bakrgby

I wonder what group 360s will board in

Goodoldflyer

It is funny how people seem to feel that whatever benefits them, even in a small way, is the right answer. Sort of reminds me of the skyclubs discussion.

Goodoldflyer

I find it ironic that you talk about how you should get respect for your status, even as you say that that the status ABOVE your level doesn't deserve the early boarding that's offered as a perk.

GagaPilot

Datapoint just now from LAS:

The app correctly listed “First Class” however when the GA made the announcement it was the usual “First Class, Diamond, and 360.”

Goodoldflyer

As much as I hate to wait for women, children, elderly, and military members to board flights ahead of me as a Diamond member flying in First, I try to keep my perspective on who is contributing what to our society, and how it's nice every once in a while to take care of the people who take care of us. Moms, Grandparents, and the military are among those who we should be honoring. Honoring people isn't virtue signaling. It really is a small thing to let someone board an airplane first. And before someone says it, yes, I realize we're letting the moms and "people who need time boarding" board first because they need more time.

As a diamond, I don't so much care if diamonds board with First or just after. It's really not that big a change, and does make some sense. But it is funny how often these conversations devolve into "I want what's best for my situation."

There's a lot of nuance in these frequent flyer programs. If they can make it more efficient while providing tangible benefits to medallion members, I'm all for it.

GagaPilot

You didn’t read my post carefully enough. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for status recognition (early boarding, “thank you’s” and similar gestures). But ultimately, I think paid F/D1 passengers, regardless of status or not, should be given the highest priority and benefits on a flight.

kale73

The real question is when the 360s who also happen to be active duty military, are recovering from a combat injury that means they "need a little extra time to get down the aisle" and are simultaneously traveling with children under two board the aircraft.

Goodoldflyer

You'd think they'd get some priority, already!

DLATL777

Delta has shown both through its FF program changes over the last decade and its prioritization of nearly everything that it cares MOST about the $ spend and not the BIS. Consequently, I can see why and understand allowing F/J board by itself without respect to status holders (and ahead of them). Delta continues to enforce the mentality they love, which is "if you want it you have to pay for it".

The game in the mid to early 2000s was a very different one. Before the time of dumbass bloggers, you know the ones-trying to collect their fake clout to be the one to publish (and ruin) the latest "error fare" or sell you the latest AMEX credit card, there was a time where mileage runs really paid dividends. I can remember being in college doing MRs to maintain Plat because as Plat I had a 80+% upgrade chance even on elite heavy routes. It was all about the BIS. With the advent of FCM this all slowly went away. This was also when you could fly in business class roundtrip ATL to JNB for 120k miles (and yes, I did it). I do not even try to play this stupid game anymore-I pay for F. Its all DL wants and cares about anyway, if you want it, buy it.

Its actually not far off from the Casino status mentality. The highest status holders at the Casinos (the ones that spend (lose) the most money), care little about the benefits they receive as they would buy them anyway. If you think about its, its kind of the perfect Evil. The ones that need it the least get the most. One of my favorite stories was from a VIP manager at a strip hotel in Vegas regarding a player who would fly into town on his G450, play 1 million dollar hands on blackjack, and leave usually down 50 million. The casino, as a thank you, bought him a Rolls Royce. The player never even drove it-it sat the airport for more than a year.

A trivial tangential perhaps but nonetheless I think the conveyance of that mentality is palpable today.

Goodoldflyer

No, I read it carefully enough.

I think that medallion benefits are arbitrary, and they can make them whatever they want them to be.

To be fair, this seems a pretty minor change to me. But, like with the skyclubs discussions, I notice a tendency for folks to see the absolute clear logic in whatever benefits themselves. It don't see a clear cut distinction.

Really? You think paid F/D1 passengers should have priority over upgraded F/D1 passengers? The stated objective here was to make things more efficient, and it seems like that would make them more confusing.

Both Diamond Medallion passengers and D1/F passengers (and they greatly overlap, I'm sure) are important to Delta. I think this was an efficiency move more than anything else.

Eastbay1K

Agreed. Last year I was on a UA high capacity 777 in F (obviously I'm no longer 1K) and nearly 100 people boarded before I did.

photojojo

Love this. It's not as much fun watching people (literally) look down their nose at me in my shorts and sandals when I end up boarding behind 40 of them.

DLASflyer

So the Gold Delta Amexers are now the 9th group called out of 12. Priority boarding LOL

dmarge18

I hated the military boarding virtue signal when I WAS active duty, and I hate it more now that I'm out. Especially on flights to or from my home airport, where over half the plane can be 'active or retired.'

dmarge18

Just as Priority as those gate-checking bags!