Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Delta Air Lines | SkyMiles
Reload this Page >

Thinking About Trying for Status on Delta in NYC

Thinking About Trying for Status on Delta in NYC

Old Mar 15, 2018, 2:13 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: Delta
Posts: 10
Thinking About Trying for Status on Delta in NYC

I fly a decent amount from pleasure and I'm about 7k miles right now from Silver from regular flying. I figure if I get a Delta Amex Reserve I can easily hit gold (maybe platinum year one). However living in NYC one of the wealthiest and competitive markets for airline status (I imagine) I'm concerned that having Gold status wont do much for me as there will be lots of platinum and diamond people on the same flight.

Right now I'll probably make 9-11 trips this year. Some to the west coast and the rest international.

A few notes:

1. I'm 6'5 and flying coach is miserable
2. My wife is less interested in the points hustle as I am, I'm concerned that only one of us having status will be make things more complicated.
3. I've never flown business class
4. I currently have an Amex Platinum Charge Card that gives me similar benefits

I'm curious what peoples thoughts are to this and if I'm missing anything
funkfish is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2018, 2:24 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Delta DM, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,491
Originally Posted by funkfish
I fly a decent amount from pleasure and I'm about 7k miles right now from Silver from regular flying. I figure if I get a Delta Amex Reserve I can easily hit gold (maybe platinum year one). However living in NYC one of the wealthiest and competitive markets for airline status (I imagine) I'm concerned that having Gold status wont do much for me as there will be lots of platinum and diamond people on the same flight.

Right now I'll probably make 9-11 trips this year. Some to the west coast and the rest international.

A few notes:

1. I'm 6'5 and flying coach is miserable
2. My wife is less interested in the points hustle as I am, I'm concerned that only one of us having status will be make things more complicated.
3. I've never flown business class
4. I currently have an Amex Platinum Charge Card that gives me similar benefits

I'm curious what peoples thoughts are to this and if I'm missing anything
I'm the same height, but doesn't your Silver status give you access to the preferred seats for you and your wife? Then you can at least pick an exit row with more legroom at booking.

Bumping up to Gold might give you a few more upgrades to C+ since you can "upgrade" to those 3 days out, but probably will be tough to find 2 together on most routes. I would expect almost no difference on F upgrade percentages.
Billy Mumphrey is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2018, 3:03 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,859
Gold probably won't get you a materially higher amount of upgrades and I think a lot of the benefits would be duplicated with the AmEx platinum card you already have. Perhaps stick with silver this year, see how it goes - add up the monetary value of the benefits you receive, and reassess what you want to go for in 2019 and decide then if the reserve card is worth the cost (frankly, I don't think it is).
The Situation is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2018, 6:29 pm
  #4  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 22,885
Also, Medallions don't get complimentary upgrades to business on long haul international (international Delta One routes). You only get complimentary C+ upgrades on those routes. So if you were primarily interested in business class upgrades on those flights, it's not a reason to go for a higher status level.
xliioper is offline  
Old Mar 15, 2018, 7:01 pm
  #5  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: SoFla (formerly NYC Metro)
Programs: DL PM, UA Prem1K, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Platinum
Posts: 25,689
First, welcome to Flyertalk.

Originally Posted by funkfish
I fly a decent amount from pleasure and I'm about 7k miles right now from Silver from regular flying. I figure if I get a Delta Amex Reserve I can easily hit gold (maybe platinum year one). However living in NYC one of the wealthiest and competitive markets for airline status (I imagine) I'm concerned that having Gold status wont do much for me as there will be lots of platinum and diamond people on the same flight.
Don't count on upgrades. They're nice when you get them, but at hubs you're not going to get them as an FO (slang for silver medallion) or GM.

Originally Posted by funkfish
Right now I'll probably make 9-11 trips this year. Some to the west coast and the rest international.
I don't know if you've booked your international travel yet, but I find the SkyTeam is usually less competitive, price-wise, on TATL routes than Star Alliance is. Very often, it's not even close. As a result I am DM on Delta and GM on Turkish, where I pool my *A TATLs.

Originally Posted by funkfish
1. I'm 6'5 and flying coach is miserable
No doubt. I'm only (by comparison) 6'2" and coach would bum me out. My shoulders were broader than a coach seat from the time I was 14 and I have, um, "thickened" a bit since then.

Originally Posted by funkfish
2. My wife is less interested in the points hustle as I am, I'm concerned that only one of us having status will be make things more complicated.
You mean if you get upgraded and she doesn't? Yeah, lots of folks in these parts will act as if it's some sort of "hate crime" when a man gets an upgrade and does not immediately surrender it to his wife/partner. It's up to you to manage your own relationships, of course. You will be better off enrolling her and administering the accounts. By way of example, as far as my S/Os are concerned, travel plans take care of themselves.

Originally Posted by funkfish
3. I've never flown business class
Well it's not like something out of Mad Men, but the seats will be more comfy and the food will be better (transcons) and that goes double for international flights.

Originally Posted by funkfish
4. I currently have an Amex Platinum Charge Card that gives me similar benefits
Then it makes sense for you to aggregate on DL because you can use the SkyClub that way.

Originally Posted by funkfish
I'm curious what peoples thoughts are to this and if I'm missing anything
Not really. Flying Proletariat class is no fun, but you know that already.

You didn't mention whether you have Global Entry or not. If you fly internationally at least once a year then it's worth it, AFIAC. It comes with TSA Pre, so once you enroll, add your "trusted traveler" number to your Delta profile and you should get pre-check pretty much every time.

Also, I'd look into getting CLEAR. They have it at T2 at JFK, so you go to the "clear" lane and the "CLEAR Ambassador" will scan your BP and biometrics and then take you past the TSA guy and deposit you in line at the appropriate security belt (pre or 'regular'). IME, I am curbside to airside in less than 10 minutes. You can then take the jitney over to T4 if you are flying out of there (N.B. I don't check bags, ever. So if you are departing from T4 and checking you either want to check in at T4 or allow extra time for the T2 folks to get your bags over to T4 - I asked once and they said they can do it, but it adds time. It's hypothetical to me as I don't check).

Delta comps DMs for CLEAR and it's $20 off for other medallions.

You might also want to pick up a Skymiles Amex. DL offeres a "Pay with Miles" perk for DL Amex holders on some domestic flights where you can choose "Pay with Miles" (Not to be confuses with "Cash and Miles") and reduce the price of your fare using Skymiles. It is NOT particularly economic to do, but OTOH, if you are a road warrior with a ton of miles accrued from business travel, it may be worth it to you to save $. I sometimes do this on personal short-haul trips because I know that, a couple of transcons later, my balance will be the same again.

Welcome, again, and safe travels!

O/H
Occupationalhazard is offline  
Old Mar 16, 2018, 7:20 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,485
Originally Posted by funkfish
I fly a decent amount from pleasure and I'm about 7k miles right now from Silver from regular flying. I figure if I get a Delta Amex Reserve I can easily hit gold (maybe platinum year one). However living in NYC one of the wealthiest and competitive markets for airline status (I imagine) I'm concerned that having Gold status wont do much for me as there will be lots of platinum and diamond people on the same flight.

Right now I'll probably make 9-11 trips this year. Some to the west coast and the rest international.

A few notes:

1. I'm 6'5 and flying coach is miserable
2. My wife is less interested in the points hustle as I am, I'm concerned that only one of us having status will be make things more complicated.
3. I've never flown business class
4. I currently have an Amex Platinum Charge Card that gives me similar benefits

I'm curious what peoples thoughts are to this and if I'm missing anything
Depending on where you fly, I would suggest AA or JetBlue. If you can attain any kind of status on AA, their flights to within perimeter non-hub destinations like YYZ, RDU are extremely easy to get, even possible for gold status members (the lowest level). And MCE is no considered a separate class, so you can select it for free if you are platinum or above at booking.

Delta also has more ff than AA in NYC, which means there are more people on upgrade list of smaller number of inventory (DL sells more of its first class than AA does).

If you are concerned about leg space, I would suggest just flying JetBlue. The E90s are way more comfortable than anything on DL economy experience. The A321 mint's economy seats are the most comfortable cross country economy seats by quite a long shot. And if you are willing to shell out for mint, which is cheaper and much better experience than DL domestic first class.

But the key is to stick to one airline.
tphuang is offline  
Old Mar 16, 2018, 7:45 am
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: PSC
Programs: Hilton Diamond/IHG Platinum/DL Plutononium
Posts: 1,728
I'd also base my decision off of what airport you find yourself flying out of frequently. If you live in Jersey and find yourself frequently flying out of Newark I would not consider Delta since you'll have to connect 90% of the time. On the other hand a lot of people like using Delta out of LGA, since they have a lot of routes to non-hub cities as well as very frequent service to DL Hubs and 2 Skyclubs.

When I was in NYC I preferred Jet Blue, since my office was right next to Penn Station and it was easy to get to their JFK hub with the LIRR + Airtrain. They also had the best fares and the best equipment (IFE on every seat).
hi55us is offline  
Old Mar 16, 2018, 8:23 am
  #8  
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: STL
Programs: DL - PM
Posts: 226
You're a couple of years late. I think it was around 2015 that Delta told its Medallion members "We no longer value your loyalty...unless you live in New York City or Seattle."
Ordhater is offline  
Old Mar 16, 2018, 1:39 pm
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: DL PM, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat, AA, WP
Posts: 840
Welcome to FT, funkfish!

Another consideration you have is whether to keep the Amex Plat or switch to Delta Reserve or keep both. I think you only need one, no sense shelling out twice as much in annual fees. If you are committed to Delta, then Reserve makes sense, you'll get the ton of MQMs and an annual companion certificate and free bags. But if you are going to fly other airlines, the Plat card is more flexible, since, as you have now, Membership Rewards is a multi-airline benefit, gives you lounge access for non-Delta flights, and offers the Precheck/GE credit and airline fees credit. That Reserve companion cert can be worth a lot more than the Plat card benefits, tho.

Tho Membership Rewards has broader and more flexible travel benefits, if you are switching to Reserve, you'll get the signup bonus of 10K MQMs, which will help you towards Plat Medallion status this year (as you recognize) and slightly better upgrade odds. Gold is no lottery ticket, but definitely a noticeable improvement over FO. Feel free to update us on your travel patterns, and stick around!

Last edited by daloosh; Mar 16, 2018 at 1:48 pm
daloosh is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2018, 8:12 pm
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: Delta
Posts: 10
Wow thanks guys, a lot of info and support here! Quick question. If I'm committed to flying Delta for 2018 whats the most economical way for me (and probably my wife) to get upgraded to TATL business class. Assuming I'm either FO, GM and have at least 100k Amex Membership rewards points as of now.
funkfish is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2018, 9:40 pm
  #11  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 22,885
Originally Posted by funkfish
Wow thanks guys, a lot of info and support here! Quick question. If I'm committed to flying Delta for 2018 whats the most economical way for me (and probably my wife) to get upgraded to TATL business class. Assuming I'm either FO, GM and have at least 100k Amex Membership rewards points as of now.
Ex-US there's not much you can do. You can do a mileage upgrade for 60K miles one-way, but you need a K or higher fare class for that and there are no guarantees there will be upgrade availability. You might get a cash upgrade offer on the website or at check-in, but there are no guarantees, and if you don't get one, an agent will just charge the fare difference for the Delta One seat. Ex-AMS, KLM can process day of departure upgrades if there is availability for 25K miles + 450 Euros on a V fare (higher fare classes have lower cash requirements).

There can be some decent Delta One deals (Z fares) if you can travel on a Mon-Thu and have a Saturday night stay. For example, JFK-OTP is available from $2200 roundtrip during the summer and JFK-FRA is about $2300. BRU, MAD, and CDG are in the $2500- $2600 range.

Last edited by xliioper; Mar 17, 2018 at 11:09 pm
xliioper is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2018, 10:36 pm
  #12  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,161
And remember DL won’t clear mileage upgrades at the gate, even if there are empty seats. IIRC, they only clear up to T-24h. So mileage upgrades on DL long-haul are not a great idea unless you can confirm at booking.
ijgordon is offline  
Old Apr 5, 2018, 3:59 pm
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: Delta
Posts: 10
Could you elaborate on what you mean by "mileage upgrade"?
funkfish is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.