Estimating the Diamond Medallion Population
Apr 23, 2019, 3:26 pm
#106
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: Delta 360
Posts: 3
So you are trying to make sense of something involving the airlines?? Maybe, you can help us all figure out why they
do anything else, without know their inner most secrets.
Trust me, I know people in upper management at Delta. Either they
really don't know or they are forbidden from sharing.
do anything else, without know their inner most secrets.
Trust me, I know people in upper management at Delta. Either theyreally don't know or they are forbidden from sharing.
Apr 24, 2019, 12:09 pm
#107
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 117
I know someone who is 360. She flies at the most once per month, but it is 100% international long-haul flights in paid business-class. Maybe 60% of the time on Delta. Meanwhile I know lots of platinums and diamonds who fly twice a week and struggle to maintain their status.
Apr 24, 2019, 12:31 pm
#108
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,949
Given that they are intimately involved in delivering a benefit that's primarily intended for the 360 population, it's not at all crazy that they would be well informed about the number of Medallions that fall into that category.
(I also happen to think the 6,000 number - at or slightly under a tenth of the estimated overall DM population - passes the smell test.)
Apr 24, 2019, 12:52 pm
#109
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
That number sounds rather solid, based on the figures that a bit of research has me estimating:
6,000 - 360
60,000 - Diamond
120,000 - Platinum
200,000 - Gold
450,000 - Silver
Do you have evidence that would prove otherwise with regards to the 6,000 Delta 360 members? In nearly all cases, I am the only 360 on the aircraft.
Delta has 901 aircraft. If you assume that the average 360 member flies 25 percent of the time (that's about what I do), that puts 1,500 traveling per day spread across Delta's 15,000 flights... or 1 in every 10 flights. Right?
6,000 - 360
60,000 - Diamond
120,000 - Platinum
200,000 - Gold
450,000 - Silver
Do you have evidence that would prove otherwise with regards to the 6,000 Delta 360 members? In nearly all cases, I am the only 360 on the aircraft.
Delta has 901 aircraft. If you assume that the average 360 member flies 25 percent of the time (that's about what I do), that puts 1,500 traveling per day spread across Delta's 15,000 flights... or 1 in every 10 flights. Right?
There are a lot more total elites than this.
Apr 24, 2019, 1:34 pm
#110
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2019
Programs: Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 117
My understanding from chatting with folks at the SkyTeam MegaDo is that the drivers are actually full time Delta employees who are more deeply involved in customer service than you might imagine; I believe they are trained agents empowered to help with ticketing situations and other elite services. I know I was able to work through the driver in one case to make a ticketing change that we needed to make, for example.
Given that they are intimately involved in delivering a benefit that's primarily intended for the 360 population, it's not at all crazy that they would be well informed about the number of Medallions that fall into that category.
(I also happen to think the 6,000 number - at or slightly under a tenth of the estimated overall DM population - passes the smell test.)
Given that they are intimately involved in delivering a benefit that's primarily intended for the 360 population, it's not at all crazy that they would be well informed about the number of Medallions that fall into that category.
(I also happen to think the 6,000 number - at or slightly under a tenth of the estimated overall DM population - passes the smell test.)
Apr 24, 2019, 2:30 pm
#111
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Alaska MVP, Bonvoy (lol) Ambassador
Posts: 2,994
* How many drivers does the airport have? What is the average shift duration? How many shifts? Does it vary across Delta's hubs?
* What percent of passengers are Delta 360 customers versus lowly Diamonds?
* How frequently do Delta 360 customers fly?
* What percent of Delta 360 customers are connecting?
* What percent of Delta 360 connections end up in the shuttle?
Fermi estimation is useful when you're looking for an order-of-magnitude answer. Unfortunately I think we already have a pretty safe range if you're only looking for order of magnitude estimation (the number of Delta 360 members almost certainly varies between 2500 to 25000 for example).
Apr 24, 2019, 9:37 pm
#112
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vietnam & USA
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 456
In a multitude of professions, I have found that the employees with most contact with the customers, often have more of a clue than upper management.
They certainly understand where the rubber meets the road.
Jun 19, 2021, 1:45 am
#113
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 424
The most important person on the plane is the rare customer who pays full-fare first class. That will trump status every time. A full-fare first class seat will never get you bumped, will give you all the priorities of top-tier status, and is fully refundable and changable.
Jun 19, 2021, 1:51 am
#114
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 424
It's so good, nearly 60K people participate. Why would it be a bad thing to have another published tier above DM, using their same calculation methodology? Why would it be a bad thing to not be forced to compete with large herd numbers?
I'm not seeing what deleterious effect such a tier -- one that can't be manipulated by CC spend -- would create.
I'm not seeing what deleterious effect such a tier -- one that can't be manipulated by CC spend -- would create.
Additional cull-the-herd status tiers for the sake of stoking egos helps no one. Don't be the guy who flies private and yet envies the other guy with the bigger plane.