Major access changes for Delta Sky Club to come in 2023

The only constants in life are change and disappointing news, and Delta is giving us both, announcing major changes to its Delta Sky Club access policy in an effort to help preserve the premium experience.

Delta is updating its access policy for 2023, in order to reduce wait times for certain customers due to overcrowding in Sky Clubs and customer complaints about long lines and lack of seating.

Sky Club access changes in 2023:

• Starting January 1, Delta will only sell lounge memberships to Diamond, Platinum, Gold, and Silver Medallion elite members; non-elite SkyMiles members will no longer be able to purchase lounge memberships.

• Starting January 1, annual lounge membership fees will be increasing — Individual memberships cost will increase from $545 to $695, and Executive memberships will increase from $845 to $1,495.

• Starting February 1, companion guest fees will increase from $39 to $50, regardless of membership status or bringing guests based on credit card access.

• Starting February 1, Delta Sky Club members flying basic economy will no longer have access to lounges.

• More changes to the policy can be found here.

The good news from this announcement is that American Express cardholders can continue to access Sky Club – however, the companion fee will increase from $39 to $50 as of February 2.

Delta will begin rolling out real-time Sky Club capacity indicators on the Fly Delta app next month as the airline continues to expand into 2023. For lounges in Atlanta and Detroit, capacity levels will be listed in the app’s “Delta Sky Club” section. This feature is expected to roll out network-wide in the next few months.