So..
 

A SM member living in Asia can simply fly 2 RTs to the US and get GM with no MQDs reqs? Three flights gets him/her PM? way to go DL..

If you spend 60k on your AMEX card, then you are good to, assuming its a Delta AMEX

I support the change if only because I fly a good chunk for work and some last minute trips make the thresholds very do-able. I think unless you are flying on super cheap fares, the thresholds are going to be pretty easy to make. I flew MSN --> ANC 5 times last year on $1K+ fares, and that met my threshold right there while I probably spent another $2500 on the other little trips that got me to Gold.

Check your email.

I can understand some of the confusion around some of the more esoteric intricacies, but I would say that the communication has been sufficiently far in advance and really quite well done.

Same situation. :(

I think I would have no problems with this update if MQDs rolled over like MQMs currently do. Right now, its frustrating to know that MQM rollover is crippled with the introduction of MQDs. Adding MQDs rollover would still cause shrinkage in the number of Medallions (which seems to be what Delta wants) since the ones they are eliminating wouldn't have any MQDs rollover in the first place.

As if the DL/AF/KL/AZ JV isn't strained already by AF's blocking of award and upgrade space, now this.

This really is puzzling as Delta has put so much effort into it's eCommerce program. Now there is very little incentive to purchase that extra item if it doesn't count towards MQDs. I believe the IT is in place to track this.

Looking at my travel over 2012, hitting the MQD threshold shouldn't be too difficult if you're actually traveling.

But, for people that have accumulated enough rollover MQMs to achieve status for the next few years, this change may hurt a little.

I'm still disappointed that there are no rollover MQS, however.

Curious if anyone knows if the Delta Reserve card will still contribute MQM's after this change?

My thought as well. Now all the AMEX reps in the concourses will be shouting "Free MQD's"

AmEx has the most detailed data reporting of ANY of the card providers. When we did a corporate deal a few years ago, AmEx was the only one that could not only limit purchases on the card to specific providers or groups of goods, but also to the specific kind of good (iirc, they could isolate fuel from oil at gas stations).

Likewise. And this is an issue. We are also required to book cheapest fare, period.

This is the big deal to me for 2 reasons: 1) the price of M fares, in many cases, is so expensive that it approaches the unrestricted fare on other carriers (and quite frequently a domestic A fare will be cheaper than an M fare), and 2) there have been cases where it's been worth the buy-up to M to get the extra MQMs & a shot at the international upgrade. If the M fares come down as a result of this (not likely) or upgrades apply to a greater range of fares, the trade may well be worth it. But maintaining the high price for M & the restrictive upgrade policy certainly make it even less attractive.

Anyone else surprised they didn't announce any SM "enhancements" to go along with this? A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down...

DING DING, we have a winner.....but the problem is look at all that revenue there losing. itll never happen

Rollover is still alive and well with this change, provided you meet the MQD or Amex spend.

for somebody who has no skin in the game, this is an interesting thread to read and see what actually motivates people.

I feel it is a bad management decision. All DL accomplished is to complicate an already complex program. You should not have to be a travel agent to be able to understand how and when you will earn miles and status.
If the objective was to weed out some elites and make the program more elite (e.g less members), just jack up the mileage requirements.
This new concept will create lots of ill will among less sophisticated flyers who don't hang out on FT because they book a DL flight or so they think and they don't get the miles. CS will field angry phone calls, people are ticked off. Nobody wins.

I know several DL senior managers from a while back and I know how they think and tick, especially TM. They did not look at UA's retreat from this model as a warning, but as a challenge. "They failed, we will succeed. We will show them". Ego has no place in these decisions, but DL's HQ is ego driven.

Just based on the number of posts on here, it shows that program is confusing and has created much more resentment than positive posts. But, then again, that is not what DL is about.
I see a missed opportunity, kind of like AA's new livery.