Delta returns to Monterey on Dec. 19 after nearly 19 years, but the lounges are at the other end

Delta is going back to Monterey, California, on Dec. 19. It will fly twice a day to Los Angeles and once a day to Salt Lake City, both on Delta Connection Embraer 175 jets. We first covered the routes as part of Delta's biggest LAX schedule. With the first flights about 10 weeks out, here's a closer look at the return and where you can wait.

A long gap

Delta last flew to Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) on a regular basis in January 2008, The Points Guy reported. That makes this a return after almost 19 years.

Delta set out the plan in its Sept. 18 Los Angeles announcement. It said the Los Angeles route gives travelers easier access to Carmel-by-the-Sea, the Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur, "ahead of one of golf's biggest championships next summer." The Salt Lake City flight starts the same day.

Amy Martin, Delta's vice president of network planning, tied the two routes together. "With new service to Monterey from both Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, alongside our continued growth at LAX, we're creating more opportunities for customers to connect to the places they want to go while building on our long-term commitment to Los Angeles and the West," she said.

The flights

The Bulkhead Seat reports that SkyWest will fly both routes for Delta, with Delta First, Delta Comfort and Main cabins. Delta's release does not give flight times.

Monterey is not short of airlines. United, American and Alaska already serve MRY, and United already flies to LAX, so Delta will compete head-on there, according to The Points Guy. It also notes that with these routes, Delta will serve every one of its western hubs from Monterey except Seattle. Alaska already flies Monterey to Seattle.

The airport is small, with a handful of gates, and a new terminal is in the works. Monterey broke ground on it last year, The Points Guy says. For visitors, flying in saves a long drive. Monterey is about two hours by road from San Francisco International and about an hour and a half from San Jose.

No lounge at Monterey

Lounge Frog lists no lounges at MRY, and none of the coverage mentions one. On the Monterey side, plan to wait at the gate. A Delta First seat on an E175 won't get you into a Sky Club on its own anyway, since these are domestic regional flights with no Delta One cabin.

The good news is at the hubs. If you're connecting, both have strong Delta lounges.

Lounges at LAX

At Los Angeles, the main option for most Delta travelers is the Delta Sky Club in Terminal 3. It sits in the Sky Way above the link between Terminals 2 and 3. It has about 400 seats, six showers and a rooftop Sky Deck, opens at 4:15 a.m., and rates 4.7 with our users.

The Terminal 2 Sky Club is closed for a rebuild. An 11,000-square-foot replacement is due in the second half of 2027. If you're connecting from Monterey to a long-haul Delta One flight, you can use the Delta One Lounge in Terminal 3, rated 4.7, or the newer one in Terminal 2, rated 4.4.

Lounges at Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City has two Delta Sky Clubs, which we covered in our Flagstaff story:

• Concourse B Sky Club: rated 4.7, about 600 seats, open 5:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. It has no showers.
• Concourse A Sky Club: rated 4.5, about 450 seats, six showers and an outdoor deck. It opens at 4:45 a.m.

Concourse B also has The Centurion Lounge, rated 4.7, with an outdoor terrace.

Who gets into a Sky Club

Entry depends on how you fly. Paid members, Delta Reserve and Amex Platinum cardholders, and Delta One passengers can get in with a same-day Delta ticket. Members and cardholders can bring up to two guests at $50 each. SkyTeam Elite Plus members qualify on international trips. Basic Economy fares don't. Our Delta Sky Club page has the details.

What we don't know

Delta hasn't published flight times in its release, and it hasn't said whether the routes are year-round. We also don't know which gates or terminal the flights will use at LAX. We'll update this story as the Dec. 19 start gets closer.