You will lose them. The rollover MQM's are a benefit for Medallions, and are the MQM's over the last medallion level you qualified for.

When will the Rollover MQMs be deposited?
The MQMs will be deposited into members' accounts in early 2010 to add to the 2010 MQM balances for 2011 qualification.

And so will those MQMs from this year that are rollovered into 2010 be good toward having (higher) status at any point in 2010, or will it be that those rollover MQMs won't be factored into status qualification in 2010 and thus those customers counting on (higher) status from the rollover MQMs will be waiting for nothing in 2010?

I hope it's the former, but with DL management nothing good can be taken as a given.

The way I read it, IMO the rollover miles will be effective in January 2010. Hence, if you have 100k MQMs as of December 2009, your January statement will indicate you are beginning the year with 100k-75k=25k MQMs.

On a different topic, many have responded positively to the possibility of using PMUs on the date of departure. IMHO, I think that it will create a problematic situation on Elite heavy domestic destinations.

I have seen on LAX-ATL red-eye flights where the upgrade list had more than 50 medallions and where as a PM on a K-fare I have been 15th! If you are a PM/DM with a K+ ticket and have not been upgraded within the 5-day window what are you going to do? You could:

1. Take your chances and hope to be upgraded
2. or use one of your PMUs


Since we know that 80% of PMUs are not used (per Jeff), most PM/DMs will want option 2. Hence they will get to the airport ASAP and try to be there before other PMs/DMs with the same idea; or if they allow over the phone same day PMU redemption, PM/DMs will call immediately after the midnight bell! Can you imagine the long PM/DMs conversations in the crown room...

I think it is a bad idea for domestic flights!

That's the way I understand the roll over rule as well. I would be hard pressed to use a PMU on a domestic flight, to me that would be a total waste for a short 4 or 5 hour flight. Personally, I save mine for the TATL 8-9 hr flights and ATL/DXB 12-14 hour flights.

From your answer, your PMUs must belong to the 20% that are used.

Because 80% are not used, I think we will see a large "day of departure usage" of PMUs next year. On Elite heavy flights, I doubt that there will be any seats available for upgrade at the airport on the "upgrade list".

What that really shows is that 'unlimited complementary upgrades' are really a bit of marketing speak. If you go over to AA, for example, base-tier elites get 2,000 miles of upgrades for every 10,000 miles flown. That means that even at 25k, you are pretty much guaranteed an upgrade percentage of 20%. How many of DL's base-level elites clear 20% of their upgrades? DL may have unlimited upgrades, but for most base-level elite fliers, they also probably have fewer of them.

All 'unlimited complementary upgrades' really means is a greater percentage of upgrades for 50k elites over 25k elites.

Note also that on AA, you can buy 4,000 miles of upgrade certs for 35k miles, which can be used on ANY fare. So you can essentially upgrade a JFK-LAX hop, from *ANY* paid fare, for 21875 miles. ORD-LAX for 17,500 miles, from ANY fare class. Or if you want to pay cash for them, $180 each way JFK-LAX, or $120 ORD-LAX.


It will be interesting to see if PMs start using PMUs to jump ahead of DMs in the upgrade queue, and if they do, if DL then claims they have fixed PMUs because they all get used (for changing the order of the line)

I will leave formal assessment of low-level award availability percentages to the various impartial surveys. Read them and AA generally scores pretty well.

AA has recently changed over to one-way redemptions, so you can mix-and-match levels as on DL, or just do a half-cost one-way trip. The difference is that AA only has two tiers: "single", restricted MilesAAver (Z/U/T class) and "double", aka AAnytime (full revenue F/J/Y class).
My understanding is that last-seat availability costs "triple" on DL; it is "double" on AA. Some international locations (europe, caribbean, central america) have an Off-Peak basement tier as well, but only in coach--- it costs less than "Single" but gets the same T-class seats as on-peak.

Taking your example of RDU-DEN round trip in First: on AA the trip could cost 50k (lowest level), 75k (one way restricted and the other way full), or 100K (last seat both ways, booked in full F). The restricted classes are allocated dynamically through time. You would need Z class inventory for this trip, and ExpertFlyer.com lets you set an alert for the Z if you need to.


Thanks to you too! It's wonderful to see your "official" input. AA won't let anything similar happen. I do hope that you can iterate to the right overall balance.

One note, as to offering segment quals: AA, UA, US, AS, and CO all do so for all tiers, and UA and CO even offer high-fare class segment bonus credits as well: at the extreme, only 45 B-class or higher segments on CO earns top tier. At the other extreme, US requires a full-ache 120 BIS segments, price no matter, to reach its sad top tier. AS only has two tiers. Who else is there, that actually offers elite status useful to USA-based customers?

I'll admit to being part of the 20%. I'm not sure what would really change for domestic flights and PMU last minute upgrades. If you're a DM or PM you would have already rcvd an upgrade, no need to use a PMU. If you're Silver or Gold you don't have any PMUs. I think silvers and golds will see fewer upgrades next year. The great MQM giveaway of 2009 had to have created quite a few more candidates in the upper tiers.

I know I will! I rarely use my PMUs and fly often LAX-ATL & LAX-JFK. Furthermore, since I generally purchase K-fares and my office is near the airport, I will swing by the airport early in the morning to get ahead of other PMs with the same idea (unless they start accepting over the phone PMU redemption).

What I plan to carefully watch next year is how often I will get upgraded inside the 5-day window (so far this year it has been about 75%). As I said before, I think "same day PMU redemption" it is a bad idea for domestic flights!

Help me understand what I'm missing here. Hasn't day-of-departure PMU redemption for domestic flights always been possible? Why is it a better idea now? If an upgrade hasn't cleared by day-of-departure how is going to the airport early with PMU in hand going to get you in front of anyone? I haven't read where PMU upgrades (G) will be cleared ahead of Medallion upgrades (V).

What is the strategy here?

I have seen no indication or hint that PMUs would become the trump card in domestic gate lottery.

The change is intended for use on routes where complimentary upgrades are not offered. That's an entirely different game than gate lotto.

David

Simple...more Delta 'enhancements'.

2003 was a disaster that saw hundreds top tier Delta flyers leave in 2004 thanks to the 'enhancements' by good ol Patrice. Yes, I was one of them but I have ground that axe.

I like the DL way of at least incorporating segments into the model, although I could support a model where the rollover (miles or segments) was based upon how the flyer met the top tier. And I truly like that DL doesn't advertise that one can purchase the top tier (like US).

I will try to answer both of you in one post.

Today, on an Elite heavy domestic flight (e.g., LAX-ATL) if you are PM not upgraded within the 5-day window and have a K+ fare you can try to use a PMU but SMS will tell you that there is no availability (in my experience and believe I have tried many times).

Next year, if there is a seat available in F on the day of departure you will be able to use a PMU (see rules below from DL.com). Thus if there is one seat available for upgrade the 1st PM/DM who is willing to use a PMU at check-in will get it, and thus bypass the "upgrade list". This also means that a PM+PMU will be able to get the upgrade ahead of a DM (if both did not clear within the 5-day window).

If you are in flight where upgrades are easy to get that will be of little consequence because all DM/PMs will likely be upgraded 5-days before departure and nobody will try to use a PMU . But on certain destinations (e.g., LAX-ATL) where it is difficult to get upgraded, I predict that many PM/DMs will rush to use their PMUs, especially since 80% go unused. I know I will! As a PM, I have been No.15 on the waiting list for an LAX-ATL flight with a K-fare and only 2 seats available in F on the "upgrade list"...

Another situation is at the gate when a PM is, for example, No.5 on the "upgrade list" and there are only 2 seats available up front. If this PM is willing to part with a PMU, he can bypass the upgrade list. If a second PM is willing to do the same thing, then there is no more availability in the "upgrade list"!

I think DL did a great thing in allowing same day use of PMUs on TATL M+ fares. I once wanted to use a PMU and had a TATL M-fare and was frustrated to see that F had empty seats while I sat in Y. However IMHO I don't think it makes sense on domestic flights.

In addition to the existing ability for customers to request an upgrade in advance, the new Systemwide Upgrade Certificates will be valid for use on the day of departure. This means if a First or Business Class seat is available on your Delta flight on the day of departure you will be able to request the upgrade.
Platinum Medallions will be able to select 4 Systemwide Upgrade Certificates as a Choice Benefit. Diamond Medallions will be able to select 6 Systemwide Upgrade Certificates as a Choice Benefit.

As with the existing Platinum Systemwide Upgrades, the new Systemwide Upgrade Certificates will be good for travel within or between the 50 United States, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico on any Delta published fare booked in Y, B, M, H, Q or K class or Northwest published fares booked in Y, B, M, H, Q or V class. For all other international travel, upgrades are valid on any published fare in Y, B or M class.