The SkyClub in Terminal B of Cincinnati’s Airport  is, by far, the most spacious I’ve been to in a while. It feels like it was built for 2 to 3 times more people than were there on my visit.

This brings me to my question: “Is Cincinnati’s (CVG) Delta SkyClub the most depressing lounge?”

I wouldn’t call it “depressing” in the normal sense of the word, in fact it’s quite the opposite of depressing. It’s new-feeling, bright and quite spacious. It just seemed way under-used.

I ask if it is depressing because it is so under-used. I’ll elaborate: Delta once operated a huge hub in Cincinnati. But, ever since 2008 when Delta merged with Northwest, the airline has been cutting more and more flights every year. I can remember connecting in Cincinnati a bunch, sometimes even from Atlanta, to catch international flights to London or Paris. Today, Delta has cut nearly 50% of their flights, from 130 flights/day down to 63 flights/day.

Look at this huge space that is nearly empty!

You just get the impression that everything is much bigger than it needs to be.

Check out all those lonely, airplane-less gates

Here’s a graphic showing how quickly the passenger and aircraft traffic has been declining: 

This once major hub has shrunk to about 1/3 of its size in the past decade–it has scars that allude to a more prosperous time.