greycap7

It's been on my mind for a while. What are your thoughts?

eneq

Considering you have to reach 2MM to get anything meaningful, MQMs for sure.

greycap7

I don't disagree with you there, but it would be nice for award tickets to count towards the goal.

MSPeconomist

MQM seems to be more in line with status requiring MQMs or MQSs and MQDs or the waiver (except for the foreign address waiver).

ATOBTTR

I’ll gladly keep the MQMs I get from AmEx spend and class of service bonuses counting towards MM status over the handful of times I take an award flight and don’t earn any MQMs for it.

And you can still have your miles help towards the goal by using Pay-With-Miles to buy the ticket (and thus still earn MQMs) or after buying a ticket, use miles to buy up to a premium cabin via the buy-up offer, which again will earn the class of service bonus MQMs.

ekozie

this. as SM devaluations continue, cash ticket/mileage UG is looking to be my go-to for using miles.

ethernal

This is a no-brainer... MQM... there are so many ways to earn extra MQM (fare class bonuses, credit cards, etc) plus partner flights count towards it.

As an alternative example, United's million miler program is much harder to earn because it has to be on United metal and it's BIS miles only. Of course, on the flip side, United's MM program is much more generous.

SuperG1955

They should add NRSA miles as well, with COS bonuses!

MSPeconomist

Before this happens, award tickets should earn MQMs/MQSs and tickets upgraded with miles (mileage upgrade award) or certs should earn the MQMs of the higher cabin, i.e., 150% for any coach ticket that's upgraded to D1 with a GUC.

josephstern

When I think of BIS, I don't think of award flights. But that's what you mean here? I think of BIS as the most selective set - no multipliers, no award flights, no comped tickets, etc.

jamesteroh

MQMs for sure. A loit of people get MQMs through Am Ex spend and I do a lot of short hauls that are under 500 BIS but will count as 500 MQM's and not to mention first class tickets have the multiplier.

StayingHomeIsBetter

MQMs.

Considering how insignificant the tier awards are, it might as well be easier to get them. That, and the fact that the status is now "annual complimentary" rather than lifetime.

From someone who has earned 1MM, 2MM and 3MM status under every variation of the rules that DL has ever offered.

indufan

Oh come on....your now annual complimentary line implies that it is something new. How long has it been? 15 years? Longer? Clearly, we know what they are saying but practically nothing has changed in that regard. I agree, Delta doesn't place enough value in MM+ status'.

StayingHomeIsBetter

No, I do not mean to imply that the annual complementary is new. Actually it has been around at least 17 years. How time flies.

My point is that the "annual complementary" is there for a reason, so that it can be discontinued at a DL management whim.

And perhaps that is not such a significant point. "Lifetime" in the DL management vernacular is not all that different from "annual complementary."

Ask any Flying Colonel who was promised "lifetime" Crown Room membership.


BTW... didn't PT used to require 5MM? When, or did, that change? Not that I am aspiring to the next "prestigious" milestone.

xliioper

We've seen examples of what can happen when airlines use the word "lifetime" and then change the benefits of the program at a later point (hello United). This seems the far more rational explanation (avoiding lawsuits from people when they change status benefits) than the notion there is some dastardly plan to simply eliminate the program on a "whim". Let's be real, the program costs DL very little because if you aren't flying enough to earn status via normal requirements, you are also not consuming much in the way of the benefits in many cases. Simply ending it would not only cause enormous bad blood with those who have already attained it, but also with those who are currently working their way towards MM status. Not going to happen.