On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, Delta will be opening its newest Delta Sky Club® at Minneapolis Airport (MSP), adding some much needed lounge capacity to one of the carrier’s hubs.
Basics of the new Delta Sky Club Minneapolis Airport
A new Delta Sky Club is opening at Minneapolis Airport, which measures more than 21,000 square feet, with seating for more than 450 customers. This will be the third Sky Club at the airport, and it adds incremental lounge capacity to the airport (as this isn’t the renovation of an existing club). The new Sky Club is located in the upper level of the recently expanded G concourse.
The new Sky Club is described as being nature-inspired, based on Minneapolis’ designation as the “land of 10,000 lakes.” The lounge’s color palette is supposed to evoke summer sunsets at the lake, with earth tones like sage greens paired with warm copper and amber hues (I’m paraphrasing the press release here, because I think this is a bit of a stretch, but…).
What’s also pretty awesome — and kind of surprising given Minneapolis’ climate — is that the lounge will feature a Sky Deck with seating for 110 guests. The Sky Deck is bookended by two completely open-air elements, one of which features a living plant wall, with seasonal foliage refreshed three times annually. The Sky Deck also features an overhead skylight.
As far as other amenities go, the new Sky Club features three kiosks for self check-in, a full buffet, two premium bars, and three soundproof booths for quiet work. The lounge is also described as being eco-conscious, with over 90% of waste from the lounge being diverted from landfills via recycling and composting.
You can expect the lounge to also feature some local food options, with recipes from Bravo’s Top Chef alum Justin Sutherland. Options will rotate quarterly, and initially will include chicken and andouille gumbo, shrimp and grits, pimento cheeseburger sliders, and banana pudding.
See this post for Delta Sky Club access policies. In addition to being open to select premium passengers and members, Sky Clubs can also be accessed with American Express Platinum Card® (review) and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review).
Below you can find some pictures of the new Sky Club, provided by Delta.
My take on the new Delta Sky Club Minneapolis
It goes without saying that it’s awesome to see Delta adding more lounge capacity. Delta Sky Club are superior to American Admirals Clubs and United Clubs when it comes to quality, and I especially love the Sky Deck concept. The catch is that:
- Delta Sky Club are by far the most consistently crowded lounges run by any US airline, given the access requirements
- Delta doesn’t yet have premium international lounges, unlike American Flagship Lounges and United Polaris Lounges, which is a major disadvantage
Lastly, I haven’t been to one of Delta’s redesigned Sky Clubs in the past year or so (the Sky Clubs just haven’t been at the airports I’ve traveled to when flying with Delta). Is the design actually nice? It’s weird, because on the one hand, I could see how the Sky Club design could look elegant, and it’s at least not generic, like so many other clubs.
Yet at the same time, I can’t help but note that it’s probably not my personal style. It just seems like there’s a lot going on, and it reminds me of a really nice house I’d expect to see on Zillow… in 2009. I almost feel like this looks like a mass-market cruise ship interior, or something. Is it just me?
Bottom line
A new Delta Sky Club is opening at Minneapolis Airport, with a capacity for 450+ guests. This will be the third Sky Club at the airport, so should add some much needed capacity, given Sky Club crowding issues. I especially appreciate the Sky Deck feature, which is something unique that Delta does, which you won’t find at American and United.
What do you make of the new Delta Sky Club Minneapolis?
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