Staff at one of the U.S.'s biggest airlines have been told they can no longer make use of its luxury airport lounges due to overcrowding.
Delta Air Lines has banned staff from using its Sky Clubs when employees are flying standby with company travel privileges — even though they have to pay for access. They've also been booted out of Sky Clubs when traveling for company business, CNBC reported.
The clubs include a range of amenities such as bars, restaurants, showers and complimentary wi-fi.
A memo reportedly sent to staff on Wednesday said the airline understands staff may be "disappointed".
It added: "This decision was not made lightly. We are sure you’ll agree that delivering an elevated experience to our most loyal customers must be our priority.
“When we put our customers first and ensure that they have the best experience, they will continue to prefer Delta’s premium products and services — which ultimately benefits all of us."
In a statement, the airline added: “Delta people understand the role we all play in delivering an elevated customer experience. That’s why employees will refrain from accessing Delta Sky Clubs when using their standby travel privileges or traveling for company business."
Delta customers have already seen modifications to Sky Club memberships as the business looks to "balance popularity with premium service".
In November, Delta announced a raft of changes to access as well as increased membership prices. Starting in January, the individual price increased from $545 or 54,500 miles to $695 or 69,000 miles. The executive membership went from $845 or 84,500 miles to $1,495 or 149,500 miles.
Effective from next month, the fee for companion guests will increase from $39 to $50, or from 3,900 to 5,000 miles for club members who wish to pay with miles.
Dwight James, senior vice president of customer engagement and loyalty, and CEO of Delta Vacations, said when he made the announcement: “While we’re thrilled to see so many customers enjoy the fruits of our teams’ hard work, our goal now is to balance the popularity of the Clubs with the premium service and atmosphere for which they were designed — and that our guests deserve.”
Not all Delta employees are apparently convinced by the company's explanation. “The solution to their own self-created crowding problem is to boot their own employees,” one unnamed Delta pilot told CNBC.
Perks priority
In the current tight labor market, work perks are a priority for many of America's biggest companies. A survey from corporate language trainer Preply found benefits that run from a 30% in-store discount at Starbucks to free Spotify premium subscriptions and 100% tuition coverage to earn a bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University.
Customer relationship management platform HubSpot — which was voted second in Glassdoor's best employers for 2022 — has unlimited vacation and has a company-wide, week-long break in July.
Microsoft has on-campus restaurants and snack bars and boons like a $1,500 annual reimbursement for wellness expenses. For its part, Google is a dog-friendly workplace and also offers paid volunteer days.
