Close your eyes, it's still a beautiful world

Transcript: 

You see an orange sunrise grow over the Andes from your window seat. The decadent Moorish interiors hidden inside the sandstone buildings of Marrakech. The Statue of Liberty set against the shimmering New York Harbor.  

The world is alight with places of staggering beauty.   

But what if you can’t see? 

I spent an afternoon at the lavish Delta One Lounge at JFK. It’s a 39,000-square foot masterpiece. Gorgeous golden accents, white marble counters, and designs that celebrate New York’s famous architectural past.  

I’m here to meet with Thomas Panek, President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild, a nonprofit that serves people who are blind or visually impaired. He’s an avid runner, a New York Yankees fan and visually impaired himself.  

Thomas: “I’m feeling the comfort of the chair I’m sitting in, the smoothness of the floor, the texture of the tables, so everything architecturally related but in a different way. The texture of the fabric, the way the cushion is. So all of these things I pay a little bit more attention to because of course I can’t see the colors – they mean nothing to me – and I can’t see the design or the art of the walls.” 

For the past five years, Thomas has been a member of Delta’s Advisory Board on Disability and Accessible Travel. And for the past 25 years, the thought leaders from various disabilities communities who serve on this Board have shared their expertise to help make Delta better. That’s why Thomas is in the Delta One Lounge today.  

Thomas: “I’m here to sort of celebrate the accessibility of the Delta Lounge having given me an opportunity to experience it at its best.” 

Joining Thomas are several of his colleagues from Lighthouse Guild along with Delta leaders from the Clubs and Lounges team and from Corporate Accessibility Programs. Alison Lathrop leads the Accessibility team.  

Alison: “Travel is for everybody, and really, at Delta, look at travel from all kinds of different perspectives. In my role, I work with Delta’s Advisory Board on Disability and Accessible Travel so we can really take the welcoming, elevated and caring perspective and think about that with all of our customers.” 

Thomas: “I think first of all listening to all your customers is the most important thing, and every customer has different needs. I have difference needs as a person who’s not able to see that are quite unique. However, by listening to me, you might be able to learn about not only a person who’s visually impaired or blind but how to serve other customers differently.” 

Listening … that’s a good idea. Let’s take a listen.  

Here’s the soundscape in the Terminal ... [loud ambient noise] 

Now here’s the soundscape in JFK’s Delta One Lounge ... [quiet white noise and jazz background music] 

There’s beauty here beyond what we see. 

Thomas: “I’m using all my other senses to experience the club. I’m listening to the music that’s playing in the background right now – really nice jazz. I feel the space. I know how big the location is. I can feel the high ceilings. I echolocate around to see how big the room is. So I’m experiencing the space in a very different way. My eyes aren’t limited by a wall, but I’m sort of feeling the space if that makes sense.” 

Thomas and other members of Lighthouse Guild share their unique perspectives with Delta’s Lounge team over an incredible lunch, a rotating menu that keeps visitors guessing and surprised. The mission of this connection is to make travel more accessible for all. Here’s Duane Clark from Delta.  

Duane: “As you know, in this brand, Delta One, or even in the Sky Clubs, what’s most important is understanding what the guests like and what are dislikes, so we work very hard and diligently to try to accommodate as many different groups of people as possible.” 

Alison: “Whether you are a customer who is blind or low vision, whether you’re a customer who’s deaf or hard of hearing, whether you have a mobility impairment or a cognitive disability, we just want to make sure that we’re meeting your needs, and the best way we can do that is to ask: How can we help you?” 

As we wrapped up our Lounge experience and I said goodbye to the decadent gold interiors of the JFK Delta One Lounge, I asked Thomas to help me destroy an old maxim that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  

Thomas: “I think the way to think about that is: Close your eyes, it's still a beautiful world.” 

Customer Experience

Delta One Lounge at New York-JFK ushers in a new era of premium travel for airline

The Delta One Lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport – the first of its kind, and larger than any Delta Sky Club – offers a variety of experiences and amenities for the premium traveler.