Originally Posted by
DrAlex
That's a matter of opinion: YMMV. It may depend on time of day, phase of the moon, and whether Mercury is in retrograde...
Are you high on the legal stuff? [Don't worry, I won't tell Mr. Sessions] As others have pointed out, not having to spend $2K for base status is kinda a big deal to those paying with their own money (or those cost-conscious small business owners). You could achieve MVP for around $1K if you are based in SEA and do the SEA-BOS route four times a year plus a SEA-BLI or something similar. It's by far the easiest elite status to achieve. And don't even get me started about the SkyPeso... (rant here:
Why go to Amsterdam when you can go to International Falls!?). That was the start of how they lost my business (except for those routes where there is no other choice).
The point about MVP being easy to qualify for is well taken for an occasional flyer. I’m mostly focused on top tier status (MVPG/75K vs Gold/Platinum/Diamond). The MQD requirement on Delta is frustrating, but there are ways around it without spending tons of OPM, especially if you travel internationally on partner airlines.
SkyPesos are an interesting beast. They’re awful, but there are curious redemption sweet spots that work out incredibly well when you get lucky. 12k miles for SEA-FAI round trip is a steal, for example; in the latest update to the program, off peak short hop flights can actually be a much-better-than-1cpm value. I just used 25k for a business class upgrade from PE on Virgin Atlantic, too, which is also valuable.
AS miles are ostensibly more useful, if you can find award space, but I’m often date constrained and have never been able to make a single redemption for my war chest of miles yet. Many of the best deals are gone (sadly I joined AS right after the EK devaluation), and some partners charge ridiculous fuel surcharges for a crappy product (glaring in the general direction of BA). And when I want to take a domestic trip, I’ve found short AS redemptions on their own metal are weirdly expensive. There are still great values I plan to take advantage of, and the ability to redeem for F is awesome compared to DL. But I think Mileage Plan’s reputation for generosity is lagging the reality of the program in 2018.
As for onboard service, any individual flight will be different based on people and alignment of the stars, but there are many parts of DL’s service standard I find objectively better. Pre departure beverages are served. Catering on west coast flights in F is a full meal, not a crudité platter. F cabins have a better F:Y ratio, meaning more seats available for upgrades. Some aircraft have seatback IFE. Nobody makes a ten minute announcement before landing hawking their credit card. And, particularly important to me when i need to work in transit between SFO and SEA, Sky Clubs are now so much better than the Board Room it isn’t even in the same league.