The bottom line for me as a self-employed consultant who pulls in about 90k a year gross is that I will be doing less flying period. That will cost Delta about 2 k a year of revenue from me. And that likely add about that amount to my travel expenses in extra bag fees etc. But sitting here going over my 2012 travel getting ready for tax time, I can't see anyway I can even make Gold in 2014. And the twists and turns of trying to qualify are just not going to be worth the frustration. I can see a lot of us ending up right below award level and not being able to do much about it as the calculation is so complex. Especially sad is remembering the old days when you could write Worldperks if you were a few hundred miles "short" of Gold and they would graciously grant Gold status. I can't see Delta being as nice about it. A Million Miler with Silver status for life? That's worth almost nothing and I can't see have my bum in a seat for another 2 million miles to get Gold for life before I lose the ability to wipe that bum myself. I may as well just buy a first class fare when I want to treat myself now and then. My four years of Platinum and Diamond (1 year) with Delta after a 20 year NWA Gold? Nice while it lasted.

Agreed. All GM and FO upgrades should be at the battlefield so that DMs and PMs that buy within the upgrade window can get the upgrade inventory first.

And there are folks on here who think that DL could care less about people like you. Thing is, if there are enough of people like you who withdraw their flying from Delta, you better believe its going to hurt. DL cant soley survive on HVC's.

Or buy your tickets earlier. It isn't a FO's fault you travel last minute

I agree. They tried changing it years ago (reduced mqm on reduced fares). Enough did leave and they changed it back. Still do not see how this benefits DL at all.

Your travel policy is much more liberal than many. ...and very foolish as well. If I owned stock in your company, this policy would be very disappointing to me. Based on your location, and the excessively wasteful travel policy, I very likely do own your stock. Only the OEMs or their major legacy suppliers would allow this kind of waste. This is why GM went from General Motors to Government Motors. The Big 3 will never learn. ...but that's a different topic for another forum.

Just got back from reading a similar thread on anet. One of the posters over their seems to think that in a few months time, new and enhanced bennies will be announced for the HVC who hits and maintains DM.

Please explain what I don't understand. thanks.

So, a company actually thinks that it is worth more money to have their employees in the air less time and have them on the ground doing work is a bad thing?

Usually the savings from taking a connection or a roundabout route is not worth the $100 in savings from a connecting ticket.

If anything, while this decreases loyalty, it increases spend on an airline per mile.

It's even nicer not to brag about your good fortune. Anyway, many people with lots and lots of money (such as John D. Rockefeller long ago and Warren Buffett today) don't spend it foolishly. I'd rather have money in my bank account than in Delta's. But that's just me, I suppose....

Bruce

The new bennies that are supposed to be announced soon are supposed to be very generous in nature. I wonder if this means that future DM's can expect to redeem SWU's at a reduced M fare cost for international travel then what is currently available?

All that should really matter to DL is dollar spend... miles flown are unimportant, and so are segments. Neither translate or even correlates to "value".

very true, unless your getting something back for spending more, as might be the case.

Are you sure that there were any golds or silvers (except those on a full Y fare or using points/miles to upgrade) sitting up front that did NOT pay for a first class ticket? Delta typically holds back first class seats. I take that route at least four times a year and as a PM there are a lot of times I don't get upgraded until the gate and sometimes sit in the back as a PM when the ticket was bought over a month in advance.

It is possible every seat was sold up front as well. Last summer I flew DTW/LAS and BOTH ways EF had F=0 over a week before the flight.

When I was FO, I don't remember ever sitting up front unless I bought a First class ticket and only cleared a couple times as a gold on that route.

I think FCM is more to blame than clearing FO's or GM's at the window. Since you must have bought the ticket less than 48 hours out if the FO upgrade window had passed, it is possible that only DM's and PM's cleared into first and others paid for their first class ticket. When I flew that route Labor day weekend there were only a few seats available up front (bought it a few days in advance) and first class was only about $75 more RT than a coach fare (can't remember the fare class but it wasn't a Y, B or M). FOr $75 I would have been stupid not to take it, I was guaranteed to sit up front and get an aisle seat plus I received almost 2,000 extra MQMs.

Loyalty is a two way street? What is their definition of loyalty? Am I less loyal if I fly all of my flights for they year on Delta and accrue 100,000 miles but only spend $3,000 or if I split my travel between multiple carriers but spend $8,000 on Delta and fly 80,000 miles?

According to the new program, it's not about loyalty, it's only about the dollars. And like I said, that's their decision, but don't pretend it's about loyalty.

Here it is:

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