The ATL BATL

Definitely make the call, despite the hold times. I also got my above issues straightened out with my two round trips, and they did confirm they're having issues with customers who get upgraded to FC from C+ as part of the comp upgrade process, so I'd advise folks to watch out for that.

It's now showing the 75% bonus applied appropriately.

CGNC

Just want to highlight how much easier AA is making this on those of us who are elites there, too. Their email, from today: "Fly and earn $2,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) on eligible airline tickets flown between September 1 – December 31, 2021, and you’ll retain the elite status you held on January 1, 2021." Quite simple process. While you will not be eligible for the benefits that come with attaining this level through flight activity, I think this is a really simple and desirable way to keep people loyal in a time of uncertainty. No need to go through an accelerator, do the math yourself and then spend eternity trying to get it fixed.

josephstern

Or credit card spend, which may be even easier. Spend $15K on AA cards in a specific date range and you can get your status for another year.

BenA

I'd really like to see Delta match the latest AA rules, even if at higher values (maybe $3000 MQD or $25k spend).

Excluding choice benefits would provide rewards for people who organically qualified this year, yet would allow people to carry forward their status into next year who have been unable to resume their pre-pandemic travel patterns.

With the other Delta preventing international travel from resuming as originally planned, Delta is going to need to do something additional and aggressive to retain the business of primarily international elites passengers.

DiamondSM

I agree, Many flights in USA have resume.

But most intl flights is still on "hold".
I am a fan of Delta, but ground to travel with them.

If I "lost" my Diamond status.
Possible it is time to see what other company have to offer... For now, I can only see Delta have forget their international customers.

Orange County Commuter

Am I missing something? . "While you will not be eligible for benefits"? Then what's the purpose? That's certainly a win for AA... they get you to spend money for status that doesn't give you benefits?


And of course all of you who are going to AA, UA etc... it's just churn (or talk). Over the years if you believed this forum Delta should have about 10 passengers left. But they seem full.. so I can only assume that for everyone packing up and heading to AA, UA etc there's a AA, UA etc saying "I am taking my business to DL".... and the churn goes on. (And of course I have seen at least some posters rant "I AM NEVER FLYING DELTA AGAIN" only to see them a few months later reporting on their upgrade on the their flights LOL! )

beachmouse

The grass is always greener on the other side of the emotional support animal relief area?

Given credit card spend bonuses both last year and this year and extra rollover, IMO it’s ridiculously easy to earn any status except DM right now with the current rules and then roll over enough to hold a better status than usual for 2023-24 as well and I can’t see Delta increasing the lower level elite glut even more. I actually see American’s move here as playing catch-up to what Delta has done since last year.

CGNC

The benefits I was referencing are AA's new version of Choice Benefits, or as they call them, Elite Choice Rewards. So you're still an elite with whatever stated perks come with that status, but if you're simply extending your status by spending that amount in MQD or on CC, then you are not able to pick an Elite Choice Reward.

To be clear, I am not among those who are saying I'm leaving and the grass is greener on the other side. I am a largely international flyer and hitting the thresholds I normally would for DM, for instance, are increasingly more difficult given the third wave of the pandemic gripping a good part of Africa. Ultimately, I will retain whatever status the state of the world will allow me to retain. At the moment, if my hand is forced to make a decision between spending $2k on AA to retain their equivalent of DL's Platinum (Platinum Pro) or the requisite spend on DL to hit PM, even with a hefty sum of rollover miles, the relative ease of knowing what I need to do to achieve the goal with AA would likely win out. While I feel DL is far superior to AA in terms of experience, and I'd love to retain my DM status, I think AA is making continued loyalty to them easier than DL is.

GLeeSC

Was surprised to see AA announce this, and hopeful this means something from Delta is coming. If anyone from Delta is reading this, I am still 100% locked out of flying to my main markets in England where I typically travel at least once per month. I simply cannot get there. And even with the British government making some noise about letting execs in if they can prove they will generate 500+ jobs or more, etc. etc. the reality is the market is still closed and I have no idea how any American is going to provide "proof of vaccination" that the British government will accept. Bottom line, I hope to resume travel in August, but with the variants coming on now, and lots of noise from the EU - who know when I will be able to travel to my main market again.

I am doing a little domestic now, but nowhere enough to get back to Diamond status again. CMON Delta -- we're in this together. Can we please do something to assist those loyal top Medallions who have consistently flown you monthly for international - but still can't today? Hoping we see something coming similar to AA.

For those of you who are able to get back to your status - well done. Worst case - send an extra Biscoff to those of us stuck in the back next year if we don't get some relief!

MonAmQB

I posted the same reply in another thread...

Our company has shut down all business travel since Covid started (March 2020) and may restart it in Q4 2021. Even so, I think it'll be just domestic until international travel restrictions ease. I have been a DM because I was frequently traveling to AsiaPAC prior to Covid. Without that, I will be only doing domestic transcon in coach. Don't think I will be able to hit DM MQD threshold with just one quarter of that...

For my travel pattern (very frequent AsiaPAC trips in not always but often business class), UA has a superior network. My DM status played a big role in me staying with DL over the years despite the decline of their AsiaPAC network. If I fail to maintain my DM status for 2022, I wouldn't hold any grudge against DL as it's just business for them. After all, I haven't done any business travel for more than 1.5 yrs now, although not by my own choice. But it would give me an opportunity to re-evaluate my options when our company restarts international business travels, through which I can easily make UA 1K or DL DM within a few months. I think there are more business travelers like me. It'll be interesting to see whether DL wants to do something to try to retain my business travel when it restarts, or they will be willing to let me become a "free agent" and weigh my options in the open market.

Ryno1234

For those of you who are able to get back to your status - well done. Worst case - send an extra Biscoff to those of us stuck in the back next year if we don't get some relief![/QUOTE]


I have asked this before and mean no disrespect: i get the situation you are in. However, I have been traveling every week since labor day of last year and am about to re qualify "the old fashioned way" for Diamond: MQDs and MQMs. Didn't need any of the accelerators. What will Delta do for us? I will be competing against other DMs who were helped to maintain their status next year. Again, through no fault of their own, but clearly right now the business traveler like me is a more valuable commodity. I guess Delta runs the risk of running off former DMs once they resume their travel, but they will be starting from scratch with another airline.

MSPeconomist

Many people who travel extensively for business can get nice status matches/challenges through their corporate travel office, as part of a corporate travel contract. Even without this, other airlines might be willing to give a status match/challenge, although the usual criteria for these is to show not just status but flight activity (so that one can't just keep doing a sequence of status matches/challenges without every flying very much).

KDCAflyer

Update: the totals updated to the correct amount after about 12 hours.


I bought up to first using the app before check-in, but I don't think the accelerator registered it. The ticket reissued in C.

I'll give it a few weeks and then will submit a service request to have it fixed.

Duke787

Did a paid upgrade (actually used miles instead of cash but same deal) on RDU - MSP that rebooked into Z. Posted shortly after landing as expected: MQM + 50% MQM bonus for Z + 75% of those first two for the accelerator

KDCAflyer

The totals updated with the correct amounts after about 12 hours.

Let's see how my Y award trip works today.