Delta (DAL) -)'s network of Sky Club airport lounges has been in the news a lot over the last few months.
After the airline announced that it was requiring travelers to spend more to earn the loyalty status necessary to access its lounges while also bringing down the number of times those with said status can enter them in a year last September, customers revolted while competing airlines saw opportunity to win them over.
Related: Airlines are cracking down on lounge crowding in a way you won't like
While Delta’s CEO Ed Bestian later admitted the airline "probably went too far" with the changes and raised the Sky Club lounge caps slightly, he did not backtrack on the decision to introduce them in the first place.
Shutterstock
Here's what we know about the brand-new Sky Club lounge coming to Charlotte
Three months later, the airline announced that it is opening another one of its Sky Club lounges in the newly-renovated Concourse A of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. While the airline said that they "look forward to sharing more details in the coming months," it confirmed to media that a "first-ever location in Charlotte" would be opening sometime in 2024.
More Travel:
- A new travel term is taking over the internet (and reaching airlines and hotels)
- The 10 best airline stocks to buy now
- Airlines see a new kind of traveler at the front of the plane
Those who have recently passed through the terminal reported seeing a large space currently being blocked off by construction signs that has presumably been set aside for the new lounge space. Delta is also slated to receive 10 new gates to fly out of from the new terminal once construction is complete.
CLT is currently the tenth-busiest airport in the country when it comes to passenger traffic but only 2% of Delta's flights leave out of there. The nearby Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is a major hub both for the country and the airline. American Airlines has its regional hub in Charlotte and operates a much larger number of its flights from the airport.
While Charlotte is a relatively small city with a population of just over 880,000, airlines have been increasingly eying it as a place to increase their presence — there have been growing rumors that American Airlines (AAL) -) is looking to open its Admirals Club lounge in Charlotte as well.
New club 'the result of competitive pressure, also good for guests'
"Ultimately a Delta Sky Club in Charlotte will in be great for Delta passengers but could also be good for American passengers as well as a result of competitive pressure, and also be good for guests who currently use the Centurion lounge, The Club, and two Minute Suites locations at the airport since it could help reduce crowding," writes Gary Leff of travel website View From The Wing.
This fall, Delta added another new Sky Club lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport's renovated Terminal A. In the last few months, the airline has also opened new locations in Boston Logan International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport as part of its wider efforts to build more Sky Club lounges.
“While Delta takes measures to curb Club overcrowding, the airline will continue to plan for major growth, with a robust expansion and opening schedule for 2023 and planned digital investments to enhance the Club experience,” the airline said at the end of 2022.
