Delta Announces 5 New and 3 Expanded Lounges Coming in 2023
Delta has been in the news recently for its lounge crowding and updated policies for entrance, but there has not been much talk about their growth. With all of these changes, they are investing lots into the overall passenger experience for the Sky Club network. Delta has announced five new and three expanded Sky Clubs that will all be opening in 2023.
New Lounges (5)
Kansas City International (MCI) will open a new $1.5 billion terminal. When this terminal opens in Feb 2023, it will only have one lounge, a Delta Sky Club. This will also be the first lounge to open in the Kansas City airport. There are no exact details on the lounge, but it has been rumored to have an all-weather Sky Deck.
The next Sky Club lounge planned to open in April 2023 will be located in Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) airport. Currently, Minneapolis airport has two other Delta lounges, one in F/G concourse and the other in C concourse. This G concourse lounge will be the 3rd Sky Club lounge and the largest and most modern at the airport. This lounge is reported to be 21,000 square feet and will have a Sky Deck with an overall capacity for 450 travelers.
The third lounge opening by Delta is planned to be at New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK), with an estimated opening in June. Currently, there are two Sky Clubs at New York Kennedy, but they need more capacity based on the overcrowding reported by travelers. When Delta consolidates its JFK operations into Terminal 4 next year, they will be opening this new lounge in the A gates to join their other lounge already located in B gates. This new lounge will be around 14,000 square feet and provide space for 200+ passengers. To help with the demand until this new lounge opens, Delta will be opening a Sky Club Express (like they did in Boston) sometime in January 2022 to help serve the demand.
The fourth planned lounge opening in 23' will be located at Boston Logan International (BOS) in Terminal E. Delta currently has 3 Sky Clubs in Boston, two main lounges, and one Sky Club Express. The Sky Club Express was added for international Delta travelers departing out of the E Terminal. To better serve these passengers, a new 21,000-square-foot lounge will be opening in late summer of 2023.
The final new Sky Club Lounge planned to open in 2023 will appear at Newark Liberty International (EWR) airport. This new lounge will be added to the new, highly anticipated Terminal A, which is planned to open in December 2023. Once open, there will be two Sky Club lounges, with the other being located in Terminal B.
Updated & Expanded Lounges (3)
Besides opening new lounges, Delta will also be taking some time to expand and improve existing lounges. Premiering in late 2023, Delta will be expanding three locations.
The first planned expansion is slated to open in September at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) airport. The current FLL lounge (first opened in 2021) has suffered from overcrowding, so Delta will be adding 2,200 square feet to help ease congestion. This will increase seating from 180 to 270 guests and give the lounge a total footprint of 10,200 square feet. This lounge will open just in time for the "snow birds" to arrive in Florida.
Miami International Airport (MIA) is getting an upgrade to their only existing lounge located in H Concourse. They will be expanding the size of the lounge to 12,000 square feet so they can accommodate up to 320 passengers. This expansion is expected to be done sometime in December of 2023.
The final expansion announced for 2023 will be in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) airport. The headquarters to Delta and home to the most Sky Club lounges (9) will be upgrading their Sky Club in Concourse E. The renovation will include many upgrades, and the size will be expanded to 18,000 square feet to accommodate 350+ guests.
Closing Thoughts
As a frequent traveler on Delta with lounge access, I am excited to see these improvements being announced. It's especially exciting to see Sky Clubs opening at airports without existing Sky Clubs. I am happy to see the investment Delta Airlines is making, with both capacity and amenities. I am also thrilled to see more Sky Decks opening; these are one the of my favorite amenities found in any lounge. I am counting the days before I return to the LAX Terminal 3 Sky Deck next year!