New Delta Lounge is for Middle Seat Passengers Only

With summer travel season kicking off, Delta has found a way to make even the middle seat palatable for passengers.  A new Delta lounge in Boston is catering exclusively to middle seat passengers.

Delta has partnered with Coca-Cola to create a pop-up lounge in Boston’s Logan airport.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that today any Delta passenger with a middle seat assignment has access to this exclusive Delta lounge.

While in the lounge, they can enjoy a Coca-Cola beverage station.  Former NBA player and current Boston Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine will also make an appearance.  Passengers in the Middle Seat Lounge also receive a special 3-pack of Coca-Cola onboard to share with their seatmates.

Delta Lounge for Middle Seat Passengers Only – Gimmick or Great?

This isn’t the first time a company has created a pop-up lounge in an airport to generate buzz.  Last summer, National Car brought back their popular Emerald Club Lounge to several US airports.  We enjoyed our visit there and would definitely take advantage of something like this.  We also have tried a champagne tasting pop-up in Miami.  Similarly, I’ve shopped for cosmetics with the Benefit mobile units in many airports.  Marketing within the airport is a brilliant brand strategy.  A captive audience looking for diversions is more likely to engage positively with a brand.

We think a perk for middle seat passengers would be a great idea for an airline to consider in the future.  Flying in the middle seat is never fun but I might be willing to tolerate it if it came with special perks like a wider seat, free food/drink, or in this case, a Delta lounge.  I’m usually not that impressed by US airline lounges anyway so my bar is fairly low.

While this may not have provided the full Delta lounge experience, it can’t be worse than what business passengers experienced last year when the Delta LAX expansion first opened.

What do you think about this Delta lounge pop-up?  Would you use something like this if you were a middle seat passenger without other lounge options?