Food, drinks, private booths: Inside look at Delta’s first Sky Club at Charlotte airport
Inside a lounge at Charlotte’s airport this week, a bartender tossed ice and poured liquor into a cocktail shaker to make a mixed drink as ESPN showed sports highlights on a TV behind him.
The bar is one of many features of Delta Air Line’s new Sky Club. It opened on Wednesday — Delta’s first passenger lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The club has more than 14,000 square feet of space and is on the mezzanine level of the Concourse A expansion area.
It offers a place for passengers to relax before a flight with food, drinks, Wi-Fi and a view of the runway.
Ted Kaplan, CLT’s chief business and innovation officer, congratulated Delta on opening the Sky Club. “This new addition to CLT’s lounge portfolio highlights our shared commitment to enhancing the passenger experience and providing premium options for our travelers,” Kaplan said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer.
Tim Genovese, director of operations and design for Delta Sky Club, said it took about three years to find space, then design and build the new lounge at the airport.
Genovese declined to say how much the project cost. The lounge is providing 35 new jobs at the airport.
What’s inside the new Delta lounge?
The club offers a variety of services for passengers flying in and out of Charlotte Douglas, one of the busiest airports in the world:.
▪ 246 seats with views of the airfield and concourse on the lower level.
▪ A 14-seat bar visible from the concourse below.
▪ A buffet station with choices such as smoked Gouda pasta salad with peas, ham and pimento cheese biscuits and Arcadian lettuce salad. Desserts such as cookies and white chocolate cranberry cheesecake are also available.
Breakfast is offered in the morning and the all-day menu starts at 11 a.m. Menus change each season and reflect the culture of the region. “There’s a lot of nods to Southern comfort food and hopefully some enjoyment if you love that type of food,” Genovese said.
▪ Two beverage stations with iced tea, water and Starbucks coffee.
▪ Dedicated quiet space with six soundproof booths for work, business and leisure purposes.
▪ Cyber bar in a quiet area with views of aircraft on the runway.
Honoring Charlotte in the lounge
The club’s design was inspired by the city’s namesake, Queen Charlotte, and her influence on fashion and aesthetics with an emphasis on floral motifs, according to Delta. Charlotte’s tree conservatory efforts and green spaces are also included in the look.
Work from local and regional artists are also inside the Sky Club.
“Every time we build a Sky Club, the design is unique to that marketplace,” Genovese said. “We feel like when you enter this Sky Club , you feel a little bit of Charlotte here.”
Gaining access to the Delta lounge
Delta passengers will be able to access the Sky Club within three hours of their scheduled departure time. Connecting customers can continue to access clubs at other airports at any time before departure.
Annual memberships and renewals to Sky Club are available to Medallion Members of the SkyMiles Program, according to the airline.
Customers who are not Medallion Members may still access Delta Sky Club with another qualifying credential, such as the Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Reserve Business American Express Card, or when flying on a same-day Delta One itinerary.
Additional information about access and membership is available online at delta.com/us/en/delta-sky-club/access.
More on Delta in Charlotte
The Atlanta-based airline provides daily service to seven Delta hubs from Charlotte. In addition to Atlanta, Delta offers service to Detroit, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region, Salt Lake City, Boston and New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.
American Airlines accounts for about 87% of services at CLT while Delta is around 4.5%.The airport is the second-largest hub for American.
Delta operates fewer than 5% of flights at Charlotte Douglas.
In September, the airport opened the Concourse A Expansion - Phase II, which is mostly occupied by Delta. CLT spent $241 million on the project as part of the airport’s “Destination CLT” plan to improve services and operations.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
