Can you help explain this logic?
 

Hello FlyerTalk!

First off, let me say a quick thank you. I've been a long-time lurker of this site, and you all have saved me from many travel woes, even if you were unaware! Thank you so much.

I teach music at a small college in the midwest. I have been a SkyMiles member since the days of Northwest. I usually only fly 2-3x a year (sometimes more for conferences, etc.), but every mile counts. I am a proud member, even if I am not a high roller.

Recently, I was taking a group to perform in NY (I have taken large groups on Delta before) , and our first connection was cancelled. We ended up having to spend the night, and flew out the next morning. We missed out on rehearsal an sight-seeing time. Since I had such a large group (27), in my - very polite - complaint to Delta, I (as the group leader) requested Silver Medallion status for two years.

They said they were unable (I think that means unwilling) to do that, but gave small vouchers to the group.

I'm confused by this! It seems that granting silver status would cost them hardly anything, if at all. Basically, I just wanted priority boarding, and a chance at an upgrade on the few flights I take. I am glad that they are willing to ensure everyone gets a token gesture for the rotten experience, but I'm flabbergasted that I asked for something that is essentially free/very low-cost to them, and their response was "No, but here's $2k in coupons!"

Can you help explain this?!
P.S. I requested Silver as I thought this trip - 27 round trip flights with connections - would be roughly equivalent to the amount of business they'd need from me on an individual level for granting it.

Any advice? Should I keep pushing (politely!), or just take what I got, smile and move on?

Thank you in advance, you guys are great!

Wow, you really need to move on. They won't give into random demands like these (Medallion status, lounge membership, upgrade certs, etc.). Put simply, they aren't going to mess around with granting such one-off requests as it sets a precedent and others will start making similar requests once they hear about it. Miles or e-vouchers, those are your choices. And, no, I don't think you deserve the grand prize simply because there were many people in your group.

Yes. While I sympathize with the inconvenience you experienced, you did not earn Silver status. Arranging for a lot of other people to fly with you on DL does not qualify you for elite status.

The other reason is that you do not live in the New York metro area. If you did, you might be able to earn elite status for three flights and a box of deposit bottles. But, that is another story.

Smile and move on. If it's that important to you, get the Gold Delta Amex - you'll get most of the same benefits (free checked bags, priority boarding, but no free EC seats at check-in). The only missing benefit would be upgrades, which as an FO are few and far between anyway.

Find a friend who can gift you Silver status. 2k in vouchers is pretty darn good, especially if you get to use them all.

$2k EACH or $2k just for you or $2k distributed amongst the group members?

Frequent flyer status is not something you can simply ask for as a form of compensation, no matter what terrible experience you had with an airline.
Also, from your flying pattern/frequency, I'd personally take the $2k voucher over silver status, even if they did offer it to you.

While "value" is always in the eyes of the beholder, Delta values Silver Medallion as $2500 since this is the threshold needed in Medallion Qualification Dollars. While the combined 27 round trip tickets may be worth more than that, no frequent flier program combines other tickets on the same flight or from other people to determine that threshold. If they did, I'd be earning my parents' miles and dollars since they flew with me on the same flight recently and I'd hit FO much faster than I usually do. So I would suggest that you smile and move on.

Elite Status has been used as a form of compensation...from other carriers (and maybe from DL that I don't know about). But for much bigger reasons like surviving a water landing in the Hudson River. Even then, from what I understand, it was for a year only.

Thank you all for your speedy replies. I see now that granting something like that isn't how things are done. I plead ignorance on my part.

For the record it was a $75/person voucher.

Did they get issued to each person individually, or to you as the sponsor? If only individually, they're not worth much.

Maybe if you had asked for Diamond or Platinum, they would have given you Silver ;)

Also bear in mind by giving $75/person they are compensating EVERY passenger. After all, each passenger was inconvenienced and if they are going to spend money compensation people for the inconvenience they want each person inconvenienced to get something.

That's just good business.

$75/person, issued individually.

As I stated in my original post, I'm very pleased that they are making a gesture for each person. At this point, I take no real issue with the actual compensation. I'm just floored that all I really wanted for myself was priority boarding for the next few trips and a chance at a couple of upgrades and I didn't understand the logic of it all.

I realize, too, that companion travel never counts toward mileage. From my point of view (and not Delta's, apparently), with a large group it's really a referral program. I am giving you X amount business, etc. I see now it doesn't work that way.

If you're a company -- look in to Delta Skybonus...although unless you're buying business/first tickets it isn't very rewarding

As someone mentioned earlier in this thread, if you want priority boarding, get a Delta Gold Amex. If you want upgrades, Silver Medallion won't do much for you. In fact, Gold Medallion won't typically do much for upgrades.