We’re diving into a lot of granularity, one offs, and hypotheticals. Let’s say I was at $22k MQD. I need to fly to ORD, IAH, DFW, BNA, mia, DCA, etc. DL sells these at a premium vs the other airlines that also fly nonstop. For me, it makes sense to keep with delta because these occasional one-offs to a well serviced destination won’t make up for the other DM benefits I’d lose out on. The reality is if I only select nonstops, it’s unlikely if fly UA or AA to be worthwhile.

Otoh, I’m not a huge fan of creating DL spend to get those $6k MQD unless it’s via natural Amex spend because i think DM status is worth maybe closer to $4-5k over PLT. Maybe it’s more… maybe not. But this is a ballpark.