So am I reading this correctly? If I have a last minute trip that I have to go on, there will now be no way to book using SkyMiles, I must pay cash and only cash for it?
And yes, I think it's perfectly reasonable to define a last minute trip as one departing less than 72 hours (3 days) from now. Regardless of whether there is low availability (with Delta I always assume there is none regardless of when I book), we won't be able to book anything using SkyMiles?
Delta sure has some chutzpah. Playing chicken with your customers to see how much you can piss them off before they leave? Nice job, Delta. Even the hardcore apologists are sure to raise an eyebrow to this at a minimum.