Global_Hi_Flyer

I've already started. Last year, DL got only one of my trips - as of the end of this month I will drop from the platinum ranks for the first time since the program instituted the Platinum level. I've got 3+/- million miles so I should still hold gold status (until they destroy the "lifetime" benefits, too). I just don't see that there's enough incremental benefit to Platinum to try and achieve it. Especially since more and more of that has to come from my pockets with work travel cutbacks.

Delta won't shed a tear. Other than incremental revenue from selling miles to partners, DL really has sent the message for some time that they want out of the frequent traveler business.

I'm even looking at cutting back from AA, where most of my travel has gone over the last 4 years. Since Doug Parker will be running things, it makes it a LOT easier to leave - US has been a disaster, AA is about to become one. DL will be the only one with a semblance of premium service.

The math works like this: for (personal) trips, I could do 2 discount business international trips a year and 2 discount F domestic trips a year if I book right or use FCM - and that would be cheaper than flying more often to maintain status. For domestic work trips, I could book those on AA or UA where I can use miles to upgrade (with copay) from cheaper coach fares.

If you're stuck in coach anyway, B6 and WN provide decent domestic product... you might as well fly on one of them if they're cheaper. Forget the Ryanair and Spirit types.

I've flown less over the last year and actually enjoyed local (car/train) travel even more. I own my own plane, which makes for easier travel up to a tank of fuel (600 +/- miles).

Missed seeing folks on DL flights, but it just isn't worth it any more. The only real loser is DL as I used to buy M fares internationally and often took close-in flights (higher fares) domestically. C'est la vie.

mkjr

never worried about status ever since i signed up with BA in 1996. that said, very much enjoyed the miles from earning in many ways since the good old days. i still earn but mostly from CC spend but it does given nice travel perks. i would probably not do a mile run ever or bother with getting status with any airline. my main goal is to try to get into premium cabins on flights greater than 7 hours for as little as possible.

dsldog400

^

I hadn't thought of that. And folks who don't bother with minimum status will never become PM or DM, high value or otherwise. Originally, I made GM once, didn't even notice and got upgraded. It all started so easily.

I do know that as a PM or DM, as compared to FO or GM, I'm shovelling a lot more of MY dollars to DL, even if they aren't at the ultra-high spend levels. I like DL, enjoy their product & services, and have gotten over the NWA merger. (sounds like someone they'd want to keep ?)

My plan now for 2013 is an immediate and 100% deliberate effort that Delta SkyMiles will have absolutely NO / ABSOLUTELY NONE / ZERO impact on my decision of who I fly.

Any DL flying will be incidental and credited to my AS MVP account. I will impartially look at participation in SkyMiles for 2014 when that year arrives.

FlyWorld

I just discovered this thread because of the highlight article on the main page:

http://www.flyertalk.com/the-gate/bl...o-give-up.html

Just want to chime in and say, I've reached the same point. I've never flown DL, but I can tell you, it's just as bad over at UA. UA had an awesome FF program until CO took over. They demolished it. While they were demolishing it, they forced us to watch endless lectures from the CEO telling us how much we were going to like these changes. They made us listen to that lecture full of lies at the start of every flight, for a long time. And, then they smashed down the guillotine on us.

As a result, I've come to the same conclusion as OP. It's not worth it anymore to pay extra or to take a less convenient routing or to fly more than necessary just to get status. From now on, I fly cheapest and fastest route on best airline. The rewards for being loyalty are not worth the cost anymore.

A lot of folks in the UA forum talked about how great things were at AA (nobody has ever said anything good about DL's FF program). But, AA is worthless out of SFO, and with the fact that US will apparently take control at AA, I strongly predict that AA's generous FF benefits will be decimated by the end of the year.

This leaves us with: Nothing.

No carrier remaining worth being loyal to. So, we join the race to the bottom, and we compete on price, every single flight.

Dieuwer

Eventually, the reality will dawn that air travel is nothing more than a fungible commodity.

DeltaFan4Now

Ridiculous overstatement.

powerful pete

Risen to PM with BIS time (mainly int'l travel - company only pays for economy).

Would never consider mileage runs. Time too valuable. FF benefits are simply something that makes things less painful.

Having said this, Delta has consistently delivered very good service to me as a GM and PM, making things right when flights were cancelled or bags misrouted.

End up having to fly DL as a hub captive... one must be zen about these things.

stonecrd

Let me state some additional reality. If I lived and flew out of a hub I would most likely focus my travel on the hubs main carrier. Really that is a no brainer whether it is UA, AA or DL if you have to fly anyway and you can get the majority of your flights direct with one carrier why would you not maximize your benefits with that carrier?

My 'giving up" has as much to do with my current travel location reality as anything else. But even with that said travel hassles are up and benefits are down regardless of who you travel with. The only thing that seems to remain the same is ticket prices, think there is a correlation?

northwest_buckeye

I can certainly understand the OP's frustration. It seems that most of us are in the same boat. For me, upgrades/free bags/priority boarding are nice... But lately have not become my main motivators in keeping status. In the last 4-6 weeks, I've had several flights get delayed or canceled (all due to MX). DL has done a fantastic job in rerouting and accommodating me in these situations, mainly because I have status. Now, I realize the irony... It's DL's fault that these MX delays happened in the first place. However, it's not like DL is the only airline that has operational hiccups. When I was ATL based, it wasn't an issue if a plane went MX because there was usually another one nearby. Being based in CMH now, aircraft availability in MX situations is very limited, which is the case for any carrier here.

I guess my point is that while DL certainly has flaws in their SM program, I'm a firm believer that they aren't a great deal better or worse than any other domestic carrier. And since the vast majority of my flights are domestic hops east of the Mississippi, DL has a solid route network for my needs and has generally been a pretty decent airline.

Sure, things could be better... But they could also be a hell of a lot worse.

Ti22

Exactly what the suits in corp have worked so hard to make people believe!

dundalk

Actually, I am starting to doubt that piece of conventional wisdom in my own case. Despite being based out of a hub, most of my flights are to the east and are two-legged - SLC to another hub (MSP, DTW, ATL) and then from that hub to destination. I am actually doing fairly well on upgrades on the hub to spoke legs but hub to hub upgrades are just brutal - for example, I am recently 1 for 3 when holding Y tickets and 1 for 2 using SWUs.

If I chose to fly someone other than Delta, I would often be flying from SLC to a hub and then from that hub to my destination - in other words, two hub-spoke legs.

Obviously, there are some drawbacks - possibly longer total distances (which is not all bad as long as you are earning miles) and reduced flight time options. If the upside is more upgrades, that trade off might be worth it.

Anyway, I am not saying I am in a hurry to jump. This is the worst time of the year for upgrades into SLC - the combination of the maximum medallion membership months and ski season (lots of paid F to and from the east coast). However, if things don't improve when March and April roll around, maybe a radical reevaluation is in order.

My point is that the "game" has changed so much over the last couple of years that much of the accumulated wisdom we have about how to play it is possibly questionable. I don't feel personally aggrieved about FCM and other Delta changes nor do I feel I "deserve" more upgrades in some vague moral way (a feeling I get from some FT posts). Equally, though, it would be foolish not to try maximize the value of my dollar spend (about $30K last year). It is just business after all :-)

hazelrah

The point being, there are substantial costs associated with running a FF program.

I've had a great run with many ,many redemptions and the costs of these trips if purchased on the market would have been +$30 grand, and I'm a light to midweight traveler.

Those "complimentary" upgrades, if Delta can instead monetize these (i.e. sell them to someone ) versus giving it to you or me for free represent an opportunity cost (hence the somewhat crass "ham sandwich" analogy).

It's not about "firing" low value elites as some have joyfully but inaccurately opined. Delta does not prefer customers it prefers money. It's about cutting the free stuff that they give out in award redemptions and upgrades. While personally aggrieved is too strong, let's not fool ourselves FF program benefits are being cut.

Dieuwer

Don't change the subject. This thread is not about what or why DL is doing what it's doing. It is about what fliers will be doing considering the changes to the Skymiles program.

northwest_buckeye

You're probably right, but this is traveling - not true love. I'm not going to find a FF program that I fall head over heels for... And I'm ok with that. Maybe that's reflective of the sad state of affairs in modern air travel, but it's just part of my job and I'd be mistreated to some extent by every airline. That's reality. Accepting it makes the pill easier to swallow.

FlyWorld

Let me rephrase, then. I have been following FT for more than five years, and a frequent participant for the past year, and during that time, I have never seen a comment about DL's FF program that wasn't negative. Most such comments derisively refer to it as "SkyPesos."

I'm not taking a position on this. I know nothing about the details of DL's program. What I do know is that everything I've read about it on FT has been negative.