SkyMilesInsider update: Sky Priority is HERE…
Apr 9, 2010, 4:26 pm
#61
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,531
Apr 9, 2010, 4:28 pm
#62
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Northern Ireland
Programs: MR Lifetime Titanium, United Silver
Posts: 625
SMI,
Thanks for the great info and responses to the posts. The drink/snack coupon for a missed upgrade is a wonderful idea and caught me totally by surprise. Any chance you can get ATL to actually enforce their security line?
As for the DM, PM, GM boarding in Zone 1, I like the upgrade but I can't help but feel like the F experience will be a bit cheapened.
Thanks for the great info and responses to the posts. The drink/snack coupon for a missed upgrade is a wonderful idea and caught me totally by surprise. Any chance you can get ATL to actually enforce their security line?
As for the DM, PM, GM boarding in Zone 1, I like the upgrade but I can't help but feel like the F experience will be a bit cheapened.
As one taking two round trips next week alone, I look forward to being a guinea pig! (Full disclosure: I already have the upgrade for all segments; so i'll mainly be checking out the gate lice /boarding situation.)
Apr 9, 2010, 4:32 pm
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
SMI, the boarding thing is not well thought through, especially out of elite heavy cities such as ATL. I would strongly appeal to you to get this changed/rethought before it is officially announced next week. This could really be disastrous for the airline and ruin the premium experience of all your premium pax. The snack thing is a nce little touch. The bag tag thing? I normally get yellow tags anyway so do not see the improvemeht.
Apr 9, 2010, 4:38 pm
#64
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Atlanta, GA
Programs: DL 3 MM/DM, Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, National Exec Elite
Posts: 4,003
The difference is not that you will get yellow tags, but that they will now mean something. My sample size under the newly-emphasized priority tags stands at two, and in both instances my bag was out very early. Clearly a difference.
As to the other features of this program, I think the drink coupon is a good gesture.
If I was running things, I would still restrict Zone 1 to those in F. Having said that, if silvers aren't included I don't think the F/DM/PM/GM herd will be too unmanageable.
The one thing missing from this, that would truly say "Sky Priority" would be to implement a policy where if you are on the upgrade list and board, and later an F seat becomes available and would have been yours had you not boarded, the GA will come on board and upgrade you. This would be a nice gesture for a "high value customer" to show that he/she does indeed have "Sky Priority." If Delta can solve the Priority bag issue, surely it can add this benefit.
As to the other features of this program, I think the drink coupon is a good gesture.
If I was running things, I would still restrict Zone 1 to those in F. Having said that, if silvers aren't included I don't think the F/DM/PM/GM herd will be too unmanageable.
The one thing missing from this, that would truly say "Sky Priority" would be to implement a policy where if you are on the upgrade list and board, and later an F seat becomes available and would have been yours had you not boarded, the GA will come on board and upgrade you. This would be a nice gesture for a "high value customer" to show that he/she does indeed have "Sky Priority." If Delta can solve the Priority bag issue, surely it can add this benefit.
Apr 9, 2010, 4:41 pm
#65
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: Delta DM, HH D, Starwood Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 87
Apr 9, 2010, 4:54 pm
#66
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,397
It would be interesting to know what the average percentage of medallions per flight are FOs. Its most likely the highest percentage of all the medallions. So if you push them to Zone 2, then I would think that it would mean over 50% of the medallions just got pushed to zone 2? If true, then zone 1 really might not be as crowded as some think. However of course for medallion heavy flights this would not hold true.
Apr 9, 2010, 5:25 pm
#67
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ATL
Programs: DL - PM (Sky Priority);HH - Gold; Marriott - Silver; National - Executive; DL Reserve AMEX
Posts: 5,234
Can someone please help me understand why people are getting excited over a free drink / snack coupon!? Weren't all of these benefits present before under the skymiles program? How does this differ from what was already provided? Perhaps I'm just remembering the way that NWA did things, but this is all the exact same, aside for the coupon.
If this is the best that Delta marketing can muster up, re-branding of existing benefits... they've wasted a lot of money.
If this is the best that Delta marketing can muster up, re-branding of existing benefits... they've wasted a lot of money.
And, as someone above me said, it's going to be great for us Golds that seem to be missing out on every upgrade change...
OLCI gets us a drink coupon. I never use all my PM coupons in a year anyway, so that is irrelevant.
Doesn't OLCI also take us off the upgrade list until such time as we arrive at the airport and check-in, or am I mistaken about this? I've avoided OLCI when my upgrade hadn't yet cleared for this reason.
Doesn't OLCI also take us off the upgrade list until such time as we arrive at the airport and check-in, or am I mistaken about this? I've avoided OLCI when my upgrade hadn't yet cleared for this reason.
Frankly, OLCI has zero negative benefits and only positive ones.
Last edited by Canarsie; Apr 11, 2010 at 11:32 pm Reason: Consolidation.
Apr 9, 2010, 5:27 pm
#68
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: The best state in the USA - Florida!
Programs: Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, AS MVP75K, AA PlatPro, UA Premier, Disney AP
Posts: 14,497
Apr 9, 2010, 5:33 pm
#69
In Memoriam
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: DL DM, UA, AA, SPG Gold, Marriott, HH, Fairmont, NYSC (Passport), 24hrFitness-Super Sport
Posts: 2,197
Apr 9, 2010, 5:46 pm
#70
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Bangkok Thailand HYATT DIAMOND, DL PM, DL 2 Million Miler
Programs: THAI RO Gold, Hilton Gold,Marriott something
Posts: 140
As a PM, i see this as a small benefit. But any benefit is a good thing. And hey, if the boarding is a problem they can change it.
But free wifi - that would change this from a small benefit to a Unique Selling Point for me to fly Delta
But free wifi - that would change this from a small benefit to a Unique Selling Point for me to fly Delta
Apr 9, 2010, 5:47 pm
#71
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,977
Comparison to CO's Elite Access...
Overall I think it's a good change. The drink/snack coupon is a nice differentiator but the rest will depend on how well it is all delivered. On that score DL has not had a great track record of delivering things like this consistently, at least in part due to its scale. We can always hope, though. I suspect Sky Priority is meant to be a clearer set of goals for employees as much as it is a sales/marketing tool.
- Who:
DL, if you're a Silver. All CO elites get Elite Access. But if you're Gold or above, more exclusivity is better for you. - Web site "personal branded experience": CO doesn't claim to have this but of course their "impersonal" web experience is far superior to DL's.
- Beverage/snack coupon: ^ DL ... I wonder if you'll get this on single-class RJs.
- Dedicated check-in: No difference.
- Security screening: No difference.
- Boarding: DL ... CO boards F first, then other elites. I suspect DL will eventually revert back to that model. CO is also better about handling elites who arrive after general boarding has started.
- Baggage handling: No difference. CO priority tags luggage too, but if DL can really make it work across the system then they will have one on CO.
- Service recovery: No difference. CO has Elite Access lanes at its hub service centers too.
Overall I think it's a good change. The drink/snack coupon is a nice differentiator but the rest will depend on how well it is all delivered. On that score DL has not had a great track record of delivering things like this consistently, at least in part due to its scale. We can always hope, though. I suspect Sky Priority is meant to be a clearer set of goals for employees as much as it is a sales/marketing tool.
Apr 9, 2010, 6:19 pm
#73
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Northern Ireland
Programs: MR Lifetime Titanium, United Silver
Posts: 625
Apr 9, 2010, 6:22 pm
#74
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NoVa/DC
Programs: DL DM, Fairmont Platinum, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, Disney Platinum ;)
Posts: 1,003
Apr 9, 2010, 7:05 pm
#75
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: DL DM MM (fmr NW Plat), BA GGL/CCR, Aegean Gold, WorldClubs Life, SPG Plat, Hyatt Plat, HHonors Dmnd
Posts: 1,409