Originally Posted by
pbarnette
Did you miss where I used the phrases, "pretty much" and "most of the time"?
Did you miss where I used the comparison "like the complaint people make here about not seeing 25K awards and only 40K awards"?
They exist, but it's less than the 40K awards; and compared to AA/UA, less than their 25K equivalent.
Originally Posted by
pbarnette
I am looking at what is available. In my experience and in my recent searches, those anytime awards are what is usually (e.g. the majority of the days) available...
As am I. For my AA/UA/DL comparison, the majority of the time I see AA or UA have 25K award seats while DL wants 40K. Even when DL lists 25K, it's a codeshare w/ AS, and DL metal is 40K.
Originally Posted by
pbarnette
For example, looking at AA's calendar (I acknowledge there may be some gaps) from January to June, they show exactly one date with 2 award seats available in a premium cabin on LAX-SYD and nothing for the return. Shaving it to one premium cabin ticket, there look to be around 20 dates for the outbound over 6 months.
DL, on the other hand, is a veritable sea of low awards for much of the period. In February, for example, every day but two has two seats showing as being available on LAX-SYD in low. March, every day but two. April, every day. May, every day but one. June, every day but four.
Is that on DL or VA or KE? I doubt the lows were actually DL metal because the standard practice I see from DL is to keep their own award inventory at the high level and the partner awards are the ones showing low. I've checked the ones that are at 160K and none were actually DL.
I also don't believe you are comparing apples to apples because when I checked AA, there were plenty of seats available on using Anytime award inventory (i.e. full amount of miles which is basically pulled from revenue inventory). When I checked DL, all of the DL metal were pricing out @ 255K. I don't believe 255K for DL is actually their version of anytime seats.
Originally Posted by
pbarnette
Cutting through the hyperbole and the often disingenuous references to extreme prices, DL isn't nearly as uncompetitive as some claim. To be clear, I'm not claiming that they are the best program for redemptions, nor that the recent changes aren't unfavorable, just that the verdant fields that are routinely proclaimed as existing "over there" are often much more brown than promised.
Based on my experience comparison shopping between DL, UA, and AA, DL has consistently been last in award availability. Obviously my experience alone does not indicate the singular truth, and neither does yours nor the pro-DL fans; but I do believe there is sufficient experience from the collective that makes the term Skypesos accurate.