Delta One Lounge Coming To Atlanta Airport… Eventually

Delta Air Lines has revealed yet another location for its premium international lounge network, which I’m sure many people will appreciate. However, we’ll have to be patient…

Delta One Lounge planned for ATL

Delta is investing in its network of Delta One Lounges, which are primarily for those traveling with the airline in business class (Delta One) on long haul flights. So far, we’ve seen these lounges open in New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Boston (BOS).

Up until now, the airline has also revealed plans to open these lounges in Seattle (SEA) and Salt Lake City (SLC). Fortunately there’s another positive update, as reported by Zach Griff. A Delta One Lounge is planned for Atlanta (ATL), which is Delta’s largest hub. However, the details haven’t yet been finalized, and it’s probably quite a ways off from opening.

The executive in charge of Delta’s lounge network explains that the Delta One Lounge Atlanta is something that the airline is “working on,” and that “there are a couple of areas that we have under review now.” But he confirmed that there will be a standalone Delta One Lounge there, but stopped short of providing further details.

The Delta One Lounge is expected to be in either Concourse E or Concourse F, where most Delta long haul flights depart from. One would assume that one of the existing lounges will be converted, unless the airline finds some massive amount of available space in the terminal, which could be challenging without an airport expansion.

One thing is for sure — the Delta One Lounge Atlanta needs to be huge, given the size of Delta’s network out of Atlanta. Currently the New York location is the biggest in the Delta One Lounge network, at roughly 40,000 square feet, so one would hope that the Atlanta location would be at least as big.

While I suspect it’ll be a couple of years before a Delta One Lounge Atlanta opens, it’s at least good that this is actively being worked on.

No firm plans for other Delta One Lounges at hubs

So, what about Delta One Lounges at the carrier’s other major hubs, like Detroit (DTW) and Minneapolis (MSP)? Well, it’s something the airline is looking at, but it sounds like there are no firm plans for Delta One Lounges there, and it remains to be seen if any progress is made.

I can understand not opening a Delta One Lounge in Minneapolis, since it’s not a major long haul hub. However, not having a lounge in Detroit is a major gap, given the size of Delta’s long haul network from there. This also gets at how airlines often invest in more competitive markets rather than fortress hubs. Particularly in Detroit, there’s limited competition from foreign carriers.

Bottom line

Delta is working on opening a Delta One Lounge in Atlanta, which is encouraging news. Unfortunately it sounds like a possible space for the lounge hasn’t even been finalized, so it will likely be some time before the lounge actually opens. Either way, it’s nice to know that this is in the cards. Unfortunately there are no firm plans for similar facilities in Detroit or Minneapolis, though that could change over time.

What do you make of plans for a Delta One Lounge in Atlanta?