LAStotheWorld

So, who should I switch to for all my flying to Japan from LAS?

KE? JL? NH?

Because after 2018 there will no longer be any reason to fly DL.

Statman

Whichever airlines offers you the lowest fare and provides you with the most comfortable seat?

NOLAnwGOLD

I'm not surprised Delta did this. However I think it will have some negative impacts. I am one of those people affected and in some ways see why they do what they do.

I think this would impact a lot of people with the value of rolled over miles who might try the every over year DM status or those that feel it's best to rack up as many as they can during heavy travel yours and save some of the benefit later. People will chose to either just fly using up their miles or fly other airlines to get status. This was one of the reasons for roll over miles, to retain people's spending after hitting the desired status

Also, I don't know why people would want to rack up that betting miles on the credit card because they are basically useless. $250,000 worth of spending on all other credit cards are worth all lot of significant amount of benefit. On Chase cards, with the 50% bonus on travel rewards, could range up to $3750-$11,250 in travel awards. Sorry AMEX!

pdac1975

Is that a serious question? Are you asking for someone else to tell you what airline to fly?

Statman

Not to turn this sidetrack this thread, but Amex Platinum gives you 5x points for flights booked directly with airlines or with their travel service. That's a difference of 500k points vs. booking flights with Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Not only that the IAP and FHR program has saved me a few thousand dollars this year already. None of the Chase cards offer anything comparable to those two benefits.

RobertS975

All these posts that wonder how one can reach the MQMs to be a DM and not reach the MQD of $15K... completely clueless. MQM bonuses plus pay with miles MQMs ... it is easy... or at least it used to be. I don't know what percentage of DMs will lose the "title" but my wife and I make at least 2. Doesn't really matter because we don't play the upgrade game anyway... FCM has already taken most of that away.

EZE

Haven't needed the waiver until travel decreased last year. We will see if I can keep DM if travel bounces back.

The big questions are "what Amex do I switch to?" And "when do I make the switch?" Because I am not sure what value the skymiles card has now....

Psyduck1

Flights like this one which will earn me 10K MQM. With my current run rate I would have around $13.5K MQD at 125K MQM. I have no problem hitting PM spend, but DM is tough for me.

captaink

Absolutely true (especially for Amex waiver spend), but MQDs are a closer approximation than Miles or segments flown. Pre-revenue based qualification, wrong-way connections on cheap sLUTXV fares was the holy grail of mileage runners (and how I made/maintained status as a college student). That went away, and with it a certain tranche of less-profitable customers. The benefit devaluations and MQD increase for DMs was the next shoe to drop, now it's the Amex waiver for DMs. The process continued because with each change, they retained the customers they wanted, and lost the ones they didn't. *Maybe* this will be the change that doesn't stick, but I doubt it. Having one amex spend waiver threshold regardless of medallion level never made any sense to me in the first place.

Maybe in a few years DL will do away with the program entirely, and just award medallion status based on an opaque profitability metric (like DL360, UA GS, and AA CK). Some will moan and become free agents, others will like it, but that's the probable endgame barring another major downturn.

RobertS975

Sorry to disappoint you... but I almost always buy FC or D1, fly with wife and family, and what exactly are the DM benefits that I am using?

I go out of my way to stay with DL even when someone else will offer me a nonstop. So fine, DL will find someone else.

For years, I have argued to just get rid of the archaic concept of BIS miles in any event. Make it completely $$$ based.

AceReport

Agreed, I'm not seeing the value of holding the AmEx DL Reserve over the Platinum. Lounge access with either. Not for sure but I would think there will be a significant decline in Reserve holder alone. I know that we will be switching that one out (may still keep the DL Platinum for the companion ticket).

Hopefully this doesn't start UA and AA thinking about raising their top tier to $15K and 125,000!

Statman

I am confused here.

If you are buying FC or D1 and fly with your wife and family (assuming they are also flying in the same class as you), how are you NOT hitting the $15k MQD annually? The math just doesn't add up.

Halloweverybody

can anyone guess what percentage of diamonds will be affected by new waiver terms? I would say 20% perhaps? I really wish I had a better Idea.

josephstern

Well, I know I'm not Delta's ideal customer. That part is easy.

But not profitable for them? If the scenario I laid out was all I did, sure. But I also take more expensive flights, and I also sit on way too many miles that I should redeem, but instead I let devalue. And I also steer a lot of my family business to Delta.

I'm not their favorite, but I'm pretty sure that on balance they're still making OK money from me.

Statman

I understand your point, but the reality is that for most domestic fliers, they are stuck with the three remaining airlines.

Everyone can complain about this new requirement, but the reality is that AA and UA are, IMHO, significantly worse as a product that Delta. If this changes really means that much to the affected person, then they are obviously free to take their dollars to another airline.