Originally Posted by
Qwkynuf
If you are "loyal" when the system benefits you, and then throw a tantrum and leave when it doesn't, well, that is pretty much the antithesis of "loyalty".
Members here have been complaining up an absolute
*storm* for years now. Thread after thread after thread about missed upgrades. About Long upgrade lists. About crowding and lines at Sky Clubs. About long waits on the "Medallion" phone lines, and ineffective reps when they finally get through.
But the truth is, all of these complainers only wanted a fix that makes OTHER people suffer - as soon as it affects them, they're gone.
That's not loyalty. Sorry.
And yes, these changes adversely affect me. I have been DM since 2016. I might not make it for 2024 (it's going to be close), and there is no way I will make it to $35k for 2025. My MQDs are strictly earned from domestic US flights for my job. I don't put that kind of spend on personal credit cards today, and I am not going to start. I will probably continue to primarily fly Delta because they usually offer the best options from my home airport. I'll just do so as a Platinum in the future.
So, I guess I will just use them for what they can do for me. Kind of like you.
Loyalty (customer loyalty) is the decision to purchase from one company over another when the product is relatively comparable, even when a competitor attempts to manipulate you into purchasing from them. For example, even if the competitor offers a 50% off coupon. Or even if the competitor starts a direct flight on your most common route. That's loyalty.
When the company a customer is loyal to decreases the value of the product for that customer so much such that it is no longer relatively comparable, and the customer decides to purchase from another company as a result, that doesn't mean that the customer wasn't loyal to the company. Whether it's relatively comparable or not depends on an individual's circumstances, and I don't know the details of the new PM status yet so I'm personally still waiting to determine what is and is not comparable.
You can still have loyalty to your relationships even if you re-evaluate those relationships at certain times. Think about two people that have been dating for 6 months. Person A breaks up with person B. Person A never cheated on person B. You wouldn't say "person A wasn't loyal to person B."
Originally Posted by
Airplanewallah
Pretty sure Delta FF and Revenue Managers already assumed a certain number of elites will leave and that is already baked into the decision to implement the changes. As someone else mentioned in another post, Delta (and Amex) have pretty good data, so I would not count on them walking back any of the announced changes, barring any legal action or extreme economic event. This most recent announcement is just another “enhancement” in a long line of devaluations in Loyalty programs in general. Although I haven’t held status in a long time, this recent change just helps to affirm my approach to remain a free agent and pursue value without being locked into any one program.
I don't think they just assumed it. I think it was their intent - I think they even say it's their intent. This is not intended to be an attack on Delta.