A few weeks ago I covered how Delta Air Lines revealed plans to open a second Delta One Lounge at LAX, making it the first airport where the airline has two Delta One Lounges. This is interesting, as it’s clearly part of a broader growth strategy by the carrier at the airport. There’s now an update, as this lounge has opened as of today, as we were expecting (thanks to a scoop by JonNYC), so we also have all the details.
Makeshift Delta One Lounge LAX Terminal 2 now open
Delta is known for its excellent Delta One One Lounges, and there are currently locations at four airports, in Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), and Seattle (SEA).
The original Delta One Lounge LAX opened back in 2024, located in Terminal 3, and it offers a great experience. At only 10,000 square feet, it pales in comparison to the one at JFK, which is around 40,000 square feet. But still, Delta’s network at LAX also isn’t as big.
That brings us to the news — as of June 30, 2026, Delta has opened a second Delta One Lounge at LAX, in Terminal 2, which is open daily from 7AM until 10PM. However, the process by which this is happening is rather odd. We’ve just seen this Delta One Lounge open in an “initial phase.” Then in the second half of 2027 the Delta One Lounge in Terminal 2 will undergo a full renovation, before opening again in 2028, with the finished product.
The initial facility is more of a makeshift setup, which has taken over the space of the former Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Terminal 2 (before it moved to Tom Bradley International Terminal), and it’s located on the terminal’s mezzanine level. The lounge is roughly 4,000 square feet, with seating for around 75 guests.
Delta highlights how the emphasis with the new Delta One Lounge is on all things culinary, with a consistent dining experience to what customers have grown accustomed to in the other Delta One Lounge at LAX. So there’s a la carte dining throughout the lounge with a rotating menu, with current options including lamb bolognese with house-made lumache pasta, hamachi crudo, and classic French onion soup. An extensive drink list is also available, including cocktails prepared by a bartender.
The lounge also has three showers, four cabana-style bathrooms, and a bar. Then there are portable monitors and wireless chargers as well.
Passengers who choose to use this lounge can use the Delta One check-in facility at Terminal 3, including the direct security channel access. Then they can receive Delta transportation (via a golf cart) directly to the Terminal 2 Delta One Lounge.
Among the premium international lounges of the “big three” US carriers, this is the first time that we’ve seen two of these lounges at one airport… and LAX isn’t even among Delta’s biggest hubs!
I am curious how they’re going to manage crowding between the two lounges. People will probably go to the lounge closer to their gate, or maybe to the Terminal 3 lounge, out of habit. How will Delta properly distribute guests, especially since ideally you don’t want to tell a business class passenger to schlep to Terminal 2, after they’ve arrived at the Terminal 3 lounge?
Separately, in 2027, Delta also plans to open a new Sky Club in Terminal 2, which will be roughly 11,000 square feet. This represents a renovation of the Sky Club that closed in 2024. Eventually Delta will have a total of four lounge spaces at LAX, totaling 60,000 square feet.
This is part of Delta’s huge LAX growth plans
Typically, the “big three” US carriers love their fortress hubs, where they dominate the market, and control a majority of the traffic. This allows them to efficiently funnel passengers into their larger network, and also gives them more pricing power.
LAX is unique in that it’s an airport where American, Delta, and United, all have a hub. It’s the only airport where that’s the case. Over the years, we’ve seen the airlines kind of take turns being the slightly dominant airline (I guess you could say they’re LAX vers), but it’s just a really tough market.
You’d think LAX would be super lucrative, but it’s just not anywhere close to the most profitable hubs, due to the amount of competition. On the international front, you have so much service from foreign airlines, which often have much lower cost structures than US carriers. Furthermore, given how market share is distributed pretty equally, it’s also hard for any one airline to make huge money on credit cards, or to have much pricing power.
As things currently stand, there’s no denying that the Delta One Lounge LAX gets busy late at night (before the transpacific flights), but other than that, the lounge doesn’t get that crowded.
What’s odd about Delta is that it has spent recent years building up its hub in SEA as a long haul gateway, largely as an alternative to LAX. However, with growth constraints, plus the pressure of being number two behind Alaska, we’e now seen Delta shift growth back to LAX.
We’ve just seen Delta launch flights out of LAX to Hong Kong (HKG), and the airline also plans to launch Manila (MNL) flights in 2027. Side note — that HKG route must be buh-leeding money, particularly with current oil prices.
In the time since the second Delta One Lounge LAX was announced, we’ve learned more about Delta’s goal of dominating LAX, as the airline sees a “once in a generation” opportunity. While some growth is definitely possible, I tend to think history repeats itself, and I can’t imagine any ramp-up will be terribly profitable. But perhaps Delta views it as part of a larger strategic interest.
Bottom line
As of June 30, 2026, a second Delta One Lounge at LAX Terminal 2 has opened, complementing the one that opened in Terminal 3 in 2024. The temporary Delta One Lounge in Terminal 2 will remain open until the second half of 2027, at which point it will close to undergo a full renovation, before then opening again in 2028.
Admittedly the original Delta One Lounge is rather small, but still, this is the first time we’ve seen a US carrier open two premium international business lounges at the same airport. We know Delta plans to grow at LAX, though I’m curious just how much growth is in the cards.
What do you make of a second Delta One Lounge LAX?
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