Originally Posted by
RobertS975
It's a house of cards, Evan! It doesn't cost DL a thing! They decide when they want to redeem your miles and for how much. And MQMs are not redeemable. And the bonus miles that medallions earn are just more miles out in the ether... along with all those Amex miles, Avis miles and so forth.
True to some degree but Amex and Avis miles are sold to Amex and Avis. They are not given away for free. The medallion bonuses are free miles from Delta to medallions. These bonuses are directly related to how many MQMs you earn. So although MQMs are not redeemable they can affect the amount of redeemable miles are out there.
If there is no cost to MQMs then why don't all airlines offer 10 elite miles per mile flown? Why do some offer only 50% accrual on certain fares? If there is no cost then why not give away more?