Originally Posted by
WWads
This is the final straw, I'm through as a DL elite if this is the case. DL can get bent. I'll just suck it up and start taking nonstops ex-DCA on AA. At least that airline is honest and open about how they screw over their customers, and with the new concourse, the biggest issue with AA at DCA (35X) will be gone.
Sadly I doubt AA and UA will be far behind.
And at least DL continues to actively invest in and promote a customer-friendly product onboard. The A220, 777 staying at 9, IFE, etc., all help outweigh the downside of SkyMiles. It seems like the other two have stronger mileage programs but enjoy getting stuck on 3-4-3 777s or on the AA 737max.
For me personally as long as they deliver a superior on-board product, I'll stick with them because I'd rather have my hours and hours spent on board being a pleasant experience and not torture just to extract a bit more value from my miles.
I've got my CC flexible currencies to take advantage arbitrage opportunities elsewhere.
Plus DL BE is at least tolerable -- I'd rather keep the 5-7k mileage redemption on RDU - NYC in BE vs it being a 12.5k redemption in Y just for 1 hour.