SkyTeam Expands Domestic Lounge Access—But Delta Elites Are Left Out

As of April 1, SkyTeam Elite Plus members can access the alliance’s lounges when traveling on domestic flights, not just international departures. However, a pesky caveat excludes Delta SkyTeam members on U.S. itineraries.

Meanwhile, the three-hour cap on stays will be extended to more lounges, and the door policy for free guests has become stricter.

Domestic Lounge Access

SkyTeam has previously had a tougher door policy on its lounges than rival airline alliances oneworld and Star Alliance.

When traveling in coach, Sky Team Elite Plus members—which include Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum, or Diamond Medallion members and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold Members—have only been able to access lounges within the alliance’s network when flying on international itineraries, while the other alliances have rolled out the red carpet to their elites on many domestic flights.

Photo: Courtesy of SkyTeam

As of April 1, SkyTeam has finally relented and given Elite Plus members access to “selected lounges” operated by partner airlines Air France, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM, SAS, Saudia, Vietnam Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.

The eligible lounges in the U.S. are:

• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) – Air France Lounge (Terminal E)
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) – SAS Lounge (Terminal 5)
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) – Air France Lounge (Terminal D) and KLM Crown Lounge (Terminal D)
• New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – Air France Lounge (Terminal 1)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – Air France Lounge (Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) – Air France Lounge (International Terminal A)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – Air France Lounge (Terminal A)

However, members who have attained their Sky Team Elite status lounge through Delta’s SkyMiles program won’t be able to access these lounges on domestic flights within the U.S. It’s a shame because it would be very cool to gate-crash Air France, KLM, and SAS lounges and sample European cuisine while on humdrum Delta connections within the U.S.

But outside of the U.S., Delta and other SkyTeam elites have gained access to lounges on some domestic flights within China, France, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.

Some of these policy tweaks won’t impact too many people. SkyTeam typically considers flights within Europe’s Schengen Zone as international departures, with lounge access already included, so we’re unclear who will gain access to the Air France lounge at Geneva Airport (GVA), as domestic flights within tiny Switzerland are limited. (We could find just one: between Geneva and Zurich (ZRH) but it’s operated by non-SkyTeam member SWISS).

Photo: Courtesy of Air France

However, the change could benefit many travelers in France. Despite the country’s crackdown on short-haul flights, flights are still permitted to further flung domestic destinations, such as from Parisian airports to Marseille (MRS), Nice (NCE), and Toulouse (TLS), and Air France Flying Blue Gold members can now tap into some of the carrier’s lounges with economy tickets on some those flights.

Overseas lounges now opening their doors to SkyTeam elites on domestic flights are:

• Air France Lounges in Bordeaux (BOD), Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), and Geneva (GVA)
• Garuda Indonesia lounges in Bali (DPS) and Jakarta (CGK)
• Kenya Airways Msafiri Lounge in Nairobi (NBO)
• Saudia lounges in Jeddah (JED) and Riyadh (RUH)
• Scandinavian Airlines lounges in Copenhagen (CPH), Gothenburg (GOT), Oslo (OSL), and Stockholm (ARL)
• Xiamen Airlines First Class lounges in Fuzhou (FOC), Hangzhou (HGH), Jinjiang (JJN), and Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)
• Vietnam Airlines lounges in Hanoi (HAN)

SkyTeam says it plans to extend domestic lounge access to more lounges in the future.

One more caveat: members who have attained their Sky Team Elite Plus status through Aerolineas Argentinas’s Aerolineas Plus program are also unfortunately unable to access these lounges on domestic itineraries, although SkyTeam hasn’t clarified why.

3-Hour Limit on Lounge Stays

It’s not all good news for SkyTeam loyalists. The airline alliance is also restricting visits to its lounges to three hours before flight departures. This rule applies to travelers gaining access with their SkyTeam Elite Plus credentials and those traveling on first and business class tickets.

Photo: KLM Crown Lounge, Houston. Courtesy of KLM

SkyTeam says it’s restricting stays to limit overcrowding at its lounges, which have been in high demand during the post-pandemic travel boom.

It’s worth noting that some very popular lounges already had a three-hour cap on stays. Additionally, SkyTeam says that the limit won’t apply to all lounges but hasn’t clarified which are exempted. You may have to turn up and see.

New restrictions on guest access

Finally, SkyTeam is cracking down on complimentary guest passes for SkyTeam Elite Plus members. Previously, they could bring one guest into the lounge, with the only requirement being that the guest was traveling on a SkyTeam-operated flight.

Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

Now, however, that guest needs to be boarding the same SkyTeam flight as the credentialed member. Otherwise, they’ll need to pay for a guest pass.

Travelers with SkyTeam Elite Plus status

Unclear if you qualify for SkyTeam Elite Plus and thus lounge access around the world? You have status with the alliance if you’ve attained one of the following ranks with a member airline: