Delta One Lounge New York: The Overcrowding Issue

Intro

Over the past few years, we have seen issues with lounge overcrowding. While this is not just Delta (Air Canada has the same), there have been reports of lines to get inside of the Delta One Lounge at JFK over the weekend. Considering I was there over the weekend, I wanted to provide my take on this situation and what I have seen...

The Details

A photo is currently going viral on X (Twitter) of there being a 20-minute line on July 6th to enter the Delta One Lounge at JFK (courtesy of JonNYC). However, the reason might actually surprise you...

A line to get into the Delta One Lounge at JFK

Well, apparently it wasn't to do with overcrowding, but it was to do with the manager deciding where people should sit. When there was a table for two, the manager would seat two passengers at that table. When there was a table for four, the same would apply, etc, etc...

However, reports online have indicated that when inside, there were well north of 50 open seats in line. People were waiting for 20 minutes outside, after paying well north of 1500 USD per ticket, only to find open seats inside. Ridiculous...

Why? My View

The first time I headed to the Delta One Lounge, it had just opened, and the service was nothing short of spectacular. All of the staff seemed to be honored to have customers in there, and it was a very special atmosphere.

However, after visiting last week, I have noticed a shift. The lounge is now more directed at one-off visitors splurging on a ticket, not frequent flyers. While I appreciate that the manager offers to show you around the lounge and the servers talk about their preferences, the lounge is too large for this. For a frequent flyer, it's all about efficiency in a lounge and relaxation.

Even the terrace was packed by midday on the 4th of July (a low-demand travel day)

If you look at the top airline lounges in the world (hosting more than 40 people at once), such as the Al Safwa Lounge, The Private Room, and Emirates First Class (not exactly top drawer but my point will come), there is no one going out of their way to show you around the lounge.

It almost feels like Delta is somewhat trying too hard, which is a point I never thought I would say about a US carrier (like ever). If you look at the lounges in the East, the service comes from example, and not from being vocal.

Now, all that to say this isn't the end of the world since I would much rather have service being over the top compared to non-existent in a lot of American Airlines Lounges (not all). So this isn't a rant at Delta, I just wonder if there is a better way to balance this.

My advice is that Delta and United should add reservations in their restaurants, but I'll touch on this in a separate post later today...

Final Thoughts

A recent photo was shared on Twitter (X) of passengers having to wait outside the Delta One Lounge in New York for about 20 minutes. However, once they entered, the passengers saw there were well more than 50 seats available. In my eyes, not only is it unacceptable for those paying top dollar for a business class ticket, but I wonder if Delta is almost trying "too hard" to have the best service out there, instead of combining friendliness with efficiency.