FlyingBeanCounter

I status matched to United last year as a diamond. I was made 1k. Had to fly 35k miles in 90 days to keep it (which I did).

United kind of sucks. their people are angry and their methods are sometimes counter to what I grew to expect with DL. But.....

I can put my entire family of four in economy + when we fly. And they are AWESOME about SDC. I have never actually missed when I try. Not the same as DL - i generally missed all the time because I had a connecting flight,. UA is generally direct for me.

For me the difference was:

1. DL started treating diamonds worse than UA treats platinums.
2. DL fares were consistently 30% higher on the routes I fly.

at the end, the planes are the same and I have yet to get a beating on UA. I suppose that I miss a few of the things about DL (like how easy on change fees they were for me) but on the whole I don't really miss them at all. I find air travel to be a commodity with little incentive to spend too much or take too long to get where I need to go.

TheHorta

I know there are many here -- far more "in-the-know" and experienced than I -- who claim that the $250K waiver will make little difference, but I'm forced to question that perspective, for the simple fact that I can't see DL risking that move if there were little impact / benefit to it. I'm sure DL keeps precise statistics on how many DMs are the beneficiary of the previous absurdly-low waiver, but I would imagine that it has to be a relatively sizable number for them to implement such a dramatic change, knowing that it would be poorly received by many and would cost them AX business.

I presume all of this was done to "protect" their most-elite (published) status tier, which I view as a smart move. It's either that, or open-up another PUBLISHED tier above Diamond that follows the current tier structure (i.e. combining the MQMs and MQDs of the two previous tiers) that rewards the actual brand-loyal fliers, and eliminate any AX/CC MQD waivers entirely for that tier, which I think would be an equally-smart, if not smarter, move entirely -- which would amount to a >DM tier at 200K MQMs and $24K MQDs.

Personally, I'm not overly concerned with UGs as we primarily book F. What I do see are overcrowded SCs, longer PREM lines, occasional longer-than-average TEL hold times, etc. In looking at each DM perk, a reduction in numbers enhances every one of them for the brand-loyal fliers -- (slightly) less crowded SCs, fewer GUCs to compete with, fewer SMs to dole out (9 vs 11 SMs/$, which admittedly sucks as you'll now get nearly 20% fewer SMs for your travel), shorter PREM lines, and a more "enhanced" distinction for the fliers that now it's just not everyone with an AX card that can waltz their way into DM status. Less UG competition is the cherry on top.

I know some claim that there will be little noticeable effect on UGs, but that will depend upon just how many DMs will drop-off. Without any empirical data, I can only go on my gut-instinct that DL wouldn't make such a move unless it had a genuine effect on numbers.

So, 2019+ DMs could / should have less-crowded SCs, less UG competition, fewer GUCs they're competing against, shorter PREM lines, better phone response during heavy-call hours, while DL slightly decreases their SM liability (e.g. 9 vs 11) and enhances their FCM efforts now that ex-DMs will have to pony-up more often if they want to sit up front.

The only downside of this move that I can discern is the pulling back of an existing benefit, which is always an unpleasant experience for the recipient.

Not sure why I posted this, but it's a Saturday and I'm feeling spunky... ;-p

Gators300

I agree with you, even as a lowly GM. I have a Reserve but have flown my way to GM. Anecdotal, but in my travels this year I've spoken/heard from at least a dozen people saying they are switching to United/AA due to the new DM waiver. That tells me Delta is thinking more of the people who are actual flyers than just spenders on AMEX. At the end of the day that is a good business decision.

355F1

TheHorta

And they probably would have, until they sabotaged it with stupid-simple MQD "waivers."

My dog could rack-up $25K in Amex spend in 12 months.

dinanm3atl

I've heard more 'leaving to UA/AA" than I have heard "I'll just be platinum". Which I think is the unknown Delta is dealing with.

dinanm3atl

A bit of a stretch. I'm sure a middle class business traveler with a family could, yes. However a vast majority of people simple cannot.

Aloha1

I'm a 2MM flyer with DL. As a family business owner, I had no problem keeping diamond status. Now, as semi-retired, my PERSONAL spend on DL flights is usually $6-$7K. My total business and family DL spend, paid by me on my DL/AMEX cards, exceeds the $15K required to maintain Diamond. DL will not give me credit for what I pay for if it's not flights for me personally. IMHO, this is a short sited view by DL. It has led me to reconsider where I spend my $$ and with whom. As such, this year saw me fly ANA instead of DL to Tokyo, AA instead of DL to Maui. Why? Because I could get better flights for better pricing than DL. Not having to chase after the "bar" let me reconsider other carriers. DTW based so DL is normally a natural choice. Not anymore. Wonder how many others like me are out there and how much $$ this actually is costing DL?

bdschobel

I'm a 3MM, long-time Delta Diamond flyer who also objects to this. I am also semi-retired now and easily fly enough, usually with my partner, to maintain Diamond status. But I earn MQDs on my own tickets only, not my partner's tickets, even though I pay for them. I really love Delta (after 35 years of loyalty) and will generally choose Delta because of its superior on-time performance, but I am going to be unhappy dropping from Diamond to Platinum in 2019.

Interestingly, Delta will probably win with respect to my travel because I am likely to buy first-class tickets (at reasonable prices, anyway) rather than hope for upgrades at my new, lower status. More revenue for Delta. Fewer available upgrades for remaining Diamonds.

Bruce

pvn

Do you also think you should get MQMs for tickets you buy that someone else flies?

bdschobel

Not really. It doesn't matter, anyway, because I am Diamond-level or above based on my own flying. But I do see your point, and it's an interesting question.

Bruce

scubadu

I'm honestly not aware of any airline that gives people "credit" for flights other than their own personal flights. Are you? If you are not aware of any airlines that do this, it seems like a strange criticism to hold DL to.

Regards

gooselee

Allow people to get credit for flights other than their own and suddenly you have a bunch of "almost there" people buying all kinds of tickets for their "friends" who pay them back, perhaps not in full. No net new business for DL because rather than motivating the "almost there" customer to fly a bit more with DL, they're just putting existing business into a different payment format.

Basically, a slippery slope that no airline wants to go down.

bdschobel

Yes, I basically agree, but airlines could limit the "combining" of credits to people living at the same address. They do have ways to curb abuses.

Bruce

hockeyinsider

This is the real reason Delta is doing this. They don't want any complimentary upgrades.