Throw Down Your Leavy Screens

Probably not that many on a routine basis. On a handful-of-times-a-year basis for special purposes (vacation, vendor display, etc.), probably many. Multiply that by the thousands of flights a day, and you get a constant stream of people checking 2 bags.

But it's the principle of the matter. What is the purpose of planting my ... in a Delta plane for 25,000 to 49,999 miles when I can get essentially the same thing for $450? Moreover, $450 for the Amex card is a lot less than the cost of those 25,000 miles.

TWA Fan 1

I've flown about 25 segments on US in the past 2.5 years or so and have never had a single delay.

I have had cancellations, but that was during the horrifying storms last winter in the Northeast...

TWA Fan 1

Sure, but mileage upgrades are available to anybody, not only someone with this CC.

That's not the same thing as free elite awards, even if these may be very minimal for many silvers...

gradybush

Makes ZERO difference to people living in the ATL area. We are not going to go anywhere - Southwest just doesn't fly to enough places - Delta does not need to worry about business passengers from Atlanta (and, maybe also, DTW, MSP) - just yesterday, I boarded a flight with 78 people in Zone 1.

TWA Fan 1

DL certainly has three pretty ironclad "fortress" hubs at ATL, DTW and MSP, no question.

It controls about 80% of the traffic at both ATL and MSP and about 73% at DTW...

meballard

It takes some arguing depending on the agent, but I've been able to do it the 2-4 times I've needed to. If the person checking you in doesn't know the rule, ask for a red coat or some other supervisor, they (in my experience) do know better. I've just found it's not well known by a lot of the front line people (which is especially odd when it's the line for elites checking bags...).

Throw Down Your Leavy Screens

Just got my december Medallion statement email, and midway through the page was a link to read the aforementioned press release about the FO baggage shaft. The link takes you to this page:

http://tinyurl.com/7rltndo

on which is the following preamble of puffery:

We continue to work hard to create a world-class loyalty program focused on delivering great benefits for all members. At the core of our program is the ability for members to earn, maintain and redeem miles. We also provide fundamental benefits for our elite members ... Going forward, we are committed to delivering the SkyMiles experience you expect and the benefits you've earned. So visit this page regularly to stay informed of the latest program news and changes.


and the next paragraph is the FO baggage shaft press release. Ironic, don't you think? Cue the Alanis Morissette music.

GUWonder

Amex DL cardholders do routinely get upgraded, as they use miles to get the upgrades. DL loves that more than they love DL Silvers getting upgraded without any supporting instrument or cheap tickets.

mbarreto

And that's the point. Perhaps DL, when creating this new rule, didn't consider the pax that routinely tent camp in alaska in the summer. For those pax, I admit, the new rule is probably not favoring you, and you'll have to pay for that one additional bag. Still better than other carriers that limit checked baggage to 50lbs, isn't it?

Plus, I take it you're not a silver medallion, correct?

Spot on. Majority of people will have no issue with the new rule, and won't impact them in any way. Of course, for the Alaska tent camping people, the new rule is no good.

I am the guy who, even if I were a Silver Medallion, wouldn't have to pay a dime, despite traveling extensively more than a silver medallion (and still find a way to never check more than one bag, and never weighing more than 50lbs)!

TWA Fan 1

Right, but they don't get upgraded as a result of being Amex DL cardholders, since there is no specific upgrade benefit to the card.

Instead, they are using mileage upgrades that are available to anybody with a SM account.

GrizShel

The "tick off" factor for loyal 25k flyers here is I believe much more important than any direct increase in revenue from baggage fees. So I think the net effect on revenue may be negative. But they have written off trying to induce loyalty in European and Asian members already (e.g., with many horrendous devaluations for Europe-, Asian-based award travel, reduced benefits for elites based in those countries) and as many others have said, I suspect this is just the next step in their eventually abandoning any attempt to encourage loyalty in the 99%ers (probably soon to include anyone that flies less than 75k a year).


If they think this move is going to increase revenue, they don't understand customer psychology very well imo. I don't know why they even bothered to have all those focus groups earlier this year. I believe they had already decided they were going to roll out a series of program devaluations and just read into those reports what they wanted to.

But please, let the conversation continue.

GUWonder

It's a money grab that DL will get away with because most DL elites never or only rarely check in more than one checked bag. Passengers have been trained to carry-on as much as possible, so checked bags aren't what they used to be.

In response to an earlier post: Having residences in Europe, I've never had to pay a baggage fee for a standard sized first checked bag even when flying European airlines on which I have no frequent flyer status. 44-50lb pound bags being pretty much standard free checked baggage allowance even then. Then again, I'm not one to fly Ryanair (at least not yet ) .

Other than for DL Medallions, it's probably still primarily DL Amex cardholders who are getting upgraded on DL flights. Non-DL Amex cardholders with SkyMiles are generally out of luck when it comes to complimentary upgrades in whatever form DL has them.

If DL Amex cardholders were out of the picture, that would be more seats for DL Medallions to get as upgrades. I have little doubt that the DL partner frequent shoppers are the primary upgrade beneficiaries along with the DL Medallions and DL employees and their near and dear ones.

NW Mourning

The Amex ad at the bottom of each page of this thread is particularly cute... Delta management must believe that they make more money from the cards than from selling flights. Wonder if they're considering the ill-will generated by allowing people to spend money all year for a promised benefit and then taking the benefit back when it's too late to unfly those trips? Or if they realize that DM's and PM's were probably FO's on their way to the higher status; that the experience of the FF program at lower levels might determine whether more $'s are committed to DL in the future? Is this really a good business decision?

TWA Fan 1

But you don't to have in the U.S. either, as long as you have status.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

DL Amex cardholders are not getting complimentary upgrades from their DL Amex cards (since there aren't any). If they're using miles from their SM accounts (which are unrelated to their DL Amex cards), then the upgrades aren't complimentary.

Now, is it possible that many passengers with DL Amex cards are using miles from their SM account to upgrade? Sure, but that really has virtually nothing to do with their credit cards, except to the extent they can accrue miles on the cards.

Then again, virtually every major airline in the world has a branded credit card that allows its users to accrue miles on the card, not just DL.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Richard Anderson
Chief Executive Officer
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
P.O. Box 20706
Atlanta, Georgia 30320-6001