Recently we’ve been playing a different kind of name game, which has been all the buzz at Delta and with some of you.
As you may have heard, we are integrating the Delta and Northwest lounges (Delta Crown Room Club® and Northwest WorldClubs® and implementing a brand new moniker – Delta Sky Club™.
Behind the scenes, the “rebranding” spurred lots of excitement and discussion. The Crown Room Club brand has greeted Delta lounge-goers since 1959, and the WorldClubs brand has been around since 1987.
However, we wanted a name that spoke to the truly global nature of the combined network, so a plan of action was put in place. What does it take to change the name of a worldwide establishment? Lots of work.
Well, not only is there brainstorming and working with creative folks to generate new options, but then the Legal department gets involved and checks for any potential trademark infringement issues (insert your own lawyer joke here; a Delta lawyer removed mine). Once that hurdle is cleared, it’s time to present the options to executives (and try to influence the final outcome).
Once all parties come to a unanimous decision, the real fun begins! We take a detailed inventory of everywhere the “old” name appears and develop a schedule for updating every item on the list. We’re talking Web sites, paper applications, airport signage, membership cards – the list is exhausting. Ultimately, what may seem a small decision actually takes several months to fully implement. We’re targeting a full implementation of December 2009.
So, that’s a summary of how to change a corporate brand. We hope you like the new name (and relaxing in our rebranded lounges) as much as we do. We think it fits nicely with the other names on our family tree, such as the SkyMiles® program, SkyTeam® Alliance and Sky Magazine. Check out a Delta Sky Club the next time you’re traveling and let us know what you think. Our newest Delta Sky Club will debut in Miami in June - watch out for it.
And of course, you may continue to access both Crown Room Clubs and WorldClubs as we convert to Delta Sky Club, and all lounge locations will honor current membership cards.
We hope to see you at a Delta Sky Club soon!
Ranjan Goswami
Director- Customer Experience Planning & Development
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I like the new name, a lot easier to remember. For some reason I always called it the Sky Club Crown Room.
Quick question though, when did you guys start letting JFK to LAX and vice Versa use the rooms?
I didn’t know I could use the Club room on my JFK to LAX flights when I am in business class, until someone at JFK Terminal 4 told me I could and had no problems using it at JFK or LAX.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:29 am
Sky Club…Good!!I agree it`s really easy to remember..
It`s my first time use Delta.Blog..I hope I can get on line smoothly…
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:16 am
Ranjan,
Thanks for sharing what goes into branding within big companies.. interesting to read. Also wanted to pass along my thoughts as HWGeek did… I like it too… feels more natural as part of the traveling experience, and not quite as “pretentious” as Crown Room.
Just can’t wait until the CRC/Sky Club @ RDU opens back up
pmcary
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I love the new name. I think it’s creative and catchy.
April 4th, 2009 at 9:27 am
The name is great thank you. I hope the SLC club also gets upgraded. For a major hub, the club is just so..so… compared to JFK’s or Atlanta. Those clubs offfer so much more than just pretzels and drinks. SLC can learn from the others!!!
April 4th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Sky Club sounds great. I did like Crown Room Club, though; that name made me think of it as being exclusive and classy, and it went well with the “Medallion” system. Sky Club, on the other hand, seems more modern and trendy. I think the change is a great idea.
Did this stem from the Sky360 initiative? How long ago was that?–I think that was around when this blog was brand new. (How old is the blog?)
April 20th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I’ll be interested to see what transfers over from the Northwest Clubs to Sky Clubs. I like the Northwest free wireless internet, also the better selection of snacks and drinks. The Club at Detroit is especially nice.
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 am
Please, please keep the Northwest food/snack selection. Both the morning and afternoon/night selection is greatly superior to the current Delta offering.
April 25th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Hi everyone, Thanks for your feedback. I am glad you like the name. To answer your questions…
HWGeek: Customers with paid business/first class tickets for travel from JFK to LAX were granted access to the Oasis Lounge in Terminal 4 at JFK effective February 23, 2009 when we moved the departures for these flights over to Terminal 4. You will see both new club facilities and product upgrades in the clubs this year. By the end of the year, we will complete improvements to our clubs in LAX, JFK , CVG and LGA. And we will be opening new clubs in MIA, RDU, PHL and IND. We will communicate more on this as we get closer to the opening dates.
Jayo Z: The name Sky360 was first utilized by our NYC sponsorships team in the Fall of 2007. The Delta Sky Club name was determined separately from that branding.
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:03 am
My wife and I have been Crown Room members for years. This summer were going to Singapore through Tokyo. What is with the Tokyo club being for business class passengers only?
June 18th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I have been a member of WorldClubs for quite a while…but when Delta took over, I let it lapse. I can’t justify the price of a Crown Room for the little crappy snacks they serve. They tend to be overcrowded (Atlanta isn’t much better than the airport in general) and charge for internet.
Have the decency to provide wireless and I’ll join immediately….otherwise the seats at the gates are about as good…and a whole lot cheaper.
June 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Hi bradwhite - Thanks for your note. Wi-Fi in our clubs is complimentary. Check out this post and this link for more info.