"Raised the bar"...well, I wouldn't agree. For one thing, the PMUs aren't the same as former NW EEP SWUs or current AA eVIP instruments. More basically, for some people, SM are almost useless, no matter how many of them there may be, because of bogus "partner airline surcharge" and "international origination surcharge" etc. on award tickets.
I'm in the situation of sitting at about 122k EOY EQM on DL and 75+ on CO. It would be soo easy to exceed the DM threshold on DL. One booking, actually any return flight booking whatsoever on DL, through SLC to anywhere, will do it.
But I don't want it. DM has such limited value. I may even have to credit existing DL itins to CO while the SkyTeam partnership allows this, to avoid any possibility of future DL rebookings into B or Y thrusting me over the precipice.
Reason: I want rollover EQM on DL (to maintain minimal status on them while not actually using them, much, next year - this is very possible with their SM model, oozing MQM from every crevice).
And although the SM accumulate fast, their value is ludicrously low. OP miles are worth so much more to me, I'll tolerate the COEX RJ in preference to the DL F cabin for the rest of the year.
Here's what I found in my recent investigation of the comparative worth of SM vs OP miles.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...tual-case.html
Agreed, CO needs a more competitive top tier, particularly WRT AA EXP and UA 1K. But DL DM doesn't offer anything compelling - much less than NW EEP used to.
It's laughable that a vaunted new FFP top-tier can't incentivize, or at least, not DISincentivize, members who could easily reach it. But somehow, with this tier, DL have inverted the basic rationale for a FFP and managed this unique feat.