Originally Posted by NapaPatTours (Post 20076680)

Wow. Quite a few more posts since my last visit yesterday.

My point above isn't that other alliances are/will be better. It's that I had a specific loyalty to flying DL simply because it was easy to keep Silver status, and the benefits thereof. That's the whole point of a Loyalty Program.

When I could, I would get the boss to approve a DL ticket, even at a slightly higher cost over AA or *A, etc... and simply deduct the difference from my per diem, because I wanted to make sure I kept at least 25,000 miles, and liked the rollover. As long as it was within 10-15%, he agreed, and everyone was happy.

Also, when flying for "fun", I again chose DL, even at a slightly higher cost for the above reasons.

However, they've completely killed the rollover as a viable benefit, and taken away the 25,000 as the primary method of status. This makes it possible that I will be unable to consistently keep status with them.

All of the above adds up to this: It makes no difference if I move to another alliance who then makes a similar change. If I can't keep status on DL, what difference is there if another airline also doesn't allow me to achieve status?

I know several people who are in the same "business light" travel bucket. We all travel just enough that a Loyalty Program makes sense for us to be LOYAL to one airline. Again, that was the purpose of these programs. ...to get us to aggregate as much travel as we could with one carrier. It was a simple (and prior to the recent changes), effective way to force a monopoly on the individual flyer. Instead of shopping price for every flight, mid-level travelers and above were motivated to shop only their preferred carrier.

These changes revert the system back to the way it was ~35 years ago, before the Loyalty Programs, when we all shopped every airline for price.

I know I’m dating myself now, but back before the Loyalty Program existed, 100,000 miles on a single airline was a big deal. You got an award plaque, a set of capt’s wings, etc… There were some of us who made a game of trying to get our 100,000 mile wings on as many airlines as possible. The Loyalty Programs changed that almost overnight.

…and now the pendulum is swinging back. Once again, I am forced to revert to one who is motivated only by the cost of the ticket, and not by my Loyalty Program benefits (or lack thereof). …but without the wings for 100,000 miles <sigh>. ;)

Originally Posted by coinboy66 (Post 20076596)

Everyone,

I'm a professional researcher and I've created a decent survey to address the issues we've been discussing the forum.

The survey is three questions. The first one addresses the MQD requirement and the second addresses the new MQM accrual rates. These are separate issues and should be discussed separately. The third question addresses how you think these program changes TOGETHER will affect revenue.

Please take 30 seconds to do it and I will periodically post the results. Hopefully if we approach this in an organized way we can provide clear feedback to Delta, which, good or bad, is the most beneficial for us and them.

The link is here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y63TYGB

Originally Posted by jdrtravel (Post 20072779)

After thinking about this for a bit, I've decided that I'm not happy with these changes. As a GM, I totally accept that PM's and DM's get better services than I do, more upgrades, etc. Fine. However...what about rewarding loyalty.... I ONLY fly Delta unless they don't fly where I am going. In exchange, I really appreciate the free checked bags, the fast check in and security, etc. I have no reason to be loyal if its not rewarded. But thats the thing...I want to be loyal. I want this to work. I don't want to go running to Southwest or some other carrier. I'm ok hardly getting any upgrades....but please...recognize the fact that my spend a year from my own money is significant.

Originally Posted by silverman2013 (Post 20076736)

I miss those wings too. Now with Delta even with Million Mile status to them you are just another dirtbag.

Originally Posted by reed2x (Post 20076741)

How will rollover MQM be calculated under the new program for those of us falling short on MQD?

The FAQ states:
Rollover MQMs will not change with the new program. As long as you earn Medallion status based on the new requirements, any MQMs in excess of the threshold needed for status earned will roll over.

The details aren't clear to me. In my case for 2013, I reached 78,000 MQM, earned PM status under the current rules, and rolled over 3,000.

With the MQD requirement, I would have only qualified for GM. Under the new program rules would I have rolled over 28,000 MQM (based on the 50,000 MQM requirement for GM) or 3,000 since I passed the PM MQM threshold?

I apologize if this issue has been brought up before in the discussion.

Originally Posted by rusrocket (Post 20076955)

If I were UA, I would follow the suit regarding the minimum spend requirement. I would however let the flyers earn those MQD's on partners airlines and leave the MQM's accrual on partners airlines as it is. That combined with a decent status match offer will have a lot of people jumping DL ship.

Originally Posted by pbarnette (Post 20076093)

Why? The minimum thresholds are so low that anyone that doesn't meet them is simply a money loser.

Marketing folks think that every customer is valuable and that you should never turn away business. They are wrong.

Originally Posted by LegalTender (Post 20075793)

They need to devise that dashboard fix NOW, not a year from now.

Who has time to unpack all YTD purchases to project hitting MQD thresholds?

Originally Posted by DeltaFan4Now (Post 20077028)

Get a DL AMEX. Spend $25K. No fuss, no muss...

Originally Posted by dieuwer2 (Post 20077041)

Foolish. Every heard of "opportunity cost"?

Originally Posted by DeltaFan4Now (Post 20077008)

I'm curious about the last statement there. Who are they going to get to fill the seats then? All of the MRs were fare-paying customers paying what DL was asking for a fare. If those seats aren't filled, are people thinking that others will voluntarily pay extra to fill those planes to the oft-used IST example?

And will these changes have the knock-on effect of reducing service to places they're already having trouble serving due to low demand at additional times of the year? My feeling is that at least for some amount of time, there will be some chaos in sorting out how this changes their customer base and their flying habits.

I'm neutral about these particular changes as I envision that I can maintain PM within these rules, but find the behavior of some people galling on both sides here - the ones demanding no change because it simply doesn't suit them and the ones salivating over the demise of those they deride as non-elite...

Originally Posted by silverman2013 (Post 20076340)

...the first part of your post...

Originally Posted by silverman2013 (Post 20076340)

My impression is Delta is positioning themselves as the "premium" US airline that seems to want to get rid of the rabble like elderly and family travelers to create a better travel "experience". You can see it in the terminals where there are less options for cheap family meals like a McDonalds (kicked out of MSP last year after 25 years) and more Sushi bars and such for less-budget minded single travelers.
Seems so stupid to even verbalize it, but that's my impression.