DP-340

If I read you correctly you will be making DM after flying 60k BIS miles. No offense intended, but you are really a PM flier in my eyes, and on AA you probably would not make it to ExP. BTW, I understand what the rules are and I am perfectly OK with you becoming DM.

RobertS975

Not even that since I have 3 TATL trips that were booked in I and a GIG trip booked in M (Z) all of which earned 1.5X MQMs. Sorry I don't make the grade in your eyes!

With only 60K BIS miles, why do you consider me a PM and not merely a GM?

cbalaska

I like being Diamond. I like feeling "special" when I call the Diamond desk and they call me by name, go out of their way to do extra things for me, and thank me for my business. I like being upgraded 100% of the time. I like being treated very nicely on the plane. And yes, I like the fact that I have been treated better as a DM than as a PM. Since I fly to work every week, why not commute in a way that I like?

BTW -- last week my daughter (who has no status) was returning from Germany and we were both on the same flight home from ATL. I called the Diamond desk to ask about her ETA when I landed in ATL. I was nicely told they were on approach and on time. After I hung, up my phone rang and it was the same SMS agent calling back to tell me where she would exit from Customs and that she would have a red coat meet her and bring her to meet me at the Sky Club nearest to our departing gate. I know that would have never happened when I was a PM. I liked it! Oh -- and they upgraded her so we could fly home together in FC. I liked that too.

RobertS975

I have only been a DM for a day and a half, but I must say that as a PM for over a decade, they almost always called me by name on the phone, and it was an extremely rare flight where I wasn't upgraded.

I still believe that there should be more tangible benefits to DM status.

Sez_Who

I agree with all you say but I have never had a redcoat meet my daughter at customs and escort her, as cbalaska reported. That is a great example of intangible benefits I am looking for as a DM.

As for tangible benefits... well, DL is getting better. At least they are moving in a positive direction, not stripping them away. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now but I certainly understand how some feel the benefits are just not worth the extra 50K.

DP-340

Because flown or booked 60k by Aug. chances are high you will be ~75k in a year...

BTW, as you played by the rules, you definitely make the grade in my book. I just don't think that the rules make a lot of sense...

RobertS975

It is all how you look at it. Does making a weekend MR to SYD from one of the four double MQM cities make you a "somebody"? I have always wondered why we couldn't arrange virtual MRs whereby we forfeit any residual value of a ticket in return for MQMs. Why should I have to actually fly a MR if the sole intention is to get miles and not actually visit a city?

Are MQMs earned with one's own money (as with all of mine) more respectful than MQMs earned by flights charged to one's employer or client? If someone buys two coach seats, why shouldn't they get double MQMs?

The entire FF program is just a game, and we must always remember that the "rules" were not brought down the mountain on a stone tablet! Look at the major "rule" changes in just the past 10 years, to name a few off the top of my head:

1.) Lifetime miles used to count all bonus and credit card miles... no more.
2.) We went from full credit on LUT fares to half credit, back to full credit.
3.) PMs once were able to secure an upgrade on domestic flights at the time of booking.
4.) PMs once had Crown Room privileges.
5.) PM status needed 100,000 MQMs to just a few years ago.
6.) Medallions could not upgrade LUT fares, only K+.

The entire landscape of any FF program is constantly shifting and changing like sand dunes in the desert. It always amuses me when some of us act like these "rules" came from some FF program deity.

DP-340

I think you are getting me all wrong. I don't have any problem with you being DM or with anyone who plays the "game" by the rules. But personally, I am uncomfortable when a program for Frequent Fliers offers too many shortcuts to the top rank.

I understand that DL is a for profit company and why offering these shortcuts are important ($). Some of them actually make a lot of sense, e.g., higher MQMs for expensive M+ fares (like your I-fares). However, IMHO some do not make sense, or make me uncomfortable, e.g., AMEX (especially with multiple cards), rollover, 2x & 3x MQMs promotions... In short, I think a FF program should encourage people to fly more and less to play the MQM "game" while flying as little as possible.

Sez_Who

Yes, there are some who might become DM by doing only a few SYD runs. They are happy with the status, DL is happy because they made some money. Of course all airlines would like people to fly more but for those who get by with bonus miles, it is their loss.

The FF benefits are only good when you are flying so for those who stay on the ground, no matter what their status, all the bennies are pretty worthless. If a DM flies only a few times a year, that just means one less person in front of me for the UG list.

I don't know why the obsession with status if you don't use it but it doesn't bother me if it is important to someone else.

DL2SXM

Correction to your item 3. PMs (and all other elite tiers) receive an'at time of booking' upgrade for domestic Y class ticket purchases.

RobertS975

They still do. But a correction to your correction... once upon a time, PMs received their upgrade at the time of booking on any K+ fare, even 11 months in advance, subject to capacity controls.

DL2SXM

How far back you talking when you say, 'once upon a time'? Not doubting you, I just cant recall this ever being DL policy.

baccarat0809

Wasn't that long ago. Was an unbelievable feature, as at that time I made 99% of my reservations about a month in advance and only booked the flights that I upgraded into first. I had about a 3 year period that I sat in coach about 2 times, doing around 140k BIS a year (all domestic).

With DL throwing in SkyClub membership for free Platinum's were treated very, very well.

RobertS975

I don't know... it all blends together after a while. But I am guesstimating that this was the policy until maybe 2006-07. Losing the opportunity lock in the upgrade at the time of purchase (K and higher) was one of the several "enhancements" that we all muse about.

g50

I think is was longer ago than that. I think for a year or two in the 90's it was on L+.

I would like to see DM go to 6 day (or more) window.

And a DM SWU that pulled from something better than Z. Don't forget Z is not only SWU but also general mileage upgrades as well.