Originally Posted by
FlyingBeanCounter
Loyalty programs are there to inspire loyalty.
Sure, but my point is that while the loyalty program might generate some loyalty, a good product works even better for that.
What keeps me flying Delta isn't the Skymiles program, but how I've been treated as a customer: the upgrades and perks are appreciated, but I value getting to my destination as planned even more. So far, Delta seems to be doing a better job at that than some of its competitors. In a few cases when their flights weren't going to work as planned, they put me on AA (when they still could) and UA, even. I suppose being a PM might have had some bearing on that, but I don't know for sure.
I was an AA flier for a good long while, and some years back I started to notice that the value was decaying. I flew a few segments on DL and UA, and preferred DL so I switched my business to them. The Skymiles program as it was then didn't really have an effect on my decision.