great drinks at no cost other than a tip. Regarding SkyTeam business class lounges, Virgin Clubhouse drinks are complimentary.
"Whining" would be someone who argues with a bartender or other lounge staff about this.
"So you fly business class without having to pay for them and yet have been whining about having to pay for premium drinks for 2 days. Solution is simple - don’t drink. If you can’t live without drinking, then being a cheapskate is least of your problem"
Bam!