Just got an unsolicited status match challenge from AA. Gold free for 4 months. 13k LP within 4 months to keep it; 25k LP to jump to Plat; 42k for Plat Pro; 67k for EXP. Not bad esp if you have it get an AA-branded credit card. Wonder about the timing here hahaha

i am in that boat. I will naturally keep my reserve card until renewal time and then cancel. JetBlue with their free WIFI will probably wind up with a chunk of my flying and the international will go to the airline with the best price

Again - you are a HVC. You are more profitable than an average loyal customer. Someone who buys F/D1 for every flight is obviously more profitable to DL. We agree. I don't think the correct metric for comparison is "per mile" but that doesn't change the conclusion that we both agree with.

All I'm saying is that they are scrapping "loyalty" as the measure for status, and that it's risky, during difficult times when they may need loyal customers. I understand that you like the changes. I understand the thought process behind the changes. I agree with the fact that it could be good for Delta financially. I don't agree that it's a slam dunk decision, because I don't agree that DMs that don't spend $35k are "not profitable" to Delta.

Unless there are any missing details that have yet to be divulged ( doubt it ) the AA loyalty points program is a lot more fun ( for lack of a better word ) and engaging.
Between simply miles , aa shopping where the multipliers also count as loyalty points it has an organic way of keeping you invested in their ecosystem. Also their cc gives unlimited access to their clubs and you get loyalty points boosts with certain spend thresholds. The delta mqd system seems rather boring and laborious without any carrots along the way.
Yes delta clubs are nicer than AA but I�d rather eat cheeze wiz on stale crackers with popov Vodka than pay $550 for a reserve card that limits my access to lounges at 10 per year. Yes there is a companion certificate but it�s not the easiest to use. The only perk if you can call it that is $10 per mqd. This doesn�t give the reserve card a premium feel at all. UA and AA also give some other soft perks ( priority access lanes upon check in and UA has 2 bags for free instead of one plus priority baggage handling). The reserve card has none of these to even give you the illusion you�re getting something for the $550.
This new announcement does not incentivize me to spend on my delta co branded Amex card. Unless I get some incredible retention offer I will not be renewing and will be putting even more spend on my AA card

I think there wouldn't be much trouble adding this to their calculations. I'm sure AMEX happily passed them data about expected spending from their cardholders and has a lot of people who spend a lot of time thinking about this stuff.

The attitude expressed here that this is some fly-by-night "$60K MBA" making these decisions on a lark is just naive, I'm sorry.

Ideally, it's always preferable to have a diverse base of paying customers. Some HVCs, some on OPMs, some on their own dime, etc. Diversification reduces the risk of potential economic downturns that may reduce a significant portion of OPM spend. But, today, it appears DAL is in the enviable position of having more $$ chasing available seats, and they should capitalize on it. When you see a chance to make a killing, you always go for it.

As to how this plays out in the long run, no one knows, not even DAL.

We�re nowhere near that in HHI.

But we do have a paid off house, which helps free up cash for travel, and are in a low tax state and have a auto and property insurer who lets us put those premiums on a credit card. (Which is sadly enough to hit a pretty big sign up bonus come December when those bills hit.)

I can�t blame Delta for discouraging me from being a customer. I�ve been a very unprofitable customer for them in 2023. I don�t try to outright game the system but I know the rules and procedures and knew how to work the old system in my favor.

As you should. They try to all these schemes to separate us from our hard earned money, make all the rules, and determine the arena where their game is played. When they make a mistake, we consumers should punish them, which is how the free market works. Price discovery for their marketing schemes, sort to speak.

I'm really not sure why they increased the prioritization of MMs over Reserve cardholders for upgrades, then. Is rewarding past loyalty over current Amex revenue going to help them in achieving the $10B target?

Let's face the reality. Delta can now be officially thrown into trash.

They offer power-tripping FA (refer to the thread No water for cattle), helpless customer service, lies regarding EC261 compensation, subpar service/food/amenities, and very high fares that make zero sense to normal people.

The silver/gold statuses do not really give you anything of value.

One must be totally out of their mind to continue being cash-cowed.

Prioritizing MMs over Reserve cardholders for a ever-decreasing number of upgrades when there's no way to audit whether Reserve cardholders are actually missing out on those upgrades in practice isn't going to represent much more than a drop in the bucket given these changes. Incentivizing the average DL cardholder to spend ~$10K more per year on their card would dwarf any concerns about upgrade policy.

Thanks. Your comment put me over the line. Just to recap: I do about 12 round trips a year, mostly in-California business trips plus some cross-country leisure trips and 2-3 international trips a year (usually not on Delta however since the points deals on other airlines are better). I was able to qualify for Silver pretty easily with some Reserve spend, and Reserve gave me upgrades to First or C+ on most of my short-haul business travel. But the SkyClub was the real draw for me. I love SkyClubs and I loved the ability to stop in both before and after my flights. I don't see the reason to stick with Delta at this point, given that AA has MUCH better international redemptions and it's partnered with Hyatt.

I just did an instant status match to AA for a status challenge, so I'm now AA Platinum Pro. I'm aiming to keep AA Platinum, since based on my calculations, my frequent short-hop business travel, plus some leisure travel, I should be able to easily qualify for AA Platinum every year, which gives me access to international business class lounges. Just got approved for an AA Executive card and am going to be frequenting Admiral's Clubs from now on. I've made the leap.

How are these average DL cardholders being incentivized to spend ~$10k more per year on their card? The ever decreasing number of upgrades that await them?

When everyone is hungry, no one is hungry .... let them eat cake!
There will be a lot of people who will have to decide between seriously ramping up spend or just voting to spend on a visa card -
CapitalOne @ 2x miles is better and better
Read my analysis from a while ago that I finally posted here on cost of getting miles
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/capi...urrencies.html

True that most are captive to hubs.
But DL now seems to reward high spenders as much if not more, whether on card or on a flight - with the ratio being 10x more value for flights than DR card and 20x more than a DL platinum card.
And honestly, they are now rewarding my booking hotels through them - I guess they are more profitable as a travel agent than as an airline

There will be enough ways to game the new system - I have already advised my friend to just hit DM every other year and enjoy benefits

Quite a lot of $1M CEOs and important govt agencies and banks ran this country to the ground by 2007
- just because you earn more does not mean you really understand what you are doing

That thread has someone who has repeatedly complained in the past about not getting water. I don't think that's reflective of the usual DL experience or even that person's DL experience.
Every airline has cut back on customer service and/or is dealing with a brain drain.
DL's EC261 exposure is miniscule. Read the BA forum to see an airline that has significant EC261 exposure and how often they lie.
Which airline has superior service/food/amenities that competes with DL? AA? UA? B6?
The low-cost carriers have more reasonable fares domestically. DL competes with them with Basic Economy fares. Is there widespread evidence that DL fares are higher than AA or UA on the same routes?

Again, I don't like these changes and I've already moved the majority of my business over from DL. But mistaking your individual gripes with DL for universal complaints without considering the lack of alternatives out there is unrealistic.