Status / Diamond on Dollars Alone ?
Dec 13, 2014, 9:11 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2013
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I know someone who was lucky enough to have this happen last year. Their spend significantly outpaced miles. I believe they were in the $75K range for only about half a year. It didn't really matter to them though because they were already buying fully refundable F or J, so about the only benefit of status to them was CS for irrops and making changes to their itinerary.
Dec 13, 2014, 11:55 am
#33
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I would hope that someone who can place that sort of deposit on plane tickets is also able to arrange their own rides to the airport, etc.
Dec 14, 2014, 2:39 pm
#34
Join Date: Oct 2000
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If you're spending that much on Delta flights every year, you should probably be using a Delta Private Jets card. Spend $100K on the card, get $100K in credit that you can use for DPJ or regular Delta flights within 2 years...and get instant complimentary Diamond Medallion. No worries about MQMs/MQSs that way.
Dec 14, 2014, 5:18 pm
#35
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SLC & NYC
Programs: Diamond Medallion, Delta Million Miler, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 674
Apologies if this has been covered, tried to search with no luck.
I buy almost all my travel very last minute on very high cost (often short distance) routes. As a result, I am in the situation now where I have only 37k MQMs and 17 segments, but my MQDs are well past the Diamond mark at over $15k MQD spend (Moved this year, so only started flying Delta in June).
Seems to me I am the ideal patron for them to give Diamond to, I incur the least cost for them (they use up very little inventory on me) yet generate high revenue. My cost per mile dwarfs most fliers I know.
However, since it is a Miles/Segments AND Dollars, I am hosed. My 2015 status is Silver.
Anyone know if Delta ever waivers and gives out higher status based on spend ?
Appreciate the insight, as I am new to Delta - primarily flew American until late this year. AA handled the issue by giving me Concierge Key, but haven't read of any similar Delta programs.
I buy almost all my travel very last minute on very high cost (often short distance) routes. As a result, I am in the situation now where I have only 37k MQMs and 17 segments, but my MQDs are well past the Diamond mark at over $15k MQD spend (Moved this year, so only started flying Delta in June).
Seems to me I am the ideal patron for them to give Diamond to, I incur the least cost for them (they use up very little inventory on me) yet generate high revenue. My cost per mile dwarfs most fliers I know.
However, since it is a Miles/Segments AND Dollars, I am hosed. My 2015 status is Silver.
Anyone know if Delta ever waivers and gives out higher status based on spend ?
Appreciate the insight, as I am new to Delta - primarily flew American until late this year. AA handled the issue by giving me Concierge Key, but haven't read of any similar Delta programs.
preaching to the choir here. I was silver with $20k spend at one point this year due to always having to buy very last minute refundable fc fares. Would love to see a way to qualify just on dollars.
Dec 14, 2014, 5:55 pm
#36
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1
One million miler ++ here. Been Diamond for 5+ years. Started working local contract soon to be back on the road. Was $30.00 short of Platinum with 175MQM's and have a $500.00 ticket credit from back in Feb of this year. Delta would NOT apply the $30.00 Why wouldn't you put some unpublished wiggle room to take care of your top tear FF'ers? Thank me for my business? I don't think so. Actions speak louder than words Delta!
Dec 14, 2014, 6:27 pm
#37
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: MSP
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Posts: 3,649
But how would you get home?
US to Male is about 9000 miles
That is about 15 hours flying time
A private jet with a range of 5-6000 miles (so one technical fuel stop) would cost about $10,000 an hour including fuel, international fees, repositioning of pilots etc
So a round trip would be $300,000 or thereabouts
US to Male is about 9000 miles
That is about 15 hours flying time
A private jet with a range of 5-6000 miles (so one technical fuel stop) would cost about $10,000 an hour including fuel, international fees, repositioning of pilots etc
So a round trip would be $300,000 or thereabouts
Jun 23, 2015, 7:29 am
#39
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Realized I never closed the loop on this, since I was the one who opened the thread in the first place.
Late Jan of this year I got a "In recognition of your revenue commitment to Delta..." note and Platinum Medallion.
To some of the conversation that started here, we can argue all day long if $100k vs. $30k is big spend. What I can't get the argument about at all is why high miles = status at all in a non-regulated world.
Airline shareholders want the most spend (revenue) for the fewest miles (cost), the program should be tuned to reward that behavior.
Late Jan of this year I got a "In recognition of your revenue commitment to Delta..." note and Platinum Medallion.
To some of the conversation that started here, we can argue all day long if $100k vs. $30k is big spend. What I can't get the argument about at all is why high miles = status at all in a non-regulated world.
Airline shareholders want the most spend (revenue) for the fewest miles (cost), the program should be tuned to reward that behavior.
Jun 23, 2015, 8:10 am
#40
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Realized I never closed the loop on this, since I was the one who opened the thread in the first place.
Late Jan of this year I got a "In recognition of your revenue commitment to Delta..." note and Platinum Medallion.
To some of the conversation that started here, we can argue all day long if $100k vs. $30k is big spend. What I can't get the argument about at all is why high miles = status at all in a non-regulated world.
Airline shareholders want the most spend (revenue) for the fewest miles (cost), the program should be tuned to reward that behavior.
Late Jan of this year I got a "In recognition of your revenue commitment to Delta..." note and Platinum Medallion.
To some of the conversation that started here, we can argue all day long if $100k vs. $30k is big spend. What I can't get the argument about at all is why high miles = status at all in a non-regulated world.
Airline shareholders want the most spend (revenue) for the fewest miles (cost), the program should be tuned to reward that behavior.
Note that high revenue or high revenue per mile flown is not the same as profit.
Jun 23, 2015, 10:58 am
#41
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: AA CK; DL PM; UA GS; HH DI; MR TTM; AVIS CC
Posts: 27
Doesn't change the crux of the argument. All things being equal an airline would rather fly me 1,000 miles for $1,000 than they would like to fly me 8,000 miles for the same $1,000. You are correct that revenue does not equal profit, never said it does. What I implied is that higher revenue per mile is an extremely important factor that airlines want and as such should orientate their programs that way (which by the way, they are starting to, as my original post and resulting action from Delta prove).
Jun 23, 2015, 7:58 pm
#42
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Realized I never closed the loop on this, since I was the one who opened the thread in the first place.
Late Jan of this year I got a "In recognition of your revenue commitment to Delta..." note and Platinum Medallion.
To some of the conversation that started here, we can argue all day long if $100k vs. $30k is big spend. What I can't get the argument about at all is why high miles = status at all in a non-regulated world.
Airline shareholders want the most spend (revenue) for the fewest miles (cost), the program should be tuned to reward that behavior.
Late Jan of this year I got a "In recognition of your revenue commitment to Delta..." note and Platinum Medallion.
To some of the conversation that started here, we can argue all day long if $100k vs. $30k is big spend. What I can't get the argument about at all is why high miles = status at all in a non-regulated world.
Airline shareholders want the most spend (revenue) for the fewest miles (cost), the program should be tuned to reward that behavior.
If you are NYC or SEA based, getting a status bump doesn't exactly make you a special snowflake.
Jun 24, 2015, 2:55 pm
#43
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: AA CK; DL PM; UA GS; HH DI; MR TTM; AVIS CC
Posts: 27
but I take what I can get.As to final status, sure. Reminder that I moved mid year, so 90% of the below activity happened over the last 3 months of the year.
Final MQM: 37,406
Final Actual Miles Flown: 23,792
Final MQD: 18,688
Spend per Mile Flown: $0.785
I am assuming it was the high spend per mile combined with the short period of time it was spent over that triggered the bump, but who knows.
Jun 24, 2015, 3:27 pm
#44
Join Date: Jul 2014
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That's what my current status is . . . for now.
Jun 24, 2015, 3:49 pm
#45
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