en.Wedoany.com Reported - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is partnering with the City of Atlanta and Delta Air Lines to build a new approximately 40,000-square-foot Delta One Lounge above gates 14 through 27 in Concourse E.
Delta Air Lines will lead the construction of the project, building a new structure atop the existing concourse to accommodate the lounge. According to documents released by the Atlanta City Council, the city has agreed to reimburse Delta $63 million in construction costs and set a deadline for the lounge to be operational by January 2029 at the latest.
The ATL project is ambitious in scale, with the space spanning two levels of the concourse. Once completed, it will become one of the largest lounges in Delta's entire network. This lounge will surpass the Sky Club tier, offering more refined dining services, superior amenities, and a more luxurious experience. Upon completion, the new Delta One Lounge at ATL will rival another large new lounge Delta operates at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
Although Atlanta is Delta's home base and largest hub, a similar lounge at JFK has already opened. ATL is not the last airport to undergo such a large-scale transformation. Delta is modernizing its hubs nationwide to strengthen its most competitive hubs and counter competition from United Airlines and American Airlines. In addition to JFK, Delta has opened new Delta One Lounges at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The company's CEO, Ed Bastian, has stated plans for similar expansions across all eight of its hubs.
The ATL project had previously lagged, primarily due to a lack of readily available space. With the ATL project accelerating, the next hubs expected to undergo transformation include Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), and a planned complete rebuild of the hub at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).
Although Atlanta is Delta's largest and oldest hub, travelers at ATL will have to wait at least three more years to experience what the other four transformed hubs already offer. Construction delays are partly due to the airport's extremely high daily passenger traffic. Approvals from airport authorities and the city are the official reasons for the wait, but this slow progress also provides a reference for the ATL project—the Delta One Lounges at the other four hubs crucially helped pilot and validate new service experiences before construction began at ATL.
The scale of the new Delta One Lounge at ATL will dwarf Boston's 6,700-square-foot lounge, be four times the size of the Los Angeles lounge, and nearly twice the size of the Seattle lounge. Therefore, it is not surprising that Atlanta is taking longer in planning and approvals. As at JFK, full support from the airport and the city is not only necessary to advance the project but also key to ensuring the best long-term outcomes for the airport and every traveler.
Since the post-pandemic trough in air travel, Delta has enhanced the flying experience by introducing new aircraft models such as the Airbus A220, A321neo, and A350 XWB. These initiatives are part of a strategy to follow the global "premiumization" trend in air travel. Passenger behavior shows that since airports resumed full services, more travelers are willing to pay extra for a more comfortable journey. To complement the modern flying experience, Delta is advancing the process of upgrading every hub in its network. With the expansion of the Salt Lake City hub, Delta will also become the first airline in the 21st century to invest in building a new hub airport in the United States.
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