Delta Air Lines caved to customer complaints last week. The airline rolled back some of the restrictions it placed on access to its Sky Club airport lounges and trimming the number of miles needed to earn elite status, Axios' Joann Muller reports.

• It'll still take more money than it does today to qualify for elite status, but the new thresholds are not quite as high as those that triggered the uproar in September.

Why it matters: The airline acknowledged it overstepped by making it harder for customers to reap the rewards of frequent flying and big spending on Delta-branded credit cards.

The big picture: The adjustments are meant to soften the blow as Delta tries to balance customer loyalty with limited "premium" rewards, CEO Ed Bastian told Axios.

• During the pandemic, Delta was "by far the most generous in terms of grandfathering everyone that had status at the start of 2020," Bastian said.

What happened: Frustrated customers encountered lines to get into Sky Club lounges, and difficulty booking seats with SkyMiles rewards.

• Delta tried to fix the problem in September by tightening access to premium features and status tiers.

Driving the news: Now it's rolling back some of those restrictions.

• In response to "customer feedback," Delta said it would lower the amount of money (Medallion Qualification Dollars or MQDs) required for 2025 Medallion Status by about 20%.
• For example: It will take 5,000 MQDs to earn silver medallion status — down from the previously announced 6,000, but still above today's 3,000.

Of note: Delta will also restore some flexibility for accessing its Sky Club lounges; Salt Lake City's second lounge is slated to open in 2025, Delta announced last week.

• A Sky Club visit now includes entries on all legs of a trip within a 24-hour period, for example.
• Holders of the most premium Delta credit cards will receive more visits to Sky Club lounges than previously announced.

Yes, but: Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Card members and customers traveling in Basic Economy, regardless of card type, will no longer receive Club access.

Go deeper: Airlines squeeze rewards programs

Get comfy, Salt Lake City homeowners. It could take nearly 15 years to break even on your purchase, per Zillow data exclusively shared with Axios.

Why it matters: That's longer than the traditional advice to stay in your home for at least five years to recover costs.

• With mortgage rates inching toward 8%, new homeowners will need to stay put longer to avoid going underwater.

By the numbers: With break-even timelines between 12 and 15 years, SLC homeowners are locked in longer than the national average — 11 to 13.5 years, depending on your down payment.

How it works: Zillow used typical price increases for each market to forecast the value of a median home and compare it to equity based on down payments of 3-20%.

Zoom out

Halloween is right around the corner, and a number of Salt Lake City bars are going all-out for the scary holiday.

🍹 Cabana Frights

You can find skeletons in floral shirts, spider webs and bloody handprints at ACME Bar Company's new Halloween pop-up.

Details: Its new lineup of "terrifying" tropical cocktails features the fiery Boomstick ($18) infused with tequila and Thai chili along with the rum-forward Ghouls & Goblins ($11), made with ginger and citrus.

🍍 Paranormal Parlor

This immersive speakeasy's haunted menu at Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club includes various potions.

• The smoky Cannibal ($16) is handcrafted with ingredients like tequila, mezcal and spiced agave syrup, and the tropical Transparent Terror ($17) includes vodka and mango and pina colada flavors.
• Of note: Reservations are recommended.

👻 Ghost of Gibson

The Gibson Lounge at the Grand America Hotel released a menu that includes six ghoulish cocktails.

Details: One of them is the tequila-charcoal Gravedigger ($16) which mixes spiced cider and ginger beer. Another is the Zombie, which channels the 1930s tiki libation with cinnamon and anise.

One more

University of Utah athlete Kara Eaker announced last week she retired from the gymnastics team, calling the environment "unhealthy, unsafe and toxic." (ESPN)

• The two-time world champion's departure comes a few weeks after an outside investigation into Utah gymnastics head coach Tom Farden found he did not engage in "egregious acts of emotional or verbal abuse of student-athletes" amid emotional abuse allegations.

• Eaker did not name Harden in her social media post, but said she experienced the abuse from "an overpowering coach."

📈 About 55% of Utahns polled expressed they were "very concerned" with drought in the state, per a Utah State University survey. (The Salt Lake Tribune)

🙏 The new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Orem opens for public tours this Friday. (FOX 13)

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

1. Chief Estimator- Transportation Group at Sundt.
2. FLUOR System Security Compliance Officer 1 at M.C Dean.
3. Head of Privacy at Sorenson.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

It's getting spooky — and groovy — at the 9th East Halloween house this year.

Details: Every October, Salt Lake resident Ammon Smith unveils an elaborate display at his home on 900 East near 1500 South.

• This year it's Scooby Doo and the gang, with a "Mystery Machine" van and a mummy as tall as the house.

Memory lane: Ammon's previous displays include:

• Frankenstein's monster with the doctor's lab
• A haunted carnival with an operating carousel and Ferris wheel
• Life-sized dinos a la Jurassic Park
• A dragon that spanned the entire roof
• A towering King Kong hanging from a replica Empire State Building, with a blonde Barbie doll in its fist