Ahh.... YOU are a tricky one!
You are unhappy with DL, and you're NOT an ex-NW flyer?
I wonder what our DL Kool-Aid drinkers would make of you?
As for me, I've been Plat on NW for 16 years.
This year, I have 1,250 EQMs on NW (plus 29K rollover miles). I was able to burn off a bunch of miles using the NW award booking engine in January.
Living much of the year in MSP, however, makes it difficult to switch airlines. I've got *A Gold from BD and UA Silver, but it's such a hassle to connect on short weekend trips.
So, I'm stuck with DL, at least somewhat. I've decided to fly only super-cheap DL fares as much as possible, and am not loyal anymore. I have flown US, UA, AA, and CO this year domestically. In past years, I only flew NW/DL. Never anything else.
Looking for award tickets ex-MSP for Memorial Day weekend over the past 2 weeks, there are NONE at 25K. None.
And priced at 32,500 were, essentially, 100% connecting flights that depart at 6AM. Nearly every market is the same--as if (could it be, DL?) that the airline has a policy to A) Not offer 25K tickets over holidays and B) Not allow even 32,5K redemptions unless they involve both a connection and a 6AM departure? Looks like a DL plan to me. (Could it be that EVERY one of them has the same availability? Sure. Likely? No.)
Yes, it's a holiday weekend, and no, I'm not shocked. Yes, I should have booked ahead of time.
But the uniformity of it all--more miles required for nonstops from hubs, more miles required for non-6AM departures--all fits in perfectly with my experiences with DL in the last year or so. Inflight product improving; FFP fading.
Loyal no more.