Delta’s Sky Clubs Signal Closer Design Ties With Virgin Atlantic

You may be forgiven, even as a frequent traveller, to think the above image was snapped inside a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. There are a lot of similarities between Virgin’s signature lounges and Delta‘s latest wave of Sky Clubs. Even the similarities in the names of their airside lounges might get you confused.

But Delta’s latest club has helped reinforce Delta as a design-led carrier. The new lounge in Seattle matches the design ethos of Atlanta’s new Terminal B lounge which opened last month. Situated between SeaTac’s concourses A and B, the new space offers fantastic floor to ceiling windows with a view of the impressive Mount Rainer in the distance.

However it is the interior design that will have most people impressed. At 21,000 sq feet and seating 400, the lounge is one of Delta’s largest around the world and will play host to locally inspired art through the lounge’s own art gallery.

What is key though, is Virgin Atlantic’s noticeable (and increasing) influence on Delta’s product. It’s no secret that the industry as a whole took note when Virgin Atlantic launched their Clubhouses around the world, which changed the way the passengers experienced airline lounges a decade ago. Now Delta is introducing similar products into their lounges to match their sister airline’s design ethos.

Seattle’s Club represents the newest in renewed thinking behind the airline’s guest experience and features local touches designed to provide a meaningful, inviting environment for members and guests, from modern relaxed seating, similar to those in VS’s LHR Clubhouse to locally inspired art, premium drink offerings and another Virgin Atlantic-influenced in-club spa.

Delta also boasts a signature bar in the lounge, similar to Atlanta’s new Sky Club offering, providing a variety of premium and complimentary options including Washington wines curated by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, cocktails from local distilleries, Georgetown Lucille IPA craft beer, a self-serve espresso machine and freshly brewed Starbucks coffee.

Following the worldwide trend of locally-inspired lounges, Delta’s interior pays homage to the Pacific Northwest with a heavy focus on wood, water and movement. The true icon of the lounge is the 30-foot ceiling and technologically advanced glass windows that adapt to keep the space cool in the summer.

This lounge is just the tip of an airside iceberg, with Raleigh Durham and Newark both featuring new lounges by the end of the year, with more to follow in 2017. It seems the relationship between Delta and Virgin Atlantic is symbiotic, with route network of Delta and design ethos of Virgin Atlantic, helping each other to become a more formidable global airline group than either would have standing alone.

The Big Picture