MikeyZBT

I didn't see my specific question answered... "Can I earn MQMs but not MQDs if I fly a MQM partner on a non-Delta ticket?"

lsumegan

What is an MQM partner?

PersonalFlotationDevice

I have 215K MQMs (with 135K of them rollover), so ~80K MQM earned this year to date.

~$13,500 MQD to date.

So about $0.17 MQD / MQM.

mnbp

If you fly an "MQM partner" (DL's term is Group 1, 2 or 3), you can earn MQDs - IF - the ticket was issued on DL ticket stock (006nnnnnnnnn). If the ticket isn't a DL 006 ticket, then no MQDs.

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_.../airlines.html

mnredfox

Yes, there are some award tix (and thus on 006 stock) that incur hundreds of dollars on YQ.

Well, this is one area I would disagree. Why not include award tix for all the fees?

Were you missing the MQM and base miles as well? My MQM and RDM are correct, just the MQD.

timmy83

Lets not forget that there are "partner" airlines on which PAID tickets earn no MQD. These are the same airlines that earn no MQM. Based on this thinking, I believe YR/YQ on award tickets is simply not going to happen.

I disagree with the idea of not including MQD from award tickets, but it appears that DL cares very little about what we think.

NapaPatTours

All other info (Base Miles, MQM's & MQS's) was correct. I was told the flight was "incorrectly coded". I didn't press for more info, as I was assured it would be fixed within 24 hours (it took ~5 mins).

tfc3rid

question for you folks who mainly travel for leisure and are paying out of pocket... Do you usually book a higher economy fare class in order to increase spend? Will you in the future?

timmy83

No, I don't ever book higher than I have to presently and I doubt I will with the advent of MQD. I will however starting looking at G- and A-fares more carefully if I'm nearing a threshold.

RIP-PSA

When British Airways tried this dollar thing many moons ago, it was a disaster. I was Executive Gold for a nearly decade and then simply never flew them again. I've been Plat or Diamond on Delta every year since then.

I understand why Delta wants to peg their program on dollars spent, but it's based on a fallacy: That long-haul business class travelers like me will simply tell our travels agents to book more expensive tickets.

Baloney.

If my company is paying for the ticket, they (quite rightly) insist on the lowest possible price. Sometimes I'll even voluntarily do nutty layovers because I do get personally insulted by a $6,000 r/t ticket, and saving $1,000 become a personal victory. I'll often work for days to chisel the cost.

(As I write this I'm in the middle of a NYC-CDG-AMM-TLV-AMM-BEY-BGW-BEY-AMS-NYC itinerary.)

Of course, if the trip is personal, I just use miles. Got plenty of those.

But more than that, the fallacy implies that I'll tell the agent to book the first leg on Delta so that I'll get a 006 ticket number, which allows my Delta dollars to accrue.

That's also horse manure. On my last trip a few weeks ago (NYC-AMS-CAI-BEY-BGW-BEY-CDG-NYC) the first leg was KLM, but on the same itinerary I flew home on a real Delta flight. Does Delta really want to lose me on that last leg? I could have just as easily booked KLM on both trans-Atlantic legs, and I would have gotten yet another cute ceramic house filled with Dutch liquor.

(Which, by the way, I need to drink after dealing with JFK baggage handlling.)

So here is my thinking: Now that the Delta mileage earning chart resembles a Chinese restaurant menu and requires more detailed study than a Cal Tech physics textbook, do they really want to alienate me any my travel dollars that much? I already have enough work preparing my itineraries, and I have the hep of two very clever Amex travel agents. Does Delta really want to make it more difficult for me to travel with them?

What is the sense of giving me a comfy lie-flat bed and a 5-star Chef Michelle meal if they put me through several days of torture to buy my ticket? After a day or two of trying to assemble a $12,000 11-leg Asia trip, I'm about ready to confess to the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping and the D.B. Cooper hijacking. Now they add this?

Yes, I know that Delta wants me to tell my agents to "Just book Delta," but they don't always fly where I need to go (thus my desire to stay in Skyteam or another strong alliance).

Yes, I know about the Amex card waiver. I usually hit that amount around June every year, but it's the principle of the thing. Twenty years ago I dropped British Airways like a bad habit when they introduced a dollars-based tier system.

I'm willing to do the same to Delta.

jimg20

If you are going to meet the limit with one or two trips ($12,000 ticket and a $12,500 threshold) or 6 months of routine purchases, is this really an issue? Or do you just want to change principle carriers and this is a good reason to do so. Before you use the BA incident as a precedence setting case, ask yourself if the facts are the same. Would you have been able to requalify with BA as you apparently will be with DL?

mnredfox

Maybe worth a call. Gosh, I hope we don't have to track our MQD that carefully next year due to "computer issues".

CJKatl

You're missing the point. DL isn't basing it's decision on people like you paying for higher fare tickets. DL is clearly saying it doesn't care if people like you fly its airline. You are not profitable enough for them to invest in going after, at least in the DM or PM level, unless you spend at least $12.5k or $7.5k a year.

Most people don't fly to gain status. Most of us gain status by our flying. The new system isn't set up based on those who fly for status; it's set up to reward those whose flying makes them profitable to DL. Nobody is asking you to change your purchasing or flying patterns. DL is just making it clear that those patterns do not warrant the perks of being a top customer. You're not.

Certainly DL is basing these changes on incentivizing the right group of people based on present flying and spending patterns, rather than as a way to motivate those not presently spending enough to warrant the perks. In other words, the 80% that are already within the requirements warrant the perks. The 20% below the requirements do not warrant the perks. DL's plan isn't likely to get the 20% to pay more. It's likely the plan is to concentrate on the more profitable 80%. They've apparently made the decision to cut the other 20% to a lower level or let them go elsewhere. There's likely no expectation for that lower level to spend more. If that lower level wants to take its less or not profitable business elsewhere, DL has obviously made the call that as far as the airline is concerned, there's no significant impact; it's okay.

Those of us with spends already well higher than $12.5k for this year struggle with understanding how those how spend below that amount think they should be entitled to the extra perks of being an elite customer. It's like the guy who buys the day old bread from the bakery asking to be treated the same as the restaurant that gets loaves of fresh bread delivered every day. While the former provides a needed source of revenue to the bakery - a way to get rid of excess inventory - the benefit of getting the bread cheaper is itself the reward. The bakery needn't entice that customer with other perks. Price savings drives those customers.

CJKatl

In short order, tracking MQD with every flight will be as quick and natural as tracking MQM and MQS. It will be part of the few seconds scan most of us likely already do a couple days after every flight.

troyintn

I tend to agree, I am in shock how low some of the MQDs were for some folks on the other thread. I am hoping this will help the short haul flyer.