MSPeconomist

They are now, but DL has a bunch of 747s and they are all due to be reconfigured as time goes on.

bajrbajr

Could it be that the "internal memo" and "job postings" are fake?

GUWonder

Things indeed to be considered, but I have no doubt that DL management is anything but loathe to the idea of reducing the percentage of customers who qualify for Medallion status on the basis of fares that are not amongst the most expensive.

When it comes to DL's customer-unfriendly "loyalty" program moves that end up aborted due to customer pressure, they often get re-introduced and stick in some form anyway at some later point.

Jeff of DL SkyMiles management notoriety has more than one thing in common with Jeff Skilling of Enron infamy.

SDQBound

If we are connecting the dots, we may want to take a look back to this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...b-opening.html

Dovster

Question: Which of these two people more deserves Silver Medallion status -- someone who flew 16943 BIS miles in a year or someone who spent $2,738.10 at Delta?

The reason that I ask is that although I am Gold Medallion, I would have earned Silver from the only Delta itinerary I have taken this year.

(I have do not have a Delta credit card and have not gotten MQMs from any other source.)

I simply took one trip TLV-ATL-LAS-MCO-JFK-TLV, paid for an M fare, and wound up with 25226 MQMs from it. As noted above, the cost of my trip was $2,738.10.

An argument could be made that I paid out enough to warrant being Silver, but I don't see how the few miles that I actually flew deserves it.

Looked at this way, it does make more sense to give Medallion status based on money spent than it does on miles in the air.

DHalltheway

Well for the sake of your argument.

If you flew EWR - SIN - EWR on the $700 T fare 4 times in 2012, you could be PM this year for $2800 and earn 80000+ BIS MQM.

This also begs the question, should one be able to earn PM or 80,000+ MQM for $2800?

IMO there is no right or wrong answer. I think if you manage to find / snag great fares, and are willing to help the airline to manage their overhead cost by filling seats you should be entitled to the miles.

florin

That's how the folks at FB have sold their April 1st "surprise". (This was when they introduced the 25%-100% miles earning structure for coach fares.)

GUWonder

Your M fare is considered by DL to be a premium fare relative to the cheapest economy class fare; and, for that, your M fares comes with additional status miles than if you had bought a LUT fare for the same trip. A LUT fare flyer flying the above itinerary would not reach Silver status from the above routing alone -- DL would require even more money for such LUT fare-flying customer to get Silver status from a TLV-ATL-LAS-MCO-JFK-TLV routing.

You earned Silver Medallion-level status miles for flying the above route because DL considers you to have purchased a premium fare.

DL2SXM

You got an M fare with Z availability for how much? $2700 and change?

kwintheair

As an ~11 years in a row NWA Platinum / Delta Plat-Diamond, I am sure glad that I am in the process of completing a 1K status match to United (just need another 3500 miles to complete the challenge, which I've already booked...Delta has now lost out on 35K miles worth of revenue from me in the past 2 months alone...).

Now the question is, what happens to Delta MM status? I am only around 25K short of making Delta 1MM, which I would have easily done this year, but now am wondering - why bother?? Not that it gives much of a benefit in any case, to say the least...

For me, the last "best in class" changes that finally drove me to try out the United status match were the new "72 hr rule" for award tickets (even for Plats and Diamonds) in combination with the new/"without warning" horrible changes to the use of e-vouchers...

The biggest issue left is how to burn through ~800,000 skypesos before this huge devaluation kicks in!!!

I just hope that *Alliance and One World don't follow !!!

p.s. On the other hand, most of my flights are expensive short flights w/ a connection, but I don't expect any changes implemented by Delta to help me out in the least, despite my typically high-priced tickets, due to flying out of a very expensive small airport!!

rylan

Don't worry, I'm sure this will be spun like "As requested by many of our High Value Medallions, we've made great improvements to the award calendar with the new revenue based redemption system". No more complaining that it says low when there isn't, or not working at all... the new system will gladly eat your miles at a much higher rate across the board.

rylan

I think that is where a major change to the system is fatally flawed... Delta needs both types of flyers... the high ticket spend and also the lower ticket but always picks DL even when they cost more. That reliably fills seats and DL gets some extra margin from loyal pax deciding to stick with them even when it costs more. Destroy the program (which is already in progress with FCM and upgrades percentages going down the crapper) then they loose the 'guaranteed' repeat flyer and instead are fighting for the pax who pick solely on price. Sure the high fare buyer may still be there, but you need the rest to fill in and absorb the fixed cost overhead.

DLdweeb

Precisely. DL can't afford to alienate too many of either group. The relatively few who fly full Y (and like to thump their chests about it) are certainly important, but DL cannot run an airline on just those fliers alone. Those who claim to fly paid F don't need a loyalty program, they are already in F. And the other 90% of the plane that is not flying on full F or Y are just as important to the bottom line as everyone else. It's all about maximizing revenue per flight, not revenue per passenger.

bubbashow

From there, this thread goes from 30 pages to 60 as everyone lines up with their, "If you change xxx... I'm done. Goodbye cruel world.", posts.


But look at those screaming the loudest that they are going to leave. They are the same people that were going to leave when the 72 hour rule was implemented, the loudest screaming about past changes, yet they continue to fly. If you want change, vote with your wallet....don't threaten on here.

I'm often accused of being a DL cheerleader on here, but I have DEFINITELY voted with my wallet. Domestic F is a travesty....I have voted with my wallet and put paid F on AA. Until DL releases a domestic F product comparable to AA F, I will continue to do the same. I have sent those receipts to the corporate offices.

GRALISTAIR

^ +1