The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
Delta customer sparks debate for trolling Southwest as Delta Sky Club serves frozen espresso: ‘Some of us aren’t rich’
A video showing the Delta Sky Club has gone viral amid Southwest Airlines’ flight cancellation chaos
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Delta Airlines customer has sparked a debate for posting about the Delta Sky Club amenities while dissing Southwest.
In the video posted by TikTok user @merg0at last week, she films herself sitting in an airport’s Delta Sky Club as two airport lounge employees serve a cart full of complimentary frozen espressos.
“People choose to fly Southworst and Delta is over here serving frozen espressos in the sky lounge,” she wrote over the video, with the caption: “Nothing better than Delta.”
Southwest Airlines has recently become the subject of major controversy after the Dallas carrier cancelled more than 15,700 flights since 22 December due to a winter storm, causing havoc with airline schedules. While other major airlines had been able to restore regular scheduling, Southwest was the only airline unable to recover from storm-related delays.
Although the viral TikTok appeared to be commenting on the Southwest Airlines fiasco, many people felt the TikToker was bragging as some people can’t afford to stay in the Delta Sky Club.
According to the Delta website, the Delta Sky Club is a “retreat where you can work or relax before your flight” which offers “complimentary cocktails, fresh and healthy food options, free high-speed Wi-Fi and more.”
An individual membership for the Delta Sky Club costs either $695 or 69,500 Delta miles, though the club is also accessible for free by American Express Delta SkyMiles cardholders.
“Not everyone has access to the sky lounge,” one person commented.
Another user said: “Some of us aren’t rich.”
“This is giving off Marie Antoinette vibes,” one TikToker commented.
“This screams out of touch,” said someone else, while another user wrote: “On today’s episode of I’m rich and you’re poor.”
In the comments section, @merg0at clarified that she used a credit card to access the Delta Sky Club and that it saves her money for travel.
“I am shaming Southwest for canceling over 3,000 flights and losing thousands of peoples luggage last week,” she added. “You all missed the point of this clearly.”
It is estimated that more than a million Southwest passengers missed flights home during the holidays, while many of them are still missing luggage. Just last week, Southwest Airlines cancelled another 2,357 flights before noon on 29 December.
The federal government is now investigating what happened at Southwest that left passengers stranded over the holidays. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a letter to Southwest CEO Robert Jordan late Thursday called the week of disruptions “unacceptable.”
“While weather can disrupt flight schedules, the thousands of cancellations by Southwest in recent days have not been because of the weather,” Buttigieg wrote. “Other airlines that experienced weather-related cancellations and delays due to the winter storm recovered relatively quickly, unlike Southwest.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments