I suspect this (and other MQD earning “methods”) may eventually be added (or added back).

Given the walk back and more generous status tiers from the original September 2023 announcement, I think Delta is worried that having too many paths to earn MQDs will lead to too many PMs/DMs. So some of these earning paths have been temporarily suspended.

I fully anticipate in the coming years (2025 or beyond) that Delta will raise the thresholds for status levels, but also add back these and new MQD earning mechanisms that of course indirectly earn Delta some $ also.