Since you have so much, I hear DL is hiring a senior business analyst...

This is spot on. Regardless of whether we think that DL should be more engaged on this forum, the fact is that DL has no obligation to communicate on this forum. If we want to encourage DL to be more responsive, then we must first improve greatly on the quality of our own dialogue.

+1. Too many times in history, the messengers do seem to get ambushed once they make an appearance.

Having said that. I have stated before that DL can choose to participate or not. The issue is that silence is often perceived as acknowledgement of a rumor/speculation being true....

I don't get it. If benefits are strictly proportional to dollars spent, then how does this incentivize me to spend more? I am not going to spend $500 more than I have to for a ticket in order to get $50 or $100 worth of benefits. I may do it for benefits that I value at more than $500, but then how likely is Delta going to be able to consistently offer me that level of benefits and increase their profit margin at the same time? Making a rewards program based solely on dollars spent puts pressure on the airline to deliver more value to the customer for their dollar or risk having a rewards program that truly is just an added cost that does nothing to promulgate customer loyalty.

This all comes down to understanding consumer behavior / psychology and what makes someone feel better about the entirety of the Delta flying experience to such an extent that they'll become attached to flying Delta and spend more with Delta than they would have otherwise.

Hmmmm...or maybe the SkyReichsmark....1923 version?

What's good for DL isn't really good for us.

Don't count Delta out of touch on this one just yet. In another thread:
Please List Your Status-MQM-Spend-DL Last Year, I was compelled to look at my own profile in detail. It turns out that I buy more high fare bucket tickets than I thought. They are very good at this game.

I see SkyMilesInsider has posted and we are are told other Delta staff are watching. You can be sure that they are running the math on this program.
This is an interesting industry. An "E" class that saves just $12 and has a ton of restrictions seems to be worth tens of thousands of dollars in design, marketing, and implementation for the added volume. I would guess the sky miles program is far more valuable and getting significantly more resources in the "enhancement." I hope for both Delta and for us, that they get a positive result. The poor sucker playing this game on high cost segments (not me) has been screwed on rollover and status in general.

My opinion of the DL silence is taking the high road. Look back at times when they have been communicating and straight with FT. They were destroyed. I am in radio, I have the option of hanging up on somebody being rude. I think DL's response is the equivalent. Why should they roll around in the mud? If I was Jeff and I was being called a green monster, I would have no desire to ever engage that person. Why would he? Of what benefit would it be for DL if we are starting from that level?

If you want to be taken seriously by DL (OR ANY COMPANY), grow up. It is a business. This isn't your girlfriend or wife...it's business. Start from that perspective and communicate accordingly.

This thread needs official information from Delta to breathe some useful life into it..

I think, if you look back across the posts, that appearances simply to drop a press release are not really appreciated. Appearances to engage in a discussion beyond that are appreciated. The T-72 thread is an example of the former. A "hit and run". The mobile app threads are an example of the latter. Danny provides regular updates when new platforms are supported and new features are released, and actually engages FTers who have suggestions or who report something not working correctly.

Much of the derision stems from the fact that many of the DL reps have more or less no posting presence here beyond press release-type posts and "active listening". When the company reps actually do engage, there's much less ambushing.

Don't forget:

I started visiting FT last year and witness the majority members become manic and behave like a toxic relationship - they become more and more agitated that DL won't engage in dialog. Similar to a jilted lover or in many examples, a stalker!

Take a look at this thread, T72, etc. Insults, name calling, irrational demands, it's all there and if I worked for DL I wouldn't wanna stir the pot.

They're (Delta) gonna do what they're gonna do and at that time, I decide what I'm gonna do. Until then, I'll read, search and satisfy my curiosity but it's not gonna get under my skin until I have all of the facts.

Seriously folks, how would you like it if I came after you at your job the way you go after DL reps? Really, that's conversation in your world?

I'm not a Delta flyer, sitting on about 250k miles gotten via credit cards (and stock broker accounts) from quite a while ago.

Since Delta is such a PITA to book travel on, I haven't spent any miles for a long time.

What I'm curious about is how the hoard of miles will convert in the new system. Most folks seem to think they should burn the miles -- that assumes a lousy conversion rate. But if the conversion rate was something higher than a LUT fare would earn, wouldn't it stand to reason that old miles converted would be worth more than new miles?

Any guesses as to whether things would convert at something higher than the middle tier now? Another way of asking: how many old miles will get a TATL business class ticket in the new scheme?

It would seem that DL management seeks to be in the power position with respect to any airline/customer dealing. If anyone doubts this, just reread DL's CofC.

What they appear to be trying to create here is this dynamic:
Rather than:
In reality, in a healthy relationship, there is likely a compromise between those diverse attitudes. I would submit that it appears DL management, rather than seeking a healthy relationship, is only interested in coming out on top.

And why? Could it be that DL management has thrown around miles like plastic beads at a Mardi Gras parade, only to awaken, hung-over, to the realization "Oh Cr@p, folks might actually want to use those miles sometime!!! We can't begin to afford that." Their solution, it would seem, is going to be to devalue those miles far below the value they had when awarded.

Thus, the customers get punished for management's lack of foresight.

But, by DL management's rules, they always have to win, even if the customer has to lose to make it so.

And for you folks whose refrain is "But they have to look after the interests of the stockholders"... wouldn't the interests of the stockholders be better represented by a management team that doesn't paint themselves into a corner to the point that the only way out is to alienate their most frequent customers?

It really depends on what fare-based award ticket redemption means. If it's tied to the cash cost of a ticket, I don't think there's any conversion ratio that would avoid taking a TATL J from 100K current miles to a at least a couple times that in current miles converted to new currency.

You can trust, likely with little potential for disappointment, that the miles would be converted at rate that is disadvantageous to the consumer.

We are not dealing with a philanthropic organization here.

Their benefits "enhancements" work to the detriment of the consumer more often than not.

That is why this thread is getting so much traction. We have been forewarned by past behaviors, and have good reason to expect the worst.