Michelle_DeltaSkyMiles

Because we know so many of you watch SkyMiles program changes carefully, we wanted to make sure that you all had visibility to a rule change to our program related to Award redeposits. Starting today, you will need to request a mileage redeposit before your original flight departure time in order to have the miles go back into your account.

Diamond and Platinum Medallion members will continue to receive redeposit fee waivers and a redeposit fee of $150 will apply to other members.

Why is Delta making this change? Last year, our planes departed with more than 400,000 empty seats because customers had Award Tickets booked but did not physically fly in those seats. This change to our redeposit policy will make those seats available to other members and ultimately increase our Award Ticket availability.

We have already updated this information on delta.com, but also wanted to ensure that FlyerTalk members had visibility to this change.

I’ll be monitoring your comments and take them back to the rest of the SkyMiles team as part of our ongoing conversations, but also want to let you know (if the past is any indication of future) that I may not be able to post as many updates on this topic as some would like. Having said that, please know that all your comments on this topic will be heard by our team.

Michelle, SkyMiles | Delta Social Ambassador
Connect with us at Twitter.com/Delta & Facebook.com/Delta

jgordon24d

The $150 Redeposit fee for Gold Medallions is ridiculous - especially one like myself who almost always flies on M fare classes that tend to be shorter in length out of ATL. I generally spend $25K+ a year and yet only barely achieve GM status, while someone who books flights in advance and/or connects via segments can earn diamond with far less of a spend.

That point aside, why should I not be entitled to rebook my flight for a much more nominal fee if I find a skymiles ticket at a later date that requires fewer miles or has better routing? I understand the day of changes etc, but if I find something a few weeks out when skymiles availability tends to open up, I dont think I should have to pay anything close to $150 ($25 would probably be the max that I find acceptable).

It's things like this + the TSA hassles that encourage me to drive vs. fly these days when the distance is less than 6 hours by car...

avidflyer

Yes we do watch very closely...we have issue

Seriously, thank you for beating any FT'ers to the release of this news. Even when bad changes happen you will find that half the battle with this crew is honesty. I understand the reasoning and am glad we did not find out through a FT post or worse yet, in number 2 font at the bottom of a marketing email. Thank you.

BTW, is it just weird luck your last name is Skymiles

RealHJ

This makes sense and I can agree to it in principle.

But, there is one important unanswered question here: what about mileage redeposit mid-trip?

Scenario 1: I fly AAA-BBB, but then need to cancel the BBB-AAA return. Can I redeposit then the return flight mileage (presumably 1/2 of the total)?

Scenario 1b: " " Presumably I could still change the BBB-AAA return after I have flown AAA-BBB. Correct?

Scenario 2: I don't fly AAA-BBB on an award ticket, but only request mileage redeposit later (after AAA-BBB, but before BBB-AAA return). Do I then at least get the unused segment(s) (e.g. BBB-AAA) mileage returned and have only foregone the first unflown segment? (Just theoretical, myself I have never booked an award flight and then not flown it. I can't imagine why would anyone consciously do so. That is just inconsiderate to others, to hog up availability and not use it. That being said, there are instances where this could happen, e.g. some major medical emergency or such making the passenger unable to make the flight and also unable to cancel it after the first flight has departed.)

inno.SAN-ICN

Thank you Michelle!

I don't really expect better award availability as a result of this change, but anyway it seems reasonable to me.

To be honest, I would prefer e-mail from Delta SM team with explanation of the changes.

Winkdaddy

This change is very welcome! ^. Its lazy for someone to book a flight with miles, then realize they cant go on the trip, but not bother to cancel the trip and get the miles back until AFTER the flight departed.

Its kinda like making a haircut appointment and not showing up, and not caring about it!

I hope we do see better award availability from this change. 400,000 empty seats due to this issue is a shockingly large number to me....I mean what's going on here where so many people are doing this??

inno.SAN-ICN

From Dl.com:
I agree, such cases should be specifically described.

Sabai

Whether or not a particular change is popular or will be well-received, thank you addressing these changes head-on.

This isn't much advance notification (compared to UA/CO's method of communicating with their members) but when contrasted to the many dark-of-night changes of the past have caused DL credibility issues, this is a long-overdue step in the right direction.

twohundredfifty

That would essentially be a 1-way award (for half the miles), which doesn't exist, does it?

Otherwise, I didn't even know that you could get your miles back after not taking a flight...

Renes Points

I am PM and wife GM and am happy with the change. Just fine. But I too think it is just WRONG to charge the redeposit fee for ANY medallion members even SILVER! Why not make the change and an improvement to SKYMILES and reward those who fly DELTA at any medallion level. ^

xolinlevh

I'd say discount it for GMs and FOs....

amolkold

^ Seriously. Make it like Economy Comfort, I wouldn't mind facing a $50 fee as an FO or GM.

StayingHomeIsBetter

1) This appears to be an all-or-nothing situation. I agree that folks who book a ticket with no intention of using it should lose the miles if they don't show up. But what about the PAX who get's broadsided on the way to the airport... or shows up at the airport two hours before flight time and finds 200 people in the luggage check line, and one person at the counter?

2) The last time they tinkered with mileage redeposits, it was based upon some questionable justification. Let's put the numbers into perspective. 400,000 award ticket seats that were not filled. DL operates about 65,000 flights per month. This says, on average, every other flight goes out with a reserved award seat unclaimed. While it seems to be a tad high, that ratio does not seem to stretch credulity. Other opinions?

Overall, if they protect the PAX, and don't punish them for truly force majeure situations, the new policy does not seem unreasonable. That said, of late, DL management has not been noted for giving their good first line folks the latitude to use common sense in interpreting the need for passionate interpretation of rules.


Michelle... what protects the PAX when they miss a flight due to circumstances that are truly beyond their reasonable control?

RealHJ

Another important item to consider here, and this is really what either justifies this change - or does not.

If I have two low mileage seats on a flight booked and I cancel the award, and before I cancel there was only high mileage available. What happens after I cancel it? Do the two now freed up seats go back to the low mileage inventory? Or it just puts two more seats in high category (that no same person would ever redeem)?

This is the real point here that DL should answer here.

I know with other airlines that is the case. E.g. with AF I've seen a seat cancelled go back to inventory some 5~15 minutes after the cancellation.

But, from my observations that is not the case with DL. Every time I've cancelled (changed) an award where I had a low mileage seat and I have checked afterwards (few min, few hours, next day - usually thrice), there has been still no low seats available on the flight - i.e. it did not go back into the low mileage inventory from which it was originally booked.

If that still remains so unchanged (unless my observations on this are wrong), then a big for this change, that will do absolutely nothing to increase the low mileage inventory. This only makes sense if upon cancellation, regardless of what are the RevMgmnt settings for the flight now, the cancelled seats go back into the originally booked category of available (so if they were low, they go back to low, even if at that time flight only has high).

ffI

LH and *A awards I have not always seen the inventory go back to the same bucket either.
Also, the redeposit fee should be graded = 50 for GM, 100 for SM, 150 for regulars

I once missed an AA flight to DCA-JFK-ATH by 15 min and was put on that evening BA IAD-LHR-ATH even though there were no award seats available!

My brother and co arrived at the airport (in PHL) for a flight from EWR on the return segment of a tatl flight. I thought it was all over when he called me as US will not allow changes on award after travel begins, but a LH supervisor went ahead and put them both in C the next day! Go LH! I will be faithful to *A and the rubber duckys.

like everything else, YMMV, but I hope DL does codify some rules to help stranded pax.