While not directly related to being DM, I felt this was relevant for this thread in terms of requalification and status chasing:

Tonight I booked some spring travel for 2026. AA one stop in domestic F was HALF the price of DL in D1 one stop, and approx $400 less than DL in domestic F multi stop. I mulled it over and considered the MQDs that would be earned to aid in requalifying for DM, but I just couldn’t stomach paying the DL premium. Another step towards being a free agent and booking the best priced and timed F seat. It feels good! I don’t have that post-purchase “buyer’s remorse.”

This: “convenience + pricing” > “airline loyalty”.

Based out of NYC, I am fortunate to live by this idea.

I've posted about it before but similar for me earlier this year. We're flying to LIH in December. Had a booking on AA that was a 2-stop (similar thinking - the AA flight would give the LPs needed for EXP requalification) but kept monitoring prices on the UA 1-stop,via DEN, the only 1-stop option to LIH out of DAY. For comparison, DL's 2-stop in domestic F was higher than what AA was charging for Flagship J and D1 via ATL/HNL was insane. I had a price point in mind for the UA flight and would check frequently and one day saw it dropped to below that price-point. I booked the 1 stop on UA immediately and now I get to depart DAY later in the morning but arrive in LIH earlier and only have 1 connection, not 2 and still get lie-flats on the DEN-LIH segment. Since I already had an AA booking I now have ecredits but those have been and will be easy to use on other trips.

My last step towards being far more free agent would be ditching the airline co-branded CC spending on my AA card though still evaluating pros and cons of completely ditching that. I have at least switched to putting expenses that qualify for bonus spending on other cards on those cards instead of the AA card. One thought I have for next year is continuing to put spend on the AA card since it still helps build for status and I can get the miles but buy Y instead of F/J but use miles to upgrade to F/J via buy-up offers now that AA has added that feature, depending on the buy-up rate relative to just refaring to F. AA's outright redemption values are also far more dynamic than DL. I've seen some redemptions that are well under $0.01 but I also see several that are $0.02 to $0.03 per mile for both Y & F/J.

I have been flying a lot of AA. Qualifying for EXP for the 2nd year in a row (with more than 3 months to go to the end of their earning year). I fly lots of LAS-Southeastern states in F. Being in the lower 48, the prcing is usually even better than the differentials in cost you mentioned. With a lot more options that do not involve the very early (or late) times that I face on Delta to get a less egregious F fare. My Million Miler status gives me complementary Diamond. I still fly enough to earn Platinum organically. But I never thought I'd hold the equivalent of Diamond status with another airline. Gotta say saving close to $17K over the course of a travel year has been pretty sweet. Added bonus--no video messages from Ed :D

If DM is flying twice a year, they're not taking away upgrades on the flights they're not flying.

hah! A DM flying 2 x per year is perfect for all other travelers and for Delta. I imagine they are few and far between but the more of those the merrier.

I'd have to run some math on the AA/DL options to make that call. Like, if the D1 flight comes with substantial access to the D1 lounges and so on, that would weigh in on DL's side. By contrast, if the AA F flight involves Flagship F, that would weigh in catastrophically for AA in such a situation. AA's lack of free in-flight internet weighs against AA (I'd probably "charge" $50 against AA for that). And on the other hand, I'd weigh routing options and partner-crediting options.

(I honestly have a friend attempting to train an AI to assist with my complex travel preferences - I hate short layovers (especially between longer flights), for example.

you (and others) are missing one HUGE DM benefit. Co-terminal SDC. 100% of the time I book F when traveling between NYC and south Florida. DL will let me switch between: MIA/FLL/PBI and JFK/LGA. This is a major unpublished benefit of being DM.

I lived in S Fla for many years and could never drive to the airport as I would often SDC into a different airport coming home.

That's very valuable for you. It's not quite as valuable if you don't live in one of the few places where co-terminal options are available.

Being DM is much better than not being DM.
It’s useful for the benefits listed by other posters.
Some benefits are better than competitors offer, others aren’t as good.
Upgrades are far less common than ten years ago.
Some other benefits are greatly diminished compared to a few years ago as well.
OMA-DCA is a particularly great flight for DMs seeking free upgrades to F.
The best routes for upgrades are typically early morning and late night flights and flights of less than 2 hours duration.

I use this a lot but I wouldn't say it's a HUGE benefit. It's nice but if it went away it wouldn't be devastating (and it's getting harder to use anyway)

You just proved my point. Hub to hub upgrades will be nonexistent. But you’re flying from ATL to other airlines major hubs, so upgrades are easier. As a DM, I’ve made almost all of my upgrades going through ATL this year. But I never originate in ATL (rarely) and I never go from one DL hub to another. Also, I base this on many years of DL’s FCM and the downward trend in upgrades.

I am in the "DM is worthless" camp. I have been diamond for over a decade. At the same time I am also 1k on UA. This year I decided that I was done. No more flying like a madman. It wasn't the airlines that did it but rather the wear and tear of flying ALL THE TIME. It just gets old for me. After 3MM miles in a 15 years on three different airlines I just got tired of it.

That being said, Platinum on DL or gold on UA is fine. I understand some will say "but C+!". Whatever, I have been forced to fly all types of seats for all types of flight lengths over the last decade. The airlines have us convinced we cannot go back to sitting in coach and that losing status somehow will be a huge issue. It just is not. I am big, but I just make do and deal with it. Honestly, it is freeing. I haven't been here in a few months. I don't have to watch people argue about inane issues while I try to figure out how to use certificates which I won't remember 30 min after I get off the plane. I just deal with whatever happens and enjoy the fact that I am home almost all the time now. When I do fly I simply figure out what I want and book it.

These are some here who see it differently. Great! When I was younger I chased status with reckless abandon. As I get older i see that flying in first just doesn't really matter all that much. If it does, I can just buy it like all the other perks of DM. And that is what the airlines want, for us to buy everything.

I have about 300k miles to 2MM on DL and 200k to 1MM on UA. after that I am I done chasing anything.

It is interesting that for some international routes DPS prices out less than D1, as I have feeling this is to capture additional revenue from corporate travel policy that restricts purchasing of D1. For the leisure traveler or self employed, this is great regarding D1 pricing.