ClipperDelta

Where exactly and explicitly has DL said that Silver, Gold, and Platinum Medallion customers are liabilities?

If they did such a thing, then the whiners here couldn't possibly be acusing DL of being spinmeisters now, would they?

fmsm

It would be nice if the online calander worked, one of my biggest pet peeves is that "I CAN'T" get the award I want (schedule etc) without sms assistance.

That being said why not charge if a held reservation is not converted. Something like $15.00 for general members, $10 for FO, $5 for GM and FREE for PM.

DLfan

Why so rude to a fellow FlyerTalker?

You've clearly made a wise decision to cash-out of SkyMiles and base your future flying on the more rational discriminators of price and schedule. Thus, your need to "take anymore of this BS" was effectively eliminated. I applaud your decision and aspire to do the same eventually.

I would think you'd be happy to be done with SkyMiles, yet you sound bitter. Why not just enjoy your freedom to choose? It sounds rather liberating to me.

Evan!

This is an old subject and making this change obviously did not send everyone over to airlines with a status-4-legs option. In Atlanta you do have a choice other than Delta. With each trip you could earn extra segements by connecting through Houston, Memphis, Detroit, Dallas, Minneapolis, D.C., Newark, the list goes on and on. But you don't. Why is that?

A free ride?! Isn't that what FF miles are all about?... getting a free ride. Who is not paying their own way? Are you referring to biz travelers?


How can you totally agree with a system that has not been revealed yet? Do you have some information that the rest of us don't? Did I miss that thread? I very much hope that you the new tier system will actually be "positive". But until it is made public I don't see how anyone can praise it.

-------------------------

Although the products being touted by the remaining 6 legacy carriers are becoming near identical, the FF program with Delta is indeed different. In no other program are there so many ways to earn miles WITHOUT flying. Those miles are not freebies. Delta is selling them.... LOTS of them. And now they are in dire straights because they have taken the money (and probably spent the money that they have yet to take in) but do not want to pony up the seats. Jeff's worthless regurgitation of a standard press release (spin) is an obvious attempt at protecting the cash cow that SkyMiles has become.

The higher fuel costs are affecting (or will soon affect) every airline. To poor mouth over higher fuel in the same breath as devaluing the FF program is insulting. If fuel costs so much then raise fares!.... oh but wait, those airlines who haven't flooded the public with FF miles won't need to make up the difference in their programs. They will just come up with new fees that can be directly supported with fuel costs... like an extra bag fee.

For those who have never seen the movie Thank You For Smoking, the #1 spin doctors for the tobacco, alcohol, and gun lobby get together regularly to commiserate and strategize. I can't help but wonder if the airline big wigs don't do the same. Each week they draw straws to see which airline is going to implement something new and distasteful knowing that the others will, sooner or later, follow suit. It's not a crazy idea. Look at on line booking bonuses (all 6 now), 2nd bag fees (UA, US, and now DL), PwM (NW and now DL), etc. Simple really; spread the negative fallout and see which changes will stick and then jump on board.

Delta probably drew the short straw on award redemptions. Their yet-to-be-released new structure will most likely affect other programs; starting with the SkyTeam partners and then infecting the others.

RSSrsvp

The March 6th MilesLink newsletter that many of us receive from WebFlyer stated the following about the SkyMiles award program:

Delta has been working on these latest award options for 18 months and there's more to come sometime this summer or early fall: a three-tier award redemption schedule. The current domestic roundtrip Saver award at 25,000 miles will stay the same (currently about 10 percent of seats are available at this lowest award level) but the SkyChoice awards will morph into two options: one at 40,000 miles which will offer members more seat availability (roughly 50 percent) and a new highest level at 60,000 miles. Robertson says that most members currently redeeming at the 50,000 level will fall into the 40,000-mile level with the new award schedule. These are flyers who reserve in advance and have some flexibility. Those flyers who have no flexibility will be asked to pay at the higher 60,000-mile level - guaranteeing that if there are any seats available for sale they can be had for free.

We have been asking the question for some time now about what percentage of awards were SkySavers vs. SkyChoice. I don't remember ever reading that the number of SkySavers was only 10%. Folks, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what has happened to the SkyMiles program.

Beckles

I like how you give me a hard time for being sure that the three-tier plus PwM is better than it was before with only SkyChoice and SkySaver, but apparently you don't have a problem with the comment that the changes in total are "in no way positive" that I was responding to ... which would theoretically have the same problem of limited information that my claim has.

The only caveat to my claim would be it's based on the limited infromation revealed so far and hinges on avaialability in the middle bucket of the new three-tier system. If availability in that bucket is significantly greater than SkyChoice, which from everything I've read I expect it will be, then yes, I really do think it is an improvement over the previous two-tier system.

RSSrsvp

Jeff,
This is a valid point that Gargoyle has raised. With all due respect, it doesn't take much effort to make an occasional post in the manner that you are doing. However it would show a degree of sincerity on your part and mutual respect to your best customers to stick around and deal with the heat and really reply to our concerns. Your actions do affect the bottom line at DL because many of us are feeling disenfranchised and are moving our business to other airlines that are more responsive to our needs. @:-)

Evan!

Sorry Beck, I totally brain f@rted. I mis-read "totally disagree" for "totally agree". D'oh! I need more coffee.

sxf24

I was referring to low value customers demanding benefits whose value greatly exceeds their revenue contribution.

GUWonder

Free ride with DL? Sounds like a story about a ghost under the bed. There's no reason to stop expecting something -- like ghosts -- that does not exist. If you haven't started, you can't stop.

DL and its apologists would be wise to stop thinking that they have been giving SkyMiles customers, especially Medallions, a free ride when they really have not. Rather DL has been getting paid its due fromthe flights and other SkyMiles partner activity of legitimate SkyMiles customers including Silver, Gold and Platinum Medallions.

Evan!

Amen to that!!!!

Speaking of "partner activities" (and hoping Jeff actually reads this thread) I think I echo what many feel was dirty pool with the 25K Bonus Partner promotion that recently ended. The fact that DL changed the minimum amount of miles one could buy from 1000 to 2000 just two days before the end of the partner promo period smacks of contempt for DL's customers. Jeff (or anyone from DL) would be wise not to insult us all by claiming the change time was coincidental. DL had to know that many people would use buy miles as their rung to the next threshold level near the end of the promo period. I don't know which slight is more offensive, "stupid" or "sucker"!

GUWonder

You know where if you do a little of your own research; you read (at least part of) the very same thread.

Your question is premised on a falsehood of mutual exclusivity. There exists such a thing as a spin on real sentiments and real material changes.

Also, DL can engage in spin and also fail to do it sufficiently well enough to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.

So be it if you want to attach the label of "whiners" to those SkyMiles customers who don't welcome a devaluation of SkyMiles or increased restrictions on redemptions.

GUWonder

Your reference above is still so vague and unverifiable that it can be applied to whichever SkyMiles customers DL and its apologists want to apply it.

Your reference now is certainly a major change from your earlier reference. The first comment was even less defensible than this one.

GUWonder

So how many 25,000 SkyMiles domestic awards on DL operated flights booked on the same day or previous day are going to vanish with this upcoming major change to the award chart?

Evan!

"uh-ONE... uh-TWOOO... THRRRREE....", Mr Owl.

The world may never know.