second worst FF program in the industry
 

Makes it even worse when you see who they "beat out"

http://www.cheatsheet.com/money-care...ograms.html/3/

Arbitrary website with arbitrary scale and points only comparing 5 arbitrary programs....




:rolleyes:

Don't worry, Delta won't stand for being runner-up on anything.

Actually it is from US News and World report and compares 10 major FF programs on several criteria.
http://travel.usnews.com/rankings/tr...rline-rewards/
While all such rankings are subjective, this does provide extensive informative summaries of all the programs and the pros and cons of each.

But going from THE WORST to the second worst IS an IMPROVEMENT.....so the new and IMPROVED Skymiles program is NOT a lie....:p

Yet the profits keep pouring in, despite putting low contributing "frequent" flyers where they belong

Indeed. I'm quite sure the New American Airlines is closely monitoring the evidence that Delta treating FFs like pond scum hasn't chased them away.

the absence of an award mileage chart alone deserves the silver medal.

I wonder how they came up with the scoring system?

Plus, does DL care how much media folks dislike SkyMiles? I think we all know the answer.

This seems to be a recurring theme of yours. I make no judgment about the FF program - it serves me quite well. But the profits of the corporation have little relevance to me as a consumer. I do not decide which computer or phone to buy or which plan to choose based on Apple's profit margin. Unless I was worried that the corporation might go under, I suppose. A discussion in this forum about changes that different people don't like or wish were different is merely that. We all understand that corporate decisions are made for a variety of primarily fiscal considerations and shareholder value. It doesn't mean I as a consumer have to like them.

There's a difference between "not liking them" and not understanding (or pretending not to understand) why those changes happen. For a forum supposedly full of so many people who claim to be business travelers, there are lot of people who have trouble grasping how the principle of "supply and demand" works. Right, wrong, or indifferent, the balance of supply and demand has swayed in favor of the airlines.

EDITED TO ADD: I have no problem with any FFs or how they qualify for their status. If DL gives you a shortcut to status promo, awesome for you (no sarcasm intended there). I know overall, I'm a low value elite to DL. I play the game that DL sets out because I think I benefit from it. When the game changes, I adapt. If DL changes it too much to where I feel keeping status isn't worth my effort or expense, than I will move to another carrier or give up status altogether. People on here treat every decision like it's a personal decision, when it should be simply business for both sides of the party. It's time many on here realize and accept that.

second worst FF program in the industry
 

I've actually noticed that Delta seems to release many more seats at the lower award levels than AA and UA.

So you are saying that DL hasn't earned this ranking? I don't fly any airline because of the FFP but based on what I've read and seen this ranking has been 100% earned and seems quite accurate to me. Just another arbitrary opinion though, lol...

Nope. I think these rankings are highly subjective. What's valuable for one person may not be valuable for another. There's too many variables in play to provide a proper ranking. As a smart traveler, you must do your own research and based on where you are, what you do, why you do it, pick the proper FF program for you.

On top of that, FF program is only one of the many reasons a traveler may select an airline. FT is hardly the best data sample because this forum is dedicated to the FF program and how to maximize one's benefits to the greatest extent. There's a large chunk of the population out there that doesn't care though.