Seat1A

it's not at all easy to hidden city on delta shuttle flights -- delta explicitly forbids shuttle flights on any route other than the nonstop shuttle routes. if you buy LGA-DCA-ATL, you're going to be paying end-on-end LGA-DCA and DCA-ATL fares on delta.

FederalFlyer

I'm one of those that racks up 100k+ MQM a year on primarily LUT fares (maybe a rare K fare here or there) and credit card spend. So, if and when this goes into effect, there's a very good chance I'll move to AA. Here's my question though:

Would it be better to:

(A) Go for DM this year so that I can continue to fly DL in 2013 as a DM and then leverage my DL DM status for *hopefully* an AA EXP PLAT match or challenge into 2014?

or

(B) Stay at PM with significant roll over so that I can continue to fly DL in 2013 as a PM and, with all that roll over, still probably make enough MQM (even under the new fare-based earning rules) to make PM again for 2014?

With option (A), I get to stick with DL through 2013 and will have a better chance of matching to a competitor at a higher level for 2014. With (B) I get to stick with DL through 2014, but my chance of matching to a competitor at their highest level is reduced for 2015.

monitor

I would never depend on the rollover feature to be extended at all if they did much in the way of restructuring the program. I do not think that relying on future rollovers has any merit whatever.

monitor

I will admit that I have never tried this in all the years that I have been flying DL.

I can also say that I structured connections at DCA off the US Shuttle on a regular basis when we were regulars over there. IMO, DCA is a great place to make connections on US and there are multiple destinations for which that makes perfect sense.

Seat1A

yeah, US allows shuttle to be used for connections, and it's great -- as a nonstatus flyer there a few years ago, i always aimed for the DCA flights when i had to fly them out of BOS. they were often less than full, they had free alcohol in Y on the BOS-DCA leg, and DCA is an easy connecting airport.

delta is so adamant about not using delta shuttle for connections that they include the phrase "NO DELTA SHUTTLE" on their LAX-LAS fares. (along with every other fare i've seen that's not in a direct shuttle market.) the LGA expansion is just teasing us here in BOS, since we can't connect to any of it. (not without driving up to MHT, anyway.....)

sorry for the diversion. to get back on topic, the sky is falling! the sky is falling!

amanuensis

Rollover was one of the elite benefits that I was asked in my survey to rank relative to other elite benefits. So I do think that the continued existence of this benefit is being questioned by the Delta brain trust.

HongKonger

Why do you think you got a survey? What's your medallion status? Do you think you are a HVC? Just curious. I'd love to do a survey of this type for DL.

amanuensis

I am not sure why E-rewards offered me the survey. There were a lot of qualification questions at the start, so I do not think that E-rewards already knew that I am a Delta FO. The initial questions were about how many domestic business and leisure trips I took during the past year and then how many international business and leisure trips I took. Then they asked me to name as many airlines as I could using my unaided recollection (that was easy!). Then they gave me a list of airlines and asked me which of those I was a frequent flyer member of. Then they asked me of those programs, which was I elite in. I am elite only in Delta. They then asked what level of elite I was in Delta. I answered silver. And as far as I can recall, that was the end of the screening questions and the start of the questions about Skymiles.

HongKonger

I think I need to sign up for e-rewards. I got an invitation from DL in 2009 but didn't bother. Now the link doesn't work LOL. Darn.

PRWeezer

I have bounced in & out of this thread, apologies if this is repetitive. Did a thread search for "trademark" that didn't produce any results, and checked posts since 5/2.

Last week's issue of the Atlanta Business Chronicle had a listing of selected new trademarks filed by Georgia companies.

Date: May 2
Company: Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Trademark: Atlanta's First Class Airline
Use: Incentive program for frequent air travel

Interesting "use" noted especially as compared to the other trademarks listed that were for products, services, etc. Like the Coca-Cola Ekocycle, which is a trademarked bicycle.

From a marketing perspective, new taglines/slogans are frequently related to new programs. Clearly the 'first class' part is a dig at WN.

gooselee

I just got a survey about FF program benefits directly from DL via email. I've had an active SM account for over 15 years but have never reached elite status.

sbjnyc

I don't recall which routes but I'm pretty certain that when using LGA as my origin on some TATL routes I've seen LGA-BOS as a segment (on delta.com). I don't know if that'd work the other way around though.

BogusRogus

Good IT can overcome? They can't even fix the award calandar.. like ever... AND now international tickets (I fly DTW-HKG and MNL a bit) no longer can do they "My dates are flexible" search - you now have to go day by day by day to find the fare... terrible. So I wouldn't count on IT or customer realtions being part of a new SKy Miles.

BogusRogus

But if you fly mostly sLUT fares with an occasional Y - does that make you sLUTY?

AA_EXP09

If I had to buy Y I would pay the difference to P (if P isn't cheaper!)