There’s a lot to like about Salt Lake City Airport (SLC)… if you’re a Delta flyer. For premium passengers, one of the frustrating things about the airport is how the only lounge is a Delta Sky Club®, as there are no contract lounges or lounges from other airlines. Fortunately that’s going to change.
Salt Lake City Airport getting first non-Delta lounge
The Salt Lake Tribune reports how a United Club is expected to open at Salt Lake City Airport. The 6,700 square foot lounge will be located in Concourse B, and will be part of a 16-gate expansion at the far east end of the concourse.
The bad news is that the lounge is only expected to open in October 2026, which is when that gate expansion is due to be complete, so travelers will have to be patient. Given how airport construction projects usually go, I think it’s likely there will be an additional delay there.
United is expected to operate five gates in this portion of the terminal. While Delta is of course the dominant carrier in Salt Lake City, United has grown its presence quite a bit in Salt Lake City over the years. It’s also pretty common for airlines to open lounges at hubs of competing airlines as a way of attracting customers. It’s the same as how American has an Admirals Club in Atlanta (ATL), Delta has a Sky Club in Dallas (DFW), etc.
Salt Lake City Airport needs a non-airline lounge
I’m happy to see that Salt Lake City Airport will finally be getting a non-Delta lounge, though I sure wish it weren’t yet another airline lounge. For context, the airport currently has a 28,000 square foot Sky Club in Concourse A, and in 2025, Delta plans to open an equally large Sky Club in Concourse B.
So while it’s nice that another airline will be opening a lounge at the airport, it would be even better if we saw a non-airline lounge open, so it would be more widely useful for travelers. How about a typical Priority Pass lounge, or an Amex Centurion Lounge, Capital One Lounge, or Chase Sapphire Lounge? That seems like it would have a lot more appeal.
I know that eventually Salt Lake City Airport will start construction on the new Concourse C, but that’s still many years from opening. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe there’s any more space in the current terminal setup for another lounge. It’s one of the largest airports in the country without any sort of a contract lounge.
Bottom line
Salt Lake City Airport will finally be getting a lounge that isn’t a Delta Sky Club®, which is exciting. What’s a bit less exciting is that it will be a United Club, so it will once again be an airline specific lounge. It would benefit the most passengers if the airport finally saw a non-airline specific lounge, so that it could be used by more passengers. So this is better than nothing, but that’s about it…
What do you make of the United Club Salt Lake City?
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