ScrodmanFL

I *really* feel like a FF now.

MQMs are 14,614 (then add in 8,400 rollover); MQS are 26; MQDs are $3,201. Those figures will be triple by the end of summer.

cliff_rock

I buy almost exclusively relatively expensive short-haul flights; I will earn generally more redeemable miles.

I'd probably benefit if they DID change the status qualification to be $-based. However, I'd settle for top segment-qualification levels more in line w/ UA & AA.

LouisianaFlyer

Looks like I might come out a bit ahead under the new schema. I am flying transcons and a few trips to Europe each year. None of my tickets are purchased too far in advance. I am curious to see what happens to the award calendar.

durango67

What does all this hocus pocus with miles to "miles" based on dollars spent affect MM status?

ORD_UA1K

2014 Year to-date -- ~50k MQMs, $10.7k MQD, 63k actual miles earned. In the new system, I would have earned 96k miles.

Over 50% increase, so I'm not complaining -- though as many others have stated, I'm in this for the elite status, not actual miles earned.

GUWonder

So DL can cut your earning of spendable miles and you'd still be with DL. They'll gut the value of the miles redeemed too, when they implement the "new" award chart.

ORD_UA1K

Since DL would give me more spendable miles in 2015, even more reason to stay. That said, I care more about status. If they ditched the MQM requirement for elite qualification and only focused on MQD, I would have been Diamond in 2013 and 2014, not Platinum. But I don't think the elite status requirement is going to change.

I'm also not convinced they'll gut the reward chart any more than they already have. DL is already well out of line re: redemptions. I've redeemed ~400k miles this year for me and my family, all on UA / AA + partners since DL has never been competitive. So I've left my liability on their balance sheet while retiring some on UA / AA's.

kreneskyp

I mostly fly PDX-DCA. My average fare is around $415 with taxes. I expect my RDM to drop by 60-70%. So far this year I've been averaging lower, with a few fares flights for $300.

I actually wish fares were higher because at this rate I'll be very short on MQDs.

mikehillwig

I'm an FO (soon to be GM again) based in BOS. I travel a little but not a lot, and most of it is on my own dime. Most of my miles come from the DL Plat Amex. I do about two transcon trips a year, a lot of hops up and down the east coast, and about one TATL a year. The TATL is usually a Z fare.

Even if I wanted to gripe and moan about the changes, where would I go? I think we can all agree that it pays to be monogamous with a single airline or alliance. DL gives me the most options out of BOS to cross the Atlantic. Yes, B6 gives me more domestic choices, but their FF program has virtually no elite benefits and makes it darn near impossible for TATL redemptions. AA/US simply isn't an option, and flying UA would mean going through EWR. Again, no thank you.

Delta has been good to me the past few years. I stay monogamous with them to work toward my low-level elite status, which won't change much. If anything really changes there, it will mean fewer PM and DM flyers for me to compete with for upgrades since you're all threatening to leave.

I've always used my RDMs as a gift. When I earn enough, I cash them in for a vacation or a shopping trip to London. If I don't earn them as quickly, I probably won't notice.

scott s

Don't you earn a 100% mileage bonus on 50K MQMs as a platinum so you are losing RDM

Sorry, I wasn't thinking about the MQM bonus on F & J tickets when posting

bdschobel

I am now mostly retired and fly cheap fares. My RDMs will drop precipitously. But as long as the Medallion qualification rules remain the same -- as Delta says they will -- I will maintain Diamond status, which I care about much more than my mileage balance (which is way too high, anyway, at about 1.4 million unused). So, I am getting hurt by the new rules, but not in ways that matter to me.

Bruce

patri10719

I am a Diamond with a Reserve Card based in ATL.

2013

Earned 204,455 miles including Diamond, Class of service bonuses
Would under new system have earned (with Amex) 311,877
A 66% increase

2014


So far have earned 29,900 miles
Under new system would have earned 44,408
A 67% increase

I like the new system because I would earn more miles.

TTT

I have to adjust this as it looks like my formulas were incorrect in my original tracking spreadsheet (I forgot my spreadsheet didn't take the 500 mile minimum into account).

Based on actual flying and miles earned in 2013 I would be down about 70,000 RDMs for the year (roughly 20%).

So that's a bummer...

But the rest of my post still stands, I am locked in for now.

Ebes1099

I don't think you're calculating the Amex 2 more miles per dollar correctly. You're currently getting that today, it just comes as a Amex $ spend bonus, it doesn't show in your Flight activity on your Skymiles page.

So you don't get 9 miles per dollar as a PM and then 11 miles per dollar if you're a PM with a Delta Amex.

The 2 miles per dollar comes on your Amex statement where you spent $5,000 in a month and you get $1,000 of it was on Delta flights you get 1 mile per dollar for the $4,000 non Delta spend and 2 miles per dollar on the $1,000 Delta.

not2017

For my family, living in central IL, and high fares because no LCC flies within 160 miles of here. This could work out for us. My SO flies monthly for business. Since there are only a few places that we can go via non-stop, most destinations are connecting flights. The average fares, we pay are $1000 to PHL, ATL, YUL, DFW, and DEN. So, using round numbers, Amex SkyMiles credit card and no status, 12 2,000 mile trips would earn 84,000 miles. Not enough for status, but 60,000 miles more than just the actual air miles. So far, FO is meaningless to us. Flights from where we live to most of our destinations are on CRJ700s. No 1st class upgrades, because there isn't any 1st class. That is supposedly going to change with Delta's acquisition of AirTran's 717s...This could be the reason for us to stay with Delta. Because, we were definitely considering to switch our flying to American.