I visited a Delta's airport lounge during the pandemic and couldn't believe how luxurious and close to normal the experience was

The Delta Sky Club in Terminal 4 at JFK Airport.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

• Sky Club lounges are airport retreats for Delta's top flyers with 26 open locations across the US and a new lounge in Salt Lake City opening in September.
• Unlike rival carriers, the Sky Club experience has largely remained with luxuries like a hot food buffet and full-service bar available for patrons.
• Capacity restrictions and mask requirements help ensure proper social distancing in the lounges.

Delta Air Lines' premium airport lounges, known as Delta Sky Clubs, have largely stayed open during the pandemic, offering an exclusive retreat to the airline's top customers.

Across the country, 26 Sky Club locations are currently open compared to 16 American Airlines Admirals Clubs and seven United Airlines United Clubs. Delta has evened opened a new Sky Club during the pandemic, the largest one in its network, in Salt Lake City at the airport's newest terminal.

Keeping the lounges open, even in restrictive locales like New York City, required some modifications to the normal offering and new safety measures. Face coverings are required in all lounges, even if the airport doesn't require it, and plexiglass partitions now divide staff from patrons.

But despite the changes, the lounges have maintained most of the luxuries to which customers have become accustomed and the airline is even trialing new safety features like a UV light cell phone cleaner in a push for innovation in the lounges. It's part of a larger trend that is seeing Delta keep as many of the old comforts of flying as possible, as Business Insider found on a recent Delta Air Lines flight over the summer.

Take a look inside the Delta Sky Club inside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.