Exclusive: Delta Eyes American’s Austin Admirals Club For A Temporary Delta One Lounge

Delta is looking at taking over American Airlines’ Austin Admirals Club and turning it into a temporary Delta One business class lounge. Delta executives have visited the space recently, working through how they’d use it once American moves into its new club at the west end of the airport. That could give Austin a dedicated Delta One lounge years before the airline’s permanent space on the new concourse is ready. It won’t be available for the summer 2027 Paris flight’s launch – American has to open its new lounge and move out before Delta can convert the current one. Delta’s Interest In American’s Club Has Taken A More Interesting Turn In September 2025, I reported details from a Delta employee town hall that included taking over American’s lounge. At the time, it was described as a temporary Sky Club and flight attendant lounge, with an expansion into adjoining space. What I’m now hearing is that Delta is looking at using the Admirals Club as a Delta One lounge. That would let them keep the existing Sky Club serving their growing domestic operation while adding a separate space for premium passengers. Delta has announced daily summer Austin–Paris service beginning March 27, 2027, using an Airbus A330-900. KLM already flies Austin–Amsterdam. Together. They have ambitions beyond these flights and see Austin as a fertile market to attract Amex cobrand customers who will start in Austin and connect to Delta’s long haul business class elsewhere. Delta Has Been Planning On Two Lounges In Austin I was first to report Delta’s discussions about a much larger Sky Club while keeping its existing lounge. Then the airport’s new airline use and lease agreement showed Delta taking 41,206 Sq Ft of club space in total. The plan has two pieces: A new Sky Club of roughly 30,000 Sq Ft. This is the “Tunnel Interface” lounge, at the connection to the tunnel leading to the new midfield concourse. Plans include an outdoor terrace and they’ve discussed boarding aircraft directly from inside the lounge, though it’s unclear whether that will be in the finished design. Keep the current Sky Club and turn it into a Delta One lounge. The existing club is about 9,000 Sq Ft, has an outdoor deck, and sits near the international-capable gates. Delta’s larger Sky Club belongs to the airport expansion, but it’s on the existing terminal side of the connection. Delta’s future 15-gate operation stays on the current concourse, while Southwest and United move to Concourse B. The airport puts completion of the new concourse and tunnel in the early 2030s. Taking American’s space would give Delta an interim home for Delta One until the new Sky Club opens and frees up the current one for conversion. American’s Move Frees Up Space United Also Wanted American’s replacement lounge is finally under construction. Permits have been issued and work has begun. The new club is at the far west end of the airport, aligned with American’s gates, and is expected to open in 2027. It’s been a long road. American originally intended to expand its current club into vacated office space. In November 2021, they announced a new lounge near gate 14 instead. I reported in November 2024 that they’d switched to the West Gate Expansion but they didn’t announce it until earlier this year. American has since announced more than 12,000 Sq Ft and its first outdoor lounge terrace. The state construction filing describes a $10 million project covering 10,000 Sq Ft of interior work. United’s tiny club is next door to American’s current one. Correspondence I obtained showed United pursuing American’s space for an expansion, while also working on a future club in Concourse B. With United’s gates eventually moving to the new concourse, they may not want to spend heavily expanding a lounge they’d use for only a few years. Delta would invest to get its business class lounge into the market sooner, and could do so with just an interior refresh, however there has been discussion of expanding the space from 5,500 square feet to 10,200 square feet so likely takes the vacated office space behind it. Southwest’s First Lounge Could Eventually Become Chase’s Southwest is building a roughly 20,000 Sq Ft lounge above the new West Infill security checkpoint. I identified that space as Southwest’s “Project Oasis” after it had originally been intended for a bank lounge. Southwest has since announced its lounge partnership with Chase and a new premium credit card, with its first lounge openings expected in late 2027. It’s still unclear whether Southwest’s Austin lounge or American’s new Admirals Club will open first. But Southwest has also taken lounge space at the entrance to the future Concourse B, where its gates will be. Once they move out there, they’ll have much less reason to keep a lounge back in the old concourse. As I wrote last month, my bet is that the West Infill lounge eventually becomes a Chase Sapphire Lounge. Southwest is already building with Chase and pitching the product at Sapphire lounge standards. Chase already spent two years in Austin with its temporary Sapphire Terrace, which closed in March 2025. They’ve had a presence at the airport and clearly want a better one. The Airport Still Hasn’t Settled Where Its Bank Lounges Will Go The airport told me it still intends to seek bids for a bank lounge, potentially in Concourse B, in the existing concourse after the new arrivals and departures hall is built, or both. Capital One has shown interest, visiting the airport. There’s also the abandoned gate 14 lounge proposal. Before the pandemic, Austin had selected Escape Lounges for an American Express-affiliated lounge in the central mezzanine area. Airport Dimensions protested the award, the city delayed acting, and the pandemic followed. The project was canceled. American subsequently planned its new club in that space before moving the project west. The airport’s 2024 lounge plan had dropped the space from its lounge plans. And the current American and United club spaces could become available to a bank once United moves to Concourse B and assuming Delta doesn’t keep it. (Or they could keep the American/United/expansion office space and their current club and return the 30,000 square foot space at the base of the terminal connector – or use only part of that space). Topics on this page