Delta makes it harder to get into airport lounges

Delta Air Lines is changing how customers can earn elite frequent flyer status and is making it harder for a lot of American Express cardholders to get into the carrier’s airport lounges, the newest reality check for air travel’s era of mass luxury.

Starting Jan. 1, customers will earn Delta Medallion status solely based on their spending, as a substitute of a mixture of dollars spent with the carrier and flights. The brand new model is analogous to at least one that American Airlines recently adopted, and earlier this yr, raised among the spending requirements.

Major airlines have continually raised the necessities to earn status as customer spending on the airline and on co-branded bank cards has surged lately, swelling the ranks of those high-paying customers. Elite status can include a wide range of perks, from early boarding to upgrades to top quality and lounge access.

“We wish customers to have the option to receive status with activity beyond just air travel,” Dwight James, Delta’s senior vp of customer engagement and loyalty, told CNBC.

Next yr, Delta customers will earn 1 Medallion Qualifying Dollar for each $1 they spend on Delta flights, automotive rentals, hotels and vacation packages booked through the airline.

The ratio is not 1:1 for dollars spent through co-branded American Express cards. Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business American Express card members earn 1 Medallion Qualifying Dollar for each $10 spent on the cardboard, while Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Card Members earn 1 Medallion Qualifying Dollar for each $20 spent.

Listed here are the brand new status requirements:

• Silver Medallion – 6,000 MQDs
• Gold Medallion – 12,000 MQDs
• Platinum Medallion – 18,000 MQDs
• Diamond Medallion – 35,000 MQDs

Delta is limiting access to its popular Sky Club airport lounges through certain American Express bank cards after grappling with overcrowding at a few of them, drawing complaints from travelers.

As an alternative of the present unlimited visits, starting Feb. 1, 2025, American Express Platinum and Platinum Business cardholders will get six visits a yr, unless they spend $75,000 on the cardboard in a calendar yr.

Meanwhile, Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business cardholders will get 10 Sky Club visits a yr, a limit they’ll skirt by also spending $75,000 in a yr.

Delta’s SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express cards will now not get club access through the cards itself, although customers can enter by buying a club membership or in the event that they have elite status with Delta that permits them to choose a club membership as a perk.

“A few of the changes that we’re making ensures that we’re caring for our most premium customers with our most premium assets, one in every of those being the Sky Club,” James said. He said the changes were made at the side of American Express.

The airline last yr announced several changes to crack down on overcrowding on the clubs, including barring employees from using them when flying standby with company travel privileges, even in the event that they had qualifying bank cards. It also raised prices for club memberships for normal customers.