Originally Posted by IlxPirata

My take on the new program:

Diamond:

SWU's aren't any better than the PMU's were.
Lack of companion upgrades at the same priority

Platnium:

Reduced SWU's from 6 to 4.
Reduced domestic upgrades due to lower priority than Diamonds. I agree this is the way it should be, but in general there should have been a give back from Delta to make up for the reduce SWU's and domestic upgrades.

General:

No 2.0x MQM for First/Business class. It is crazy for these fares to earn only 50% more MQM than a $200 LUT fare. Or reduce the LUT fares to 0.5x MQM. If you want to go after premium travelers, this doesn't make sense.

Overall:

I still like Delta more than any of the other carriers out there and they will continue to be my airline of choice. However, I'm disappointed they didn't hit a home run with this. It doesn't give me a lot of incentive to fly more, and much of my travel is discretionary.

Originally Posted by dlfrflyer

I flew RT JFK-SFO last week and was served hot nuts, hot meals and ice cream on both flights - not sure what you are reading, but its not about DL.

Originally Posted by bwhite

DL PM can be achieved without ever flying BIS, or a combination of promo and 1 or 2 BIS trip EQMs. DM will require slightly more BIS. I think that is why they can't offer the same SWUs that EXP get on AA.

I see DL's program being linear in terms of perks as you advance thru the 4 levels. AA's appears more logarithmic, with fewer less meaningful bennies for GLD and PLT then much better for EXP. I wouldn't mind seeing DL's program becoming more logarithmic in nature but also becoming harder to acheive without BIS (like AA). Maybe something halfway between what it is today (too easy) and what AA is today (out of reach for most).

Originally Posted by martin33

I had no idea you could get all the way to PM without any BIS (or minimal BIS)! One can't even get to 3rd tier on AA except via BIS.

Originally Posted by Gargoyle

In theory someone could, by running something on the order of $110k through various AMEX cards, plus Hilton stays and some other promos, but it would take a lot of effort. And, if that person isn't actually flying, what does it matter? They don't compete for upgrades, they don't use their benefits, they don't drink all the Woodford in the lounge, so it doesn't impact the rest of us.

Originally Posted by ADLFO

I do believe that this medallion program has the potential to show up in business school texts and learned publications as an example of how a faulty rewards/loyalty program can backfire and actually drive your best cusomers to a competitor. However, I am not quite ready to throw Jeff under the bus for this mistake.

The reason I'm cutting him a little slack is because of a few, yet, IMHO, telling clues that have been given to us. First, at the DO, when the issue of NW Phantom Upgrades came up, Jeff explained, with a bit of a gleam in his eye, that Bob Soukup had to go to battle with NW Revenue Management to get that program going and then turned the question over to Bob to answer. To me, it seemed that Jeff really respected that Bob was able to enact a program that NW's Rev Mgmt was soundly against. I, and again, this is for the most part total conjecture, just got the feeling that Jeff wished he could win a battle that large against his (DLs) Rev Mgmt, but that he knew he could not. Why else would he brag on Bob and allow him to answer the question?

Second, is the existence and ridiculous actions of Delta's Revenue Protection Unit. One example can be seen here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...opes-ebay.html
While I don't know the exact relationship between RPU and Rev Mgmt, to me it seems that Rev Mgmt throws around a lot of weight, politically speaking, at DL Corporate. The culture at DL apparently is to be customer friendly unless and until Rev Mgmt complains, then at that point, do whatever Rev Mgmt wants to be done. Yes, I certainly agree that revenue management is needed in most any business, however, they should be a relevant part of the discussion and not necessarily the final decision makers.

Are these arguments weak and anecdotal? Perhaps. But I just can't see a smart man like Jeff issuing a new loyalty program with a super elite level that pales in comparison to the competition and has obvious holes unless he was under duress and/or was shut down on the relevant points that he desired to be in the new FFer program. In any event, the buck has to stop somewhere, and whether or not he was an active decision maker, Richard Anderson is the one who is ultimately responsible for letting this stinker find the light of day and is the one who by himself has the ability to fix it.

Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney

I'd also say that he does carry significant influence at DL where he's known as the "billion dollar man" for selling AMEX 2 Billion $ worth of SkyMiles.

Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney

Very interesting points. I know many long ago former DL elites that have given up on DL since "journey control" and other Rev Mgmt policies kicked in.

It's good to try to give Jeff some slack, but it does not excuse some of his contradictory "PR-speak" statements nor the fact that he seems to do these 'hit and run' posts with little follow-up. It would be nice if the situation were more transparent (ie: Jeff saying he wanted to do X, but was rebuffed by Y dept/exec.)

I'd also say that he does carry significant influence at DL where he's known as the "billion dollar man" for selling AMEX 2 Billion $ worth of SkyMiles.

Originally Posted by SkyMilesInsider

Thanks so much for your feedback on our 2010 Medallion program. We continue to read your responses and while we can�t respond to each individual question or comment, we do want to address your major concerns � and clear up any confusion about the issues generating the most feedback. SkyMilesInsider will periodically address some of your most frequent postings and provide additional clarity on an �as needed� basis giving you quicker, informative responses to major topics. So here goes:

Originally Posted by jetta2.0t

Anyone on drugs, which would most likely include half the executives. Jeff's arrogance is quite astounding.

Originally Posted by ADLFO

SkyMilesInsider appears to have the same distant tone and be little more than hit and run marketing spin as well.

<snip>

Yet the answer following never addressed the greatest amount of concerns about restrictive SWUs, companion upgrades and the lack of value of SC membership for those having access through means other than memberships. Like I said, marketing spin. When is DL going to learn that we are not stupid? For most of us who fly this much, at least someone values our time and intelligence enough to put us in the air quite a bit. Can DL not give us the same courtesy. We could be one of DL greatest assets by telling our associates, contacts, family and friends about how great our favorite airline is and how we value their loyalty program. Instead, they have left us, once again, scratching our collective heads wondering what they are thinking.

Originally Posted by Jaimito Cartero

I always thought the Scoops really went to bat for NW folk. If we can get away from PR people, and get to real people, who can actually do positive stuff, it would be quite refreshing.