Originally Posted by
Adelphos
Looks like too many important customers actually valued arrival access. Nice response to feedback.
Now - what is the alternative move Delta should make to reduce crowding?
Cut Amex Plat from the access list. There's a strong case that the Delta Reserve card folks spend a lot (generating a lot of interchange fees for Amex and purchased points via Amex), but the generic Amex Platinum folks are a trickier proposition. [To be fair, I don't know what this would cost DL in lost revenue.]
Edit: If I had to guess, a real part of the problem is elite rank inflation brought about by pandemic allowances. Like, if I max my Delta Reserve MQM bonuses and don't credit a
single flight to DL, my Platinum status will expire...in early 2033. I doubt I'm the only one in this position; if anything, the MQM rollover probably means there are a
ton of folks who can "ride" Platinum for the next few years with very little effort given that Diamond is out of reach for them (as it is for me) due to the high MQD waiver threshold. And as far as I can tell, on most long-haul itineraries, that gets them into the SC under SkyTeam Elite Plus. It really isn't
that hard for folks to have limped into Gold over the last few years...three years of mileage collecting time and CC MQMs counting towards it mean that basically anybody who hasn't stuck certain cards in a sock drawer over the last few years almost assuredly has Gold by now, if not Platinum.