What would you change if you had a magic wand to neutralize the worst aspects of air travel? Near the top of the list would likely be long lines at the check-in desk, the irritating security checkpoint experience, and loitering around the baggage claim area as you await your luggage.
Delta Sky Priority takes care of these pain points for you—no magic wand necessary. And while it’s a rather exclusive benefit, anyone can get it with a few tricks.
Top benefits of Sky Priority
“I experienced Delta Sky Priority with a Delta One ticket and it was seamless,” says Jen Ruiz, founder at Jen on a Jet Plane. “You have a dedicated customer service line when checking in. Your luggage gets a special tag so it’s treated as a priority and comes out first. Even if the plane is small and you have to gate check a bag, your bag comes out into the jetway first.”
Flying with Sky Priority feels like you’re part of an elite club. And with all the neon bag tags and conspicuous signage at every turn, other travelers will also know you’re different from the rest of the crowd. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly comes with Sky Priority.
Baggage perks
Sky Priority flyers get unique tags placed on their checked luggage at check-in. This tells the baggage handlers to load your bags on the carousel at your destination airport before everyone else.
These tags may seem like a small detail—after all, it may only save you ten minutes or so of waiting. But it makes a real impact and detracts from the stress of traveling in its own simple way.
Priority check-in and boarding
If you’re flying Sky Priority, you’ll have use of a separate check-in lane that leads to a customer service desk exclusively for you. If you’ve ever been greeted at the airport by a check-in line bleeding out into the passenger dropoff zone, you know how valuable a dedicated check-in lane can be. Sometimes, this could mean the difference between making and missing your flight.
Similarly (though perhaps less important), you’ll enjoy priority boarding privileges—meaning your feet will be two of the first to board the plane. You’ll still board behind folks like active duty military and families with small children, but you’re still guaranteed a few extra minutes to get settled in. Best of all, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of overhead bin space to choose from.
Priority security
Another potentially enormous time saver is a dedicated security lane at select airports. These are deployed at peak travel times, helping you to avoid the serpentine TSA line to which most other travelers are subject. You’ll speed through security checkpoints with little holdup. Just note that priority security lanes can change locations.
This feature is particularly helpful for those who aren’t a member of a trusted traveler program, such as TSA PreCheck. TSA PreCheck offers expedited security and a dedicated lane at TSA checkpoints. You can keep your shoes and belt on when passing through the metal detector and even keep your laptop and TSA-approved toiletries in your bag.
How to get Delta Sky Priority status
As its name implies, Delta Sky Priority doesn’t apply to every passenger. It’s a label that signals to Delta who does and doesn’t get the white glove treatment. There are a few ways to attain Sky Priority—from flying often, to reserving prime seats, to spending on your credit card.
Premium seats
You’ll generally receive Sky Priority when flying in Delta One or Premium Select seats on international flights and on first-class seats when flying domestically. You can either pay cash for those fares or use Delta miles to book premium award seats. Either way, you’ll get the same privileges.
Delta elite status
Loyalty members with Delta Gold Medallion status or higher will get Sky Priority on all Delta flights—even if they aren’t in a premium seat. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, you’ll need to earn $100 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) to achieve Gold Medallion status.
There are a two main ways to earn MQDs:
- Purchasing and completing flights with Delta (you’ll earn $1 MQD per dollar spent on Delta-marketed flights)
- Holding and spending on select Delta credit cards
This second option is intriguing. Beginning in 2024, you’ll earn $1 MQD for every $20 spent on the:
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
And you’ll earn $1 MQD for every $10 spent on the:
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
In addition, you’ll receive an automatic $2,500 MQDs at the beginning of the year for each of the above cards you hold. In other words, you could conceivably have $10,000 MQDs each year without exerting an ounce of effort.
Other elite statuses
Delta is a member of an airline alliance called SkyTeam, which includes 19 other airlines. By achieving a specific elite status tier with these airlines, you’ll also achieve a level of SkyTeam elite status. If you manage to attain SkyTeam Elite Plus status, you’ll receive Sky Priority on Delta flights.
Also Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold and LATAM Pass Platinum elite status holders (and above) will receive Sky Priority whenever they fly Delta.
Is Sky Priority the same as Delta SkyMiles?
Delta Sky Priority and Delta SkyMiles are not the same thing, but they are related. Delta SkyMiles is Delta’s loyalty program. You can earn airline miles and Delta elite status by opening a free account. Both of these can help you to acquire Sky Priority for your travels—again, by booking a premium seat or achieving Delta Gold status.
Does Sky Priority give access to airport lounges?
Sky Priority itself doesn’t grant you access to airport lounges. However, the circumstances that have grated you Sky Priority may. For example, if you’re flying a transcontinental or international flight in Delta One (Delta’s premium cabin), you may have access to lounges operated by Delta and its partners.
The takeaway
Delta Sky Priority is Delta’s answer to the frustrating aspects of flying. You won’t have to squabble for overhead bin space when boarding the plane, your bags will be the first to appear on the carousel, and you’ll even get an expedited security experience in many airports. You can enjoy these benefits by booking a premium seat or earning Delta elite status.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
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