pitbulllover

And that is based on VOLUME not PROFIT. You get a status, but again all airlines are starting to evaluate the connection to status to profit. The Concierge Key is more moved toward as profitable customer as opposed to volume. It is NOT based on volume alone.

AA_EXP09

I understand, but if they are getting those benefits on revenue J fares, them the benefits should apply solely for the flights they take, instead of for every flight they take.

Thomas Hudson

Well over 10 years ago, Delta bumped me to Platinum, even though I made Gold by the rules. They gave it to me because my flights were high fare and minimum connection. To say that they are starting to look at this is not correct. They have...

yohanson

You just nailed me except for one (or is that two) thing(s). I use my miles for a companion while I spend money on my cheap domestic tickets on vacation so I can enjoy a better hard product when I travel for work. I also am saving my miles for 2 RTW tickets in J, which I couldn't afford otherwise. Now I wonder if I'll be able to do that. I'll also point out I've been upgraded for every eligible flight this year and I've had a lot so far.

pitbulllover

In the old way of thinking, yes, they did. And the fact that you indicated you were bumped to PLT by GLD by the rules, says it all. The elites are bloated by these standards. DL is starting to revisit this and for good cause.

mother-

I'm sure there are 50 or 100 of them yes. They probably account for at least $1m in revenue for Delta. They should definitely do something for those people too rich and lazy to sign up for Skymiles. For them an escort through immigration or a Porsche ride will probably mean far more than any of our "Elite benefits."

However if you think those few people are worth more to Delta than all of their "Elites" then you are the one that needs to go back to your "bat-sh&t-crazy forum."

What is it with the hyperbole for the 5 or so posters defending Delta in this thread?

pitbulllover

Wrong. You clearly need to go to Economics 101. And truly read this forum. Only 50 or 100 HVC fliers on DL ( the second largest in the world) that do not actually hold status? Hmmmm...yeah, that makes complete sense.

DLPhoenix

The purpose of a loyalty program is to use excess inventory to give FFs who have a choice an incentive to stay loyal to a certain product.
A Rebate/cash back system will make this excess inventory inaccessible to some customers. The key question is whether all the affected customers are such that DL doesn't care about.


It is indeed too rewarding. I don't think anyone here will dispute the fact that DL issued way to many miles and that the program should be tweaked.


DL is the only legacy that does not have a tier for people who fly a lot in paid J/F. They used to have a white envelope tier but they never advertised it (which defeats the purpose). I don't think you will see a huge resistance if DL introduces such a tier.

And I would agree that something has got to give. There is an inflation of the reward currency (miles) and an inflation of elites. I may not agree that breaking the system is the best solution.

DLP

vasantn

This claim flies in the face of your demonstrated ignorance of basic economics.

If customer X is twice as profitable as customer Y, but if there are 100 customer Ys for each customer X, it would be foolhardy to concentrate on customer X at the expense of the 100 customers Y. Also, you can't pull more customers X out of your rear end to replace the customers Y that many here wish would leave; ultra-HVCs simply don't exit in large enough numbers in the US market.

Thomas Hudson

I did not make Platinum one year by miles or segments. I did purchase quite a few Y, A and F tickets that year. They sent me a letter and told me they were giving me Platinum due to my revenue. It was not due to a credit card or miles promotion. Someone at Va Ave saw I had been Plat for a while and had a year with less flights, but still spent a bunch of $... This was not by any rules... in fact I guess it went against the rules... Comprende?

pitbulllover

Economics 101. There are several courses that you can take online at your convenience.

pitbulllover

By current standards. And then so why are you complaining the few times you are not upgraded by current standards...and complaining about the bloated ranks? Just curious. You are technically Gold. Should you not be at Gold standard in expectation?....and understanding the bloated ranks based on your assessment?

Thomas Hudson

Let me break this down for you.


You said Airlines are changing and focusing on more profitable customers.

I then stated that they in fact did this 10 or more years ago and gave a personal example.

Are you clear on this aspect?

mnredfox

Wow, couldn't agree more. DL hard product, much much better. Love it over NWA. DL front line staff, also love them. But DL mgmt, changes to the FFP, lack of communication, complete lack of trust/honesty is what gets me.

Not to mention I also agree a ton with your thoughts on lack of real responses to TTU, issues with AF right now, etc. And let's not forget how they still haven't fixed the award calendar, all the sneaky unannounced changes, and the blame the elites for the 72 hr rule change.

+1. I still remember the merger when they changed the rules of the program late year and it affected how we qualified THAT year. It's like you have people fulfill their part of the contract but you change your end.

+1, same boat. With so much uncertainty, people will and should fill in the worst case scenario, esp knowing DL's track record.

Me three.

pitbulllover

I'm clear. That was then. The industry is not only different, but looking at business differently as it relates to what anyone considers an 'HVC'.