Delta will bring fancy check-in areas to 2 more hubs by the end of 2025
By the end of 2025, every Delta Air Lines hub will have a spiffy, semi-private check-in area for flyers who book its Delta One cabin.
Between now and the end of this year, the Atlanta-based carrier expects to debut new dedicated Delta One check-in areas at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), executives said Thursday.
Up until now, those have been Delta's only two domestic hubs without a specific, set-aside area for customers flying in its nicest cabin.
Now, we must temper expectations: These welcome zones at SLC and MSP won't come close to rivaling the ultra-luxe, hard-to-top experiences Delta has unveiled at some of its top global hubs. Don't expect a borderline secret basement entrance with private security, like what the carrier offers its top customers in Los Angeles.
Still, these new check-in areas at the carrier's Utah and Minnesota hubs will be a cut above the SkyPriority lanes available to the wider swath of SkyMiles Medallion and SkyTeam elite members.
Like at some of the airline's other hubs, expect the walled-off space to sport a complement of welcome snacks, coffee and water, offering a respite from the often chaotic airport lobby.
To access these new check-in areas, you'll need to have a ticket marketed as "Delta One," which generally includes the airline's long-haul, lie-flat product and first-class on select domestic flights.
Delta operates modest long-haul networks out of both Salt Lake City and Minneapolis, with flights from each to Europe and Asia.
Confirmed: Delta will leave Medallion qualification requirements unchanged in 2026
New Salt Lake Sky Club opens soon
Worth noting: Neither SLC or MSP boasts the airline's swanky Delta One Lounge for Delta One passengers.
But Salt Lake City is on track to get a massive new Sky Club in the very near future. That's due to open by the end of this month, a Delta spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Continuing Delta's premium push
These new premium check-in areas are just one of many moves Delta has made to attract — and cater to — high-end travelers.
It's a push that's paid off financially for the carrier, which has consistently led all U.S. airlines in profitability since the COVID-19 pandemic. A big part of that: its lucrative cobranded credit card deal with American Express.
Delta on Thursday said it's on track to pull in a record $8 billion through its Amex tie-up in 2025, after making $2 billion during the year's third quarter.
One in three active SkyMiles members now carry a Delta Amex card, the company shared. For context, as of 2023, the airline had 25 million members it deemed "active" — and that member base has only grown since then. And despite rolling out lounge access restrictions earlier this year, Delta said that customers are increasingly turning to its more premium cards with higher annual fees.
"We've been acquiring a record number of premium cardholders," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on a call with analysts Thursday. "The mix of those [card] acquisitions is skewing higher and higher in terms of reaching a more premium audience. And those customers have better credit scores, so they get approved more often."
Delta's highest-end consumer card is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card — which carries a hefty $650 annual fee (see rates and fees), but offers a range of perks for frequent Delta flyers including an annual companion ticket and 15 annual Sky Club visits.
Read more: A review of Delta's top-tier credit card
Spring jitters fueled late-summer slowdown
Delta executives have credited its core customer base, much of which has household incomes topping $100,000 annually, as a key to success in 2025 — a year that's seen less-wealthy consumers pull back on spending at times.
"Our consumer base has remained financially sound," Bastian noted Thursday.
Overall consumer sentiment fell about 5% in September, according to the most recent University of Michigan Survey of Consumers, amid concerns about unemployment and inflation.
Interestingly, Delta did note some late-summer softness in late-summer travel demand to Europe — which, since the pandemic, has been a stalwart for the airline and its competitors.
Delta executives believe economic jitters during the spring months, when many customers book late-summer travel, contributed to the downtick in Europe demand.
Those slowing sales in July and August were mostly limited to the main cabin, Delta said; its Premium Select (premium economy) and lie-flat Delta One seats continued to be in high demand.
Lately, Delta noted a "recent acceleration" in travel spending among business and leisure travelers — perhaps an encouraging sign for the coming months and in 2026, when the carrier is set to launch more than a half-dozen new transatlantic flights.
We'll be watching to see if that optimism is shared by other airlines more reliant on price-conscious customers.
Related reading:
- Your complete guide to the Delta SkyMiles program
- Best Delta credit cards
- What is Delta Air Lines elite status worth?
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status in 2025
- Delta basic economy: What you need to know about bags, seats, boarding and more
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Amex Card, click here.