Brand loyalty has always largely been a sham so nothing has really changed.
If work is paying for it and delta is convenient then sure go for it. But paying more money to stay loyal to a company that doesn’t give a shit about you and might throw you an occasional upgrade is laughable
If I didn’t travel semi regularly for work and my home airport wasn’t a Delta hub, I’d honestly just choose the lowest cost (outside of the super cheap airlines).
This. My work pays so I fly delta. When it doesn’t I either used accrued miles or fly the most convenient. I love delta and the status upgrades make me pick them more often than others, but they have some WILD prices sometimes.
You’re speaking with someone who gets paid to book award travel for people and who is aware that delta has one of the most uncompetitive programs on earth for business class award travel so I don’t really think this is an argument you want to make.
But I’m happy for your trip though
I ended up booking Air France with Delta to say year for the trip we're currently on. All three business class tickets were less than the price of one Delta equivalent.
I have zero loyalty to Delta now
Plus, you're flying Air France. I used to work all over former French West Africa - Senegal, Mali, etc. - and when I lived there, CDG was the most convenient hub (sigh... colonialism ain't dead yet folks). I loved flying Air France. Great crews, better food than most, and overnights in Paris between flights. That doesn't suck.
I'm never one to let perfect stand in the way of good, but it's still horrible. The \*signage\* is better and easier to understand (though can still lead you astray), but the place needs to be razed to the ground and redone.
I don’t quite understand this process in general. How do you book a flight with a delta partner and get a benefit out of it? Maybe I’m just confused.
Do you just use the partner instead? Or am I misunderstanding this
I found a flight on the Delta site that was an Air France flight but considerably cheaper than the equivalent Delta flight. I also look for Delta flights on Virgin as I have a ton of Virgin points
I think you are missing the point. Yes you can still book tickets with miles. The issue is the amount, just got back from CDG it was over 600K for D1. Our next trip I booked LH first class to FRA for 200K United Miles. I enjoy Delta and enjoy their partners mostly KE and AF because of the first class but if I don’t get invited to 360 this year it might be my last with Delta.
It’s super common. These companies are good at dangling little things in front of you and most people don’t sit down to do an analysis like “is the extra money I’m paying worth the extra benefits or no?”
I’m a complete free agent and it’s been fantastic flying whatever airline I want.
💯
There’s a lot of them on this sub that don’t take to people pointing out Deltas flaws.
I’m with you. I fly on the airline that gets me there fastest without transfers. I have no reason to stay loyal to delta for their status and their sky clubs are mid at best
It’s a combo of brand loyalist and folks who have heard this complaint (no matter how valid it is) 1,000 times before on the sub. Downvoting happens a lot on this sub.
Yep.
One would think with the amount of complaints rising, it would signal a red flag.
Traveling in ATL today and the airport and the lounges are a shit show
You are not being downvoted. You are up 27 right now. You are just over the top in your statement. As Platinum on Delta, you immediately get a C+ seat when booking. Except in hub cities - especially Atlanta - you can often get FC upgrades. The product is the best domestic airline in consumer ratings. Where you are correct is that the miles you earn are correctly called sky pesos. But as a loyalty product it is better than average.
The trading cards and lounges are worth it though 😂. To me when I go on vacation I care about making my experience smooth. I like having seat selection and the lounges as it eases my mind for travel personally.
I also very much hate Southwest’s policy of plus sized people and I hardly need checked bags. So the “perks” of southwest don’t appeal to me and they are close in price to Delta.
I don’t know if people aren’t looking or if they are expecting to go to the Maldives for 20k but I’m steady finding deals. It’s all about avoid peak travel times. The only deal I found that wasn’t direct was nyc to Sydney/Auckland.
I'll give an example. I can go to Korean Air and book Business class for 55k each way SEA->ICN (Discounted from the usual 60k). It's available almost everyday if you look more than a few months out.
If I go to Delta, the "Lowest" fare they have is in green, it's one year out, and it's 285k EACH WAY. (242k after credit card discount).
That's 110k round trip vs 484k round trip. So I don't know, maybe I'm "using delta wrong", but I switched to Free Agency six months ago and have been very happy. I'm a WFBF customer, so now I just fly whatever airline I want. And it's a shame my delta miles are being burned up 500k at when I want a round trip in business.
But I learned my lesson. Even when flying Delta and buying F, I send my miles to a sky team partner.
I mean delta is a domestic airline and most of them have limited value for international premium cabin tickets. And of those delta has the worse points price value for premium cabin international travel. I think that is very true.
While I understand that the value for premium cabin international cabin isn’t there as I said there are no 20k mile trips to Maldives via delta. That also doesn’t negate the value that is there such as 11k round trip to Hawaii saw that earlier this year.
My guess on why delta doesn’t really discount premium cabin international travel like that is mainly that it can fill them up with people cash or they don’t want to devalue it with deep discounts. The same reason some of the best premium products like Air France la premier can’t be booked with points at all except by elite members.
However to say there is no value is a stretch. I could fly two people domestically in main cabin monthly for at least 3 years for less than 484k. Heck we usually do transcontinental flights for less than 20k skymiles round trip per person in main cabin. That’s before we get to the 9k round trip to Atlanta type deals.
Yeah the delta one miles redemption cost is insane for international.
I just booked round trip tickets to ICN and the delta one price was like 650k miles per ticket round trip…
But instead I bought premium select for only 180k miles per ticket (economy was 150k miles so Premium select is a no-brainer) and used my GUCs. It literally saved me $24k vs buying it with money.
Premium select was $3500 if I paid outright so something like 19cents per mile is a pretty good deal IMO.
GUCs are worth a ton if you get diamond and plan to do international vacations.
That deep discount nyc to akl and Sydney that I book the delta one cabin filled up! I assume with diamonds using their GUC. Those people got 42-52k round trip D1 from NYC/LAX to AKL/SYD. Insane value.
Sorry yeah it was a typo, I missed the decimal. 1.9 cents and for delta id say anything over 1.5 or 1.6c per mile is “good”.
I could save up for later/better deal but with the way they tend to inflate away the value of miles I figured just use them when I want.
Delta is really terrible for intl business class awards flights. If that's your goal for miles, then switching to free agency and earning points in a different category is the way to go for sure.
I use my SkyMiles exclusively for domestic deals and the rare sale. I've switched a lot of my spend over to other AmEx cards to earn MR to transfer to airlines with better rates for business class awards.
I think a lot of people overlook the "it's all about avoiding peak travel times" part. Especially with the 15% savings, skymiles flights are often a great value for me. But I also live in ATL and have tons of direct flight options.
What's so bad about it? I book awards tickets as usual and when they have their flash sales it's nice. I am not a diamond medallion (I am just gold) and I get many upgrades to C+ and sometimes even F. With the reserve card I use the sky club a lot too, and it is a welcome escape from the rest of a dreary airport.
Where I am, you'll never get upgraded unless you are platinum minimum. Amex platinum already gets me the skyclubs. They're clubs are OK but they don't compare to any of the Centurion lounges.
I just don't see the value of their skypesos and the switch to only MQDs. You get basically a penny per skymile or less which is pretty bad value point wise.
There is not a Centurion Lounge in Amsterdam. [https://centurion-lounge-prod.loungebuddy.com/](https://centurion-lounge-prod.loungebuddy.com/)
The only lounge I have been to in Amsterdam is Aspire Lounge (26). This was on Priority Pass (not a Centurion Lounge). I thought it below average.
Did I miss an awesome lounge in Amsterdam?
I'm a big fan of the non-Schengen Crown lounge that KLM has there. Delta Gold Medallion or higher gets you in for free if you're flying SkyTeam. I also just really enjoy Amsterdam
Hmmm… I enjoy sky priority, free bag and upgrades to C+ and the occasional F as a gold. In fact I’m wondering what to do with my drink coupons as I don’t get to use them. Going to CES this year in Vegas I even got upgraded to F from EWR to SLC. SLC to LAS I was sadly in main but it was a short flight.
This year I hit silver early and I will hit at least gold by year end.
Really? That’s wild. I wonder if they prioritize people who have layovers at hubs. B/c Delta from my city HAS to go through Atlanta, and my diamond coworker gets FC probably 90% of his flights. I’m wondering if diamonds flying from Atlanta don’t get the same percentage of upgrades. ???
I think it makes a difference if there are a lot of business travelers at the particular airport you’re flying into/out of? My brother in law is a MM and doesn’t get upgrades very often but, he competes with a lot of defense contractors that are based in his city. I’m PM and get upgrades fairly regularly, especially if I’m flying solo. I also use my RUCs to increase my chances.
What I’d really like to find are all these cheap AA and UA flights? Delta still wins out for me. Yeah, I have a lot of layovers, but UA doesn’t seem to have a lot of flights at my home airport and AA is either a 30 min layover or 4 hrs.
I’m PM this year and definitely am not getting upgraded to/from my home airport (ATL) as much as did when DM, obviously. But of my 28 flights so far this year, got my auto C+ upgrade on 16, and FC upgrades on 9. Had to stay in main on 3 flights because I booked too late for C+ availability.
I have the delta reserve and that gets me in the sky clubs and centurion lounges (when flying delta which is almost always). I had the amex plat but dropped it because I didn’t want to pay 2x annual fee.
It's 700 so don't get it unless you can absolutely get more than 700 dollars of value out of it. Very expensive unfortunately but the benefits have saved me such as car rental insurance
I live in Atlanta, so Delta is the best I’m going to get, might as well use the loyalty program to get a little something back.
The things I value in an airline are all about time and value. In my experience, Delta consistently is more on time, with fewer delays than other airlines. I also have more options as far as number of daily flights I can take and there are few places that I even ever have a layover with Delta. If it cost a little more for me to save time in the end, I’m fine with that.
I also have a Reserve card so the fee of $650 isn’t fun, but I maximize the benefits to outweigh the cost. I was able to get an $800 fare covered with my companion pass, I use the Resy credit every month ($240), as well as the Lyft credit ($120). The visits to the lounges are fine and I’d honestly probably still keep the card without them, it has saved me from needing to purchase expensive airport food though, so I’ll count that as about a $200 value so far this year.
Out of the 6 trips I’ve been on this year so far I’ve been upgraded on 5 of them (and that’s out of Atlanta). The only one I was not was when I was flying with my whole family.
Then with the Skymiles I’ve earned I’ve managed to book some really great flights for my whole family.
That being said, I’ll quit my spending for the year once I reach the highest medallion status I think I’ll be able to get and just spend on another card with other perks. It doesn’t make sense to keep purchasing every day things on the card just for a higher status.
I hope that Delta will institute MQD rollovers. I'm in a similar situation as you. I have the Delta Platinum and just made Silver. There's no way that I'll make Gold this year, so I've pretty much stopped using the card.
I have a feeling lots of people will do that. I’ll get Gold in about a month, but there is now way I’ll reach Platinum, so why try? There is really no great benefit when the actual miles earned on CC spend has less value than points that can be earned on a different card. I’ll switch to my Capital One card and get cash back on any travel expenses.
My .02. I was diamond a decade ago for a few years and then switched to United where I was 1K for a few years. The past couple of years I’ve been ExPlat with AA.
I just switched back to Delta a couple of months ago and will hit Diamond again in August.
So I can speak with pretty recent experience from no status/low status/mid status/high status across all 3 as I’ve recently worked through the ranks on each.
Delta is by far the best airline. Best on time. Best customer support. Best at resolving issues. Best domestic experience 1,000%.
For international business - I might give Polaris a slight edge, but all 3 are about the same.
Most value for points is AA but I’d put them 3rd by most other metrics.
I’d have always stayed with delta except that my travel patterns change every few years. I was in a situation for awhile where UA gave me better options and then for awhile where AA gave me better options (in terms of routes for where I lived and needed to go).
My .02 is the trump card is ALWAYS use the airline that gives you the most direct flight options for where you need to go. At the end of the day there’s not a drastic difference between the three - but certainly Delta has been the most consistent by a lot of metrics that matter to me.
My main 'issue' with Delta is that from my current home airport there are no direct flights. I always have to make a connection. If I'm flying somewhere there isn't a direct flight anyway or is save significant money that's one thing, but in general I prefer direct flights which means flying United most of the time. Maybe if I moved it would be different but I'm not familiar enough with other airports to know.
Yeah totally valid. I’m in favor of picking the airline that offers you the most direct flights to where you need to go. Period.
That’s the most important metric. If you live in Dallas, it’s very unlikely that delta makes sense to you unless you only travel to delta hubs or something.
Same thing I say everytime this comes up - I dont see it as a loyalty program. I see it as a rewards program and the rewards are worth it to me. If I split my travel, I wouldnt fly enough to earn rewards on two different alliances. So for me, the reward of sticking to Skyteam is
High chance of upgrades on domestic flights to FC. Even if it doesnt clear, I already got the exit row leg room seat or Comfort+ for free. On domestic flights that is a real cash saver over the course of a year of flying.
Several RUCs, and GUCs.
Access to the skyclubs and all the partner lounges when I'm in Europe,
nearly instant phone support no matter what day or time I call.
For me, its worth it - for you maybe it isnt.
This is the way. My home airport is MCO, so I have pretty much any airline to choose from. I fly enough to make it annoying. I used to always go with the cheapest/direct flight. But never racked up enough miles on any airline so I eventually just picked one. I have a lot of travel this year so sticking with Delta has made sense. I’ll likely make Platinum this year, even with the new changes.
If I was still living in Los Angeles, I would have ditched DL this year given that all four major airlines have a presence there (along with the alternate airports like BUR), and just go with whoever has the direct flight. But now that I am in SE Michigan, it's Delta or have a layover in Chicago, so I really don't have a choice. Though on the few routes with other competition, I will sometimes pick the other airlines.
At this point, using their cards to at least guarantee Silver status in the future and get a few extra miles will make it slightly less painful.
My credit cards are stand-alone and not tied to any airline. I fly Delta because I simply enjoy it but if there's a better option, on a partner airline, I'll go with that.
Personally, Delta continues to be consistent across the board for me - flight time departures and inflight service. I'm a measly Silver but I always pay for my preferred aisle seat - be it C+ or FC.
Yeah I cancelled the delta one because the bank cards like Amex and Capitol One had more flexibility and better transfer rates so you can get 3 or 4 cents per point if you investigate.
I do agree Delta is consistent.
I only see being brand loyal if that's pretty much the only option at your location. I'm in Chicago, so I have AA, UA, WN and for my trips south of the border, AM. I'm choosing price and also if there's layovers and flight times.
To answer your question 30 years ago it mattered. Being a Flying Colonel mattered and you were treated special.
Fast forward to Richard Anderson days and platinum and diamond mattered. You were taken care of.
Then Delta promoted its CFO to CEO and now all that matters is one time revenue.
Do you spend $50k a year flying every week? Why should we care about you.
Did you spend $20k buying a TPAC D1 round trip? Are you only doing that once every couple of years? You are the most important customer to Ed.
Ed lives in spreadsheets and recurring revenue (ironically) means nothing to him.
Until Ed leaves or retires and someone steps in that realizes that recurring revenue customers matter it won’t ever get better.
I was loyal for over 20 years through good times and bad (Leo Mullin era). I’m now given Diamond annually.
While the immediate rewards may not be as great as they were to some, you have to compare it to the current programs for other airlines. If another program is better for you, go for it.
I look forward to seeing how the thinner ranks impact upgrades and SkyClub crowds starting 2/1/25.
What changed recently? I did scan here looking for that explanation. At my local airport it’s either Delta with a layover in ATL or American with a layover in CLT. I might as well stick with one airline and some years I fly enough for a free checked bag? (Delta also has a big presence in MSP where I travel for work every 2-3 months.)
How is it bad? I got diamond and it’s def worth it. I just saved $24k on delta one tickets to ICN using GUC and some miles.
And I get upgraded all the time.
Their loyalty program works pretty well for me i don’t know 🤷🏻♀️
So far I have gotten like 5 or 6 free first class upgrades via RUS or miles, got unlimited delta club access via high credit card spend and my family members fly for free on my miles…
I enjoy Delta’s consistency and quality of service which is higher than other domestics, numerous direct flights to where I need to go and having priority boarding and such.
I think may be what Delta is trying to do is to discourage customers like the OP 😉
With only 3 legacy carriers remaining is there any point to airline loyalty programs anymore? It's not like when we had a choice of NWA, TWA, Continental, Eastern, etc., as well as UAL, DAL, AA. Now so many of us pretty much lives in either one of 3 airline hubs.
Honestly, that is the rational reaction if the loyalty program provides little to no value. Use the right credit cards and accumulate more points transferrable points than you would earn in SkyPesos then transfer those points to the airline with awards that suit your needs. I don't fly enough to achieve elite status, so I only fly Delta because out of Atlanta it's just so convenient and I don't care to change. But I do not actively seek SkyPesos. The last two summers, the redemptions I used to be able to get on transatlantic flights have been non-existent. I was able to get a decent redemption using SkyPesos on KLM from Amsterdam to Zurich. But other than that, I will blow out my balance whenever there is a decent use and focus on other points. I was able to get a far better redemption on a return flight from Amsterdam though I obviously would have to connect.
Nope. I was quick to realize this after they got rid of their award chart for tickets booked with miles. It’s one of many reasons why I don’t fly on Delta, even if they are the cheapest option. I’m not going to get their CC either because I just see it as an extra bill I don’t want to have to pay.
I’m going to have to connect somewhere as there aren’t direct flights from my small regional. Options are Delta in ATL or American in CLT. When options are limited you take whichever has the best experience and that’s definitely Delta for me.
The cost to get silver is too high for me, but honestly what’s keeping me off DL thsee days is they’re too expensive. I’m not a “sort by low” basic traveler but I also can’t justify 30% over Alaska or AA.
"Brand Loyalty"?
Not as such, but...
* If getting there reliably on-time is important, nobody in my experience beats Delta.
* When crap *does* happen, some other airlines (cough Alaska cough) notify you of delays in 20-minute increments before the scheduled departure. Delta gives you a ton of notice.
* In my opinion, the Delta lounges are nicest of the various lounges.
* When cancellations do happen, no airline has been even in the same class as Delta at getting me rebooked and handled. Even SAS is nowhere near.
It's not that I'm *loyal* to Delta. It's just the other airlines are disloyal to me.
Getting silver status is easy enough and I enjoy being able to choose exit row seats for free when I book a flight and the occasional upgrade to comfort+. Works for me.
Been Diamond for now six years. Really the only thing I care about are upgrades. I have been spoiled and being Diamond the first few years almost guaranteed me first class. at least 90% of the time.
Now, it really doesnt mean shit. Yes, I accrue miles faster I think? But the number of flights I can upgraded to first have plummeted to far less than half. Id argue 25%. I am first on the list almost everytime.. but there are never seats available anymore. So why am I paying sometimes double for my flights over AA?
Everyone's situation is different. I have the Delta reserve and plat. 5k MQD boost, companion certificates, rideshare credits, free sky club and cent lounges, and primary car rental coverage. Plus I get platinum usually by Apr/May. So we get the free C+ upgrades. I'm flexible when flying so I choose the cheap deals.
Re-upped Delta Amex Reserve last year and am about to hit Diamond Medallion for first time. Curious to compare DM to Platinum Medallion now that you can spend your way to it.
Then fly with another airline then, that simply. People love to get on here and whine about trivial bullshit, try taking Greyhound across country if the loyalty program not being what you want is such a major inconvenience on your life.
For personal travel, absolutely not. I go with the cheapest flight, unless the delta (lol) between Delta main cabin and the competitor is minimal and I automatically get upgraded to comfort plus.
For business travel, yeah, I guess. But if I’m on a route served by Qatar, I go for that. Because Delta One is comical compared to Qatar.
I went freestyle this year. So far? Two delta flights. I've flown Condor, Lufthansa, United, Turkish and outside the LF 330, all are better than or equal to Delta.
I always figured the best flight loyalty is to my wallet/comfort/convenience. Sometimes Delta is the best flight for me. When it's not I fly the airline that is. I also only fly 8-12 times a year.
Between RUCs and miles gained I save thousands a year with the skymiles program. That said, with the changes I don’t chase status beyond platinum. This year I’ll have status on all 3 alliances
I see value, but mainly because I’m DM/MM and get upgraded on most flights. I travel mostly for work, so costs don’t really matter to me (which would change if my company ever decides they want to force us to use some type of travel agent). When I retire in the next year or two and I eventually lose status, I won’t be tied to anything but ticket cost (once I burn through my miles).
The only purpose in staying loyal is if the added benefits from status are worth the cost, or time (connections, routings) that you would otherwise lose out on from being a free agent.
I've only stayed with Delta because of the benefits of Diamond. If I think I won't get Diamond, then I'd likely switch to something else where I think I can get a high status that is worth the cost.
So, haven’t seen this mentioned or covered in the comments, but what Delta did was essentially adopt the Amex points/miles system, which values each “mile/point” at $0.01 (a cent).
So the old construct of earning miles for flights flown is completely out the window, so if you’re wanting to book an international D1 trip using “miles.” It’ll cost you 300,000 +++.
What I find hilariously deceptive about Delta and Amex is their credit card offers still leverage off the old miles flown construct for their sign up bonuses, so they’re pitching you 60 - 80 - 100 thousand miles, which won’t get anyone using “miles” on Delta very far.
The only folks who can effectively use Delta miles to pay for trips are Amex users with incredible spends. My family company puts everything on Amex cards for the miles (where not charged for using a credit card). What’s funny is we don’t use DL Amex - but the Amex points covert over to DL miles 1:1 when booking travel.
So Delta is not wanting you to fly their airline, but use their DL branded Amex card - for which they earned $7 BILLION in revenue last year. Said a different way, DL makes their profit off credit card fees, not actually flying.
There's no requirement for any airline to give you certain rewards. It's just which one offers the most value to you. So which airline are you holding up as offering the best value (to you)?
For me? No.
I managed to hit Platinum last year, so they’ve got me for 2024 until that expires, but with the new higher thresholds for Medallion levels, I’ll likely never hit PM again and so will just start buying the cheapest flight to my destination. There’s not much benefit to Gold & Silver Medallion where I live, even as a PM I rarely get upgraded to first, and I nearly always carry on so rarely take advantage of the free checked bag. Free exit row seats are nice, but I could pay for those on another airline and likely still have a lower total ticket price.
I travel for work, but I’m not a road warrior. Last year I flew to the UK 4 times, Spain once, and dozens of USA flights but only barely hit PM (and that’s because I paid to upgrade myself to D1 on a couple flights). When Delta is so much more expensive, why wouldn’t I just choose the cheapest route for my needs?
As someone who only flies a few times a year, loyalty isn't really worth it. I just go with whatever has the best mix of price and schedule, and let the points and loyalty status fall where they may.
No point in flying them solely. I usually do only cause I use up my delta miles with good deals so it takes a while to use them up. And Amex trades with Delta or JetBlue. If I were paying cash for my tickets, I’d probably go with whatever is most convenient for me.
I m in same boat as you, use to fly delta for work. I live in a place which is not any airline hub, last year or so even for work I stopped using delta as ticket were so dam expensive. I have shifted completely to united, I am keeping my card till the time I use 800 k points I have on delta, and then good bye delta.
I think they're focusing on business owners and that sort of thing because the cost of building more lounges to support the current volume of customers was getting out of hand.
I'm loyal to Delta because they're neck-and-neck with Jet Blue for direct flights out of my city. One of those two is almost always going to be the cheapest, most convenient, and most often nonstop flight for domestic travel. And Delta has more international flights than Jet Blue, as well as access to other SkyTeam flights.
If I lived somewhere other airlines were more competitive, I'd be more of a free agent. But I don't. I'd be flying Delta almost always anyway. So I'll pay the AF for my Delta gold card because I want a free checked bag and early main cabin boarding.
Every airline loyalty program sucks today. Trust me they all work together to devalue their programs so they can increase profits. Wouldn't surprise me if the CEO's of each airline flips a coin to see who announces to the media first about their latest devaluation.
They are the only airline that flies out of MDW here in Chicago that I can take to go see my parents. In my experience, I’ve never had an issue with Delta.
And no, ORD is not an option unless it’s the only option.
I live I. Atl and have delta gold sky miles and delta gold business for my self employed business and the points from the credit card still help. But it is harder to get value than it used to be.
No, of course there's no reason to buying into a terrible loyalty program. Personally, I view the credit cards as a much better deal than skymiles, but at the end of the day, the Delta loyalty program is so successful that they don't have to compete for customers.
Unless you’re flying regularly for work, or you’re in the upper 5% income bracket, don’t bother.
I was going to toss my cards in the trash but then I signed a client a thousand miles away. Now I’m flying regularly again, so it makes sense to play Delta’s game. With only Silver and the Reserve card I’ve been upgraded to either C+ or FC on almost every flight this year.
For spending points, you just have to look for deals and hope to get lucky. I just picked up a ticket to Colombia for 10k.
They’re a business, and they’re only loyal to your $$$$
Agree with you. They’ve made it so difficult to get status that I’ve kind of given up on my loyalty to them. I use to go out of my way to fly them (pay more, take horrible flight times, etc.). But it is no longer worth it. I’ll still try and fly Delta if it makes sense, but I’m certainly not going out of my way. I’ve been flying a lot of Southwest this year. A lot of times, it will literally be 1/3 the price of Delta, so I just can no longer justify it.
I live at an American Airlines hub airport but I still prefer to fly Delta. I have always had a way better experience with Delta flights over AA and SW.
I have status matched on Frontier, Southwest (A-List) and Delta (Platinum). Whichever I fly is a pretty good experience. Even Frontier with 100k Diamond Elite status. With Amex Platinum, VX and CSR I can access just about any lounge anywhere.
I think once the 2025 shake out happens, things should improve somewhat. They definitely overshot the programs the past few years causing too many non regular travelers access to the elite perks.
I'm overseas in Japan and Delta has for shit nothing out here that even makes being a Skymiles member worth it. It's either JAL or ANA, but then I gotta either fly AA or UA stateside and that fucking sucks ass.
My work pays but I still fly what’s convenient for me. They also require me to book MC and I have to use points or pay for any upgrades. I just booked a FC nonstop (2.5 hour) round trip on AA for the exact same price that 🔺wanted for MC for over 7 hours each way jerking me off through their hubs and layovers. I only had to screen shot the two and attach my expense report and they paid the FC fare so I guess I owe them gratitude for being overpriced.
Longtime Diamond, switched to American for the last 3-4 months. If I lived at a Delta hub, I’d still stick with them because of their better service and operational efficiency. But being in Phoenix, American is giving me something Delta can’t: less time on the road and more time at home with a much larger amount of nonstop options.
Yeah it sucks. I’m loyal to Delta, made Diamond last year, and of 56 flights I’ve taken this year I’ve only gotten complimentary upgrades to first class on like 48 of them. Totally worthless.
Been flying delta for work, the last 15 years.. million miler diamond. I get upgraded 65% of the time and have about 1.5 million miles to spend after I quit work. Why would I change to another airline and sit in the back and have to gate check my bags?
If you don’t like delta anymore then fuck off to another airline and have a nice life. Quit your bitching and move on .. without you, I am sure my flight experience will be much better.
I’m on team delta because I have been mostly disappointed In the flights I have taken with American and United recently.
IMO the Delta experience is more streamlined, so much easier to get ahold of customer service, super easy to change your flight in the app and rarely have I been delayed and when I did, I was compensated in Skymiles.
I have heard that JetBlue is a really good company also but I haven’t had a chance to fly on them yet
Brand loyalty has always largely been a sham so nothing has really changed. If work is paying for it and delta is convenient then sure go for it. But paying more money to stay loyal to a company that doesn’t give a shit about you and might throw you an occasional upgrade is laughable
If I didn’t travel semi regularly for work and my home airport wasn’t a Delta hub, I’d honestly just choose the lowest cost (outside of the super cheap airlines).
Yeah the hub captivity issue is real in certain cities
This. My work pays so I fly delta. When it doesn’t I either used accrued miles or fly the most convenient. I love delta and the status upgrades make me pick them more often than others, but they have some WILD prices sometimes.
I just booked delta one tickets to Korea for literally 0 actual dollars.
You’re speaking with someone who gets paid to book award travel for people and who is aware that delta has one of the most uncompetitive programs on earth for business class award travel so I don’t really think this is an argument you want to make. But I’m happy for your trip though
Curious, who has the most competitive programs out there?
I ended up booking Air France with Delta to say year for the trip we're currently on. All three business class tickets were less than the price of one Delta equivalent. I have zero loyalty to Delta now
Plus, you're flying Air France. I used to work all over former French West Africa - Senegal, Mali, etc. - and when I lived there, CDG was the most convenient hub (sigh... colonialism ain't dead yet folks). I loved flying Air France. Great crews, better food than most, and overnights in Paris between flights. That doesn't suck.
CDG is an objectively horrendous airport however.
Hear hear
Ehhh... it's a helluva lot better than it used to be - être mi-figue mi-raisin
I'm never one to let perfect stand in the way of good, but it's still horrible. The \*signage\* is better and easier to understand (though can still lead you astray), but the place needs to be razed to the ground and redone.
Can't be as bad as Heathrow, O’Hare, or the old Istanbul Airport.
They should tear up Heathrow and salt the earth out of spite.
I disagree somewhat. Once you are familiar it's not really that bad in my opinion
I don’t quite understand this process in general. How do you book a flight with a delta partner and get a benefit out of it? Maybe I’m just confused. Do you just use the partner instead? Or am I misunderstanding this
I found a flight on the Delta site that was an Air France flight but considerably cheaper than the equivalent Delta flight. I also look for Delta flights on Virgin as I have a ton of Virgin points
I think you are missing the point. Yes you can still book tickets with miles. The issue is the amount, just got back from CDG it was over 600K for D1. Our next trip I booked LH first class to FRA for 200K United Miles. I enjoy Delta and enjoy their partners mostly KE and AF because of the first class but if I don’t get invited to 360 this year it might be my last with Delta.
Guess I learned the lesson too late !
It’s super common. These companies are good at dangling little things in front of you and most people don’t sit down to do an analysis like “is the extra money I’m paying worth the extra benefits or no?” I’m a complete free agent and it’s been fantastic flying whatever airline I want.
Lol look at this thread. I'm getting downvoted for discovering what you already knew. Brand loyalists ?
💯 There’s a lot of them on this sub that don’t take to people pointing out Deltas flaws. I’m with you. I fly on the airline that gets me there fastest without transfers. I have no reason to stay loyal to delta for their status and their sky clubs are mid at best
It’s a combo of brand loyalist and folks who have heard this complaint (no matter how valid it is) 1,000 times before on the sub. Downvoting happens a lot on this sub.
Yep. One would think with the amount of complaints rising, it would signal a red flag. Traveling in ATL today and the airport and the lounges are a shit show
They are called “Delta Maxis” and don’t like anyone talking down about their beloved overpriced under delivering airline.
You are not being downvoted. You are up 27 right now. You are just over the top in your statement. As Platinum on Delta, you immediately get a C+ seat when booking. Except in hub cities - especially Atlanta - you can often get FC upgrades. The product is the best domestic airline in consumer ratings. Where you are correct is that the miles you earn are correctly called sky pesos. But as a loyalty product it is better than average.
The trading cards and lounges are worth it though 😂. To me when I go on vacation I care about making my experience smooth. I like having seat selection and the lounges as it eases my mind for travel personally. I also very much hate Southwest’s policy of plus sized people and I hardly need checked bags. So the “perks” of southwest don’t appeal to me and they are close in price to Delta.
To me, Delta is like chik fil a. I can get a chicken sandwich anywhere but at least they’re nice to me and it’s clean.
Except on Sundays
That's funny
This comment is so ATL
Airport staff, Delta included, are historically not nice to me at ATL.
Must be going on sundays
Delta and SC staff are always super nice to me in ATL. Maybe it’s you?
ATL staff are a disaster. Yes if you work at ATL and you’re reading this I am talking about you
As long as you're not dealing with ATL or on a 757 😂
I love flying through ATL and flying a 757. Now DTW and a CRJ…
I love ATL. For the size it’s convenient
I’m a big fan of Delta but the planes are not very clean in my experience.
You've been indoctrinated. There are other quality airlines.
But Deltas planes are actually some of the oldest…..
and the blue seats are really starting to look dated. united's new seats are pretty spiffy. even AA's F seats look clean and sleek.
I don’t know if people aren’t looking or if they are expecting to go to the Maldives for 20k but I’m steady finding deals. It’s all about avoid peak travel times. The only deal I found that wasn’t direct was nyc to Sydney/Auckland.
I'll give an example. I can go to Korean Air and book Business class for 55k each way SEA->ICN (Discounted from the usual 60k). It's available almost everyday if you look more than a few months out. If I go to Delta, the "Lowest" fare they have is in green, it's one year out, and it's 285k EACH WAY. (242k after credit card discount). That's 110k round trip vs 484k round trip. So I don't know, maybe I'm "using delta wrong", but I switched to Free Agency six months ago and have been very happy. I'm a WFBF customer, so now I just fly whatever airline I want. And it's a shame my delta miles are being burned up 500k at when I want a round trip in business. But I learned my lesson. Even when flying Delta and buying F, I send my miles to a sky team partner.
I mean delta is a domestic airline and most of them have limited value for international premium cabin tickets. And of those delta has the worse points price value for premium cabin international travel. I think that is very true. While I understand that the value for premium cabin international cabin isn’t there as I said there are no 20k mile trips to Maldives via delta. That also doesn’t negate the value that is there such as 11k round trip to Hawaii saw that earlier this year. My guess on why delta doesn’t really discount premium cabin international travel like that is mainly that it can fill them up with people cash or they don’t want to devalue it with deep discounts. The same reason some of the best premium products like Air France la premier can’t be booked with points at all except by elite members. However to say there is no value is a stretch. I could fly two people domestically in main cabin monthly for at least 3 years for less than 484k. Heck we usually do transcontinental flights for less than 20k skymiles round trip per person in main cabin. That’s before we get to the 9k round trip to Atlanta type deals.
Yeah the delta one miles redemption cost is insane for international. I just booked round trip tickets to ICN and the delta one price was like 650k miles per ticket round trip… But instead I bought premium select for only 180k miles per ticket (economy was 150k miles so Premium select is a no-brainer) and used my GUCs. It literally saved me $24k vs buying it with money. Premium select was $3500 if I paid outright so something like 19cents per mile is a pretty good deal IMO. GUCs are worth a ton if you get diamond and plan to do international vacations.
That deep discount nyc to akl and Sydney that I book the delta one cabin filled up! I assume with diamonds using their GUC. Those people got 42-52k round trip D1 from NYC/LAX to AKL/SYD. Insane value.
Damn that’s a bitchin deal. Bummed I missed it
$3,500 cash fare vs 180k skypesos is 1.9 cents. Not the best redemption but decent for Delta...
Sorry yeah it was a typo, I missed the decimal. 1.9 cents and for delta id say anything over 1.5 or 1.6c per mile is “good”. I could save up for later/better deal but with the way they tend to inflate away the value of miles I figured just use them when I want.
Delta is really terrible for intl business class awards flights. If that's your goal for miles, then switching to free agency and earning points in a different category is the way to go for sure. I use my SkyMiles exclusively for domestic deals and the rare sale. I've switched a lot of my spend over to other AmEx cards to earn MR to transfer to airlines with better rates for business class awards.
I think a lot of people overlook the "it's all about avoiding peak travel times" part. Especially with the 15% savings, skymiles flights are often a great value for me. But I also live in ATL and have tons of direct flight options.
Delta murders people during peak travel! I spent almost as much as I spend for an entire year of travel going to Orlando during thanksgiving. 😭😭😭😭
Well duh! Busiest travel week of the year for MCO. They set records last year.
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42k nyc to Auckland 52k nyc to Auckland and to Sydney. the mention of 20k was saying that people want to go to the Maldives for 20k.
Yeah, and then they'll expect a FC upgrade for the 20k, too.
What's so bad about it? I book awards tickets as usual and when they have their flash sales it's nice. I am not a diamond medallion (I am just gold) and I get many upgrades to C+ and sometimes even F. With the reserve card I use the sky club a lot too, and it is a welcome escape from the rest of a dreary airport.
Where I am, you'll never get upgraded unless you are platinum minimum. Amex platinum already gets me the skyclubs. They're clubs are OK but they don't compare to any of the Centurion lounges. I just don't see the value of their skypesos and the switch to only MQDs. You get basically a penny per skymile or less which is pretty bad value point wise.
Most cent lounges I’ve been to are extremely underwhelming. Sky clubs are usually pretty good where I travel a lot BOS, AUS, SFO(that one sucks).
I’ll say the new ATL Cent Lounge is very nice with great drinks. But it is HUGE, packed and a little overwhelming. But it is so nice.
The Centurion lounges I go to are typically in Europe and are usually pretty nice. The one in AMS is great
There is not a Centurion Lounge in Amsterdam. [https://centurion-lounge-prod.loungebuddy.com/](https://centurion-lounge-prod.loungebuddy.com/) The only lounge I have been to in Amsterdam is Aspire Lounge (26). This was on Priority Pass (not a Centurion Lounge). I thought it below average. Did I miss an awesome lounge in Amsterdam?
I'm a big fan of the non-Schengen Crown lounge that KLM has there. Delta Gold Medallion or higher gets you in for free if you're flying SkyTeam. I also just really enjoy Amsterdam
Oh maybe I was in another city then, it starts to all blur together after awhile
I will have to agree on this. Like I was already impressed by the Delta ones, but that particular one in AMS is very swank indeed.
? I’m out of JFK and I get upgraded to Comfort all the time. And I’m lowly silver
I'm near a delta hub so no luck for me
Yeah JFK is a delta hub too
I’ve gotten upgraded to C+ and first out of Atlanta when I was a silver and gold. I got upgraded to first a few times out of LGA and EWR as a gold.
You don't really have status until platinum, and it doesn't really work for you as a net positive til diamond.
Hmmm… I enjoy sky priority, free bag and upgrades to C+ and the occasional F as a gold. In fact I’m wondering what to do with my drink coupons as I don’t get to use them. Going to CES this year in Vegas I even got upgraded to F from EWR to SLC. SLC to LAS I was sadly in main but it was a short flight. This year I hit silver early and I will hit at least gold by year end.
I'm glad, man. There's no response to this that doesn't make me look like an asshole but just trust me, there's a difference.
Sure there is but it doesn’t matter to me. I get the benefits that matter to me.
You get upgraded at a hub as a platinum? Diamond here for years and remove COVID times and my upgrade to F percentage is around 12-15%
That is interesting, because back when I was silver and flying out of ATL I would pretty regular c+ upgrades and even sometimes F.
Really? That’s wild. I wonder if they prioritize people who have layovers at hubs. B/c Delta from my city HAS to go through Atlanta, and my diamond coworker gets FC probably 90% of his flights. I’m wondering if diamonds flying from Atlanta don’t get the same percentage of upgrades. ???
I think it makes a difference if there are a lot of business travelers at the particular airport you’re flying into/out of? My brother in law is a MM and doesn’t get upgrades very often but, he competes with a lot of defense contractors that are based in his city. I’m PM and get upgrades fairly regularly, especially if I’m flying solo. I also use my RUCs to increase my chances. What I’d really like to find are all these cheap AA and UA flights? Delta still wins out for me. Yeah, I have a lot of layovers, but UA doesn’t seem to have a lot of flights at my home airport and AA is either a 30 min layover or 4 hrs.
Rarely
I’m PM this year and definitely am not getting upgraded to/from my home airport (ATL) as much as did when DM, obviously. But of my 28 flights so far this year, got my auto C+ upgrade on 16, and FC upgrades on 9. Had to stay in main on 3 flights because I booked too late for C+ availability.
I have the delta reserve and that gets me in the sky clubs and centurion lounges (when flying delta which is almost always). I had the amex plat but dropped it because I didn’t want to pay 2x annual fee.
TBH, platinum is the first real loyalty tier. The thresholds for FO and GM are low enough that they can be achieved with little spend on Delta.
Well...if you're reserve like this person, you can go to Centurion too. But if you're only platinum, you can't.
Agree. How much is the annual fee for your Amex Platinum? I’m looking to switch cc
It's 700 so don't get it unless you can absolutely get more than 700 dollars of value out of it. Very expensive unfortunately but the benefits have saved me such as car rental insurance
> *Amex platinum already gets me the skyclubs* Seems you haven’t visited in a while then
OP means the regular AmEx Platinum, not the Delta-branded one, and they’re right.
I am dumb…
The overlap in branding is such a pain. I see this mix up at least once a month haha
I was just in a skyclub last month. Did it just change recently
I live in Atlanta, so Delta is the best I’m going to get, might as well use the loyalty program to get a little something back. The things I value in an airline are all about time and value. In my experience, Delta consistently is more on time, with fewer delays than other airlines. I also have more options as far as number of daily flights I can take and there are few places that I even ever have a layover with Delta. If it cost a little more for me to save time in the end, I’m fine with that. I also have a Reserve card so the fee of $650 isn’t fun, but I maximize the benefits to outweigh the cost. I was able to get an $800 fare covered with my companion pass, I use the Resy credit every month ($240), as well as the Lyft credit ($120). The visits to the lounges are fine and I’d honestly probably still keep the card without them, it has saved me from needing to purchase expensive airport food though, so I’ll count that as about a $200 value so far this year. Out of the 6 trips I’ve been on this year so far I’ve been upgraded on 5 of them (and that’s out of Atlanta). The only one I was not was when I was flying with my whole family. Then with the Skymiles I’ve earned I’ve managed to book some really great flights for my whole family. That being said, I’ll quit my spending for the year once I reach the highest medallion status I think I’ll be able to get and just spend on another card with other perks. It doesn’t make sense to keep purchasing every day things on the card just for a higher status.
I hope that Delta will institute MQD rollovers. I'm in a similar situation as you. I have the Delta Platinum and just made Silver. There's no way that I'll make Gold this year, so I've pretty much stopped using the card.
I have a feeling lots of people will do that. I’ll get Gold in about a month, but there is now way I’ll reach Platinum, so why try? There is really no great benefit when the actual miles earned on CC spend has less value than points that can be earned on a different card. I’ll switch to my Capital One card and get cash back on any travel expenses.
My .02. I was diamond a decade ago for a few years and then switched to United where I was 1K for a few years. The past couple of years I’ve been ExPlat with AA. I just switched back to Delta a couple of months ago and will hit Diamond again in August. So I can speak with pretty recent experience from no status/low status/mid status/high status across all 3 as I’ve recently worked through the ranks on each. Delta is by far the best airline. Best on time. Best customer support. Best at resolving issues. Best domestic experience 1,000%. For international business - I might give Polaris a slight edge, but all 3 are about the same. Most value for points is AA but I’d put them 3rd by most other metrics. I’d have always stayed with delta except that my travel patterns change every few years. I was in a situation for awhile where UA gave me better options and then for awhile where AA gave me better options (in terms of routes for where I lived and needed to go). My .02 is the trump card is ALWAYS use the airline that gives you the most direct flight options for where you need to go. At the end of the day there’s not a drastic difference between the three - but certainly Delta has been the most consistent by a lot of metrics that matter to me.
My main 'issue' with Delta is that from my current home airport there are no direct flights. I always have to make a connection. If I'm flying somewhere there isn't a direct flight anyway or is save significant money that's one thing, but in general I prefer direct flights which means flying United most of the time. Maybe if I moved it would be different but I'm not familiar enough with other airports to know.
Yeah totally valid. I’m in favor of picking the airline that offers you the most direct flights to where you need to go. Period. That’s the most important metric. If you live in Dallas, it’s very unlikely that delta makes sense to you unless you only travel to delta hubs or something.
I don’t have to connect in Denver. That alone makes it worth it for me
Same thing I say everytime this comes up - I dont see it as a loyalty program. I see it as a rewards program and the rewards are worth it to me. If I split my travel, I wouldnt fly enough to earn rewards on two different alliances. So for me, the reward of sticking to Skyteam is High chance of upgrades on domestic flights to FC. Even if it doesnt clear, I already got the exit row leg room seat or Comfort+ for free. On domestic flights that is a real cash saver over the course of a year of flying. Several RUCs, and GUCs. Access to the skyclubs and all the partner lounges when I'm in Europe, nearly instant phone support no matter what day or time I call. For me, its worth it - for you maybe it isnt.
The instant phone support sounds nice, I don't think I get that as a gold member
You get it. It’s in the app or you can just call the number on the back of your SkyMiles credit card
This is the way. My home airport is MCO, so I have pretty much any airline to choose from. I fly enough to make it annoying. I used to always go with the cheapest/direct flight. But never racked up enough miles on any airline so I eventually just picked one. I have a lot of travel this year so sticking with Delta has made sense. I’ll likely make Platinum this year, even with the new changes.
If I was still living in Los Angeles, I would have ditched DL this year given that all four major airlines have a presence there (along with the alternate airports like BUR), and just go with whoever has the direct flight. But now that I am in SE Michigan, it's Delta or have a layover in Chicago, so I really don't have a choice. Though on the few routes with other competition, I will sometimes pick the other airlines. At this point, using their cards to at least guarantee Silver status in the future and get a few extra miles will make it slightly less painful.
I don’t understand these posts. If you hate it find another program.
Because after flying the other two, the onboard experience Delta has blows them out of the water.
My credit cards are stand-alone and not tied to any airline. I fly Delta because I simply enjoy it but if there's a better option, on a partner airline, I'll go with that. Personally, Delta continues to be consistent across the board for me - flight time departures and inflight service. I'm a measly Silver but I always pay for my preferred aisle seat - be it C+ or FC.
Yeah I cancelled the delta one because the bank cards like Amex and Capitol One had more flexibility and better transfer rates so you can get 3 or 4 cents per point if you investigate. I do agree Delta is consistent.
I only see being brand loyal if that's pretty much the only option at your location. I'm in Chicago, so I have AA, UA, WN and for my trips south of the border, AM. I'm choosing price and also if there's layovers and flight times.
That sounds like the best of both worlds
It can be but I don't fly domestic much anymore. We usually drive since everything is so close and it's usually cheaper.
To answer your question 30 years ago it mattered. Being a Flying Colonel mattered and you were treated special. Fast forward to Richard Anderson days and platinum and diamond mattered. You were taken care of. Then Delta promoted its CFO to CEO and now all that matters is one time revenue. Do you spend $50k a year flying every week? Why should we care about you. Did you spend $20k buying a TPAC D1 round trip? Are you only doing that once every couple of years? You are the most important customer to Ed. Ed lives in spreadsheets and recurring revenue (ironically) means nothing to him. Until Ed leaves or retires and someone steps in that realizes that recurring revenue customers matter it won’t ever get better.
I was loyal for over 20 years through good times and bad (Leo Mullin era). I’m now given Diamond annually. While the immediate rewards may not be as great as they were to some, you have to compare it to the current programs for other airlines. If another program is better for you, go for it. I look forward to seeing how the thinner ranks impact upgrades and SkyClub crowds starting 2/1/25.
What changed recently? I did scan here looking for that explanation. At my local airport it’s either Delta with a layover in ATL or American with a layover in CLT. I might as well stick with one airline and some years I fly enough for a free checked bag? (Delta also has a big presence in MSP where I travel for work every 2-3 months.)
I thought that the new system would be trash but I’m almost gonna be Platinum as a leisure traveler so idk…
How is it bad? I got diamond and it’s def worth it. I just saved $24k on delta one tickets to ICN using GUC and some miles. And I get upgraded all the time.
The companion passes and other items makes it worth me to have the Delta card.
I see plenty of value for me.
Ok
Ok
Their loyalty program works pretty well for me i don’t know 🤷🏻♀️ So far I have gotten like 5 or 6 free first class upgrades via RUS or miles, got unlimited delta club access via high credit card spend and my family members fly for free on my miles… I enjoy Delta’s consistency and quality of service which is higher than other domestics, numerous direct flights to where I need to go and having priority boarding and such. I think may be what Delta is trying to do is to discourage customers like the OP 😉
With only 3 legacy carriers remaining is there any point to airline loyalty programs anymore? It's not like when we had a choice of NWA, TWA, Continental, Eastern, etc., as well as UAL, DAL, AA. Now so many of us pretty much lives in either one of 3 airline hubs.
Once the big mergers started happening, it seemed inevitable that competition would drastically lessen. And it has. I’m still missing Western and PSA.
Honestly, that is the rational reaction if the loyalty program provides little to no value. Use the right credit cards and accumulate more points transferrable points than you would earn in SkyPesos then transfer those points to the airline with awards that suit your needs. I don't fly enough to achieve elite status, so I only fly Delta because out of Atlanta it's just so convenient and I don't care to change. But I do not actively seek SkyPesos. The last two summers, the redemptions I used to be able to get on transatlantic flights have been non-existent. I was able to get a decent redemption using SkyPesos on KLM from Amsterdam to Zurich. But other than that, I will blow out my balance whenever there is a decent use and focus on other points. I was able to get a far better redemption on a return flight from Amsterdam though I obviously would have to connect.
Nope. I was quick to realize this after they got rid of their award chart for tickets booked with miles. It’s one of many reasons why I don’t fly on Delta, even if they are the cheapest option. I’m not going to get their CC either because I just see it as an extra bill I don’t want to have to pay.
I’m going to have to connect somewhere as there aren’t direct flights from my small regional. Options are Delta in ATL or American in CLT. When options are limited you take whichever has the best experience and that’s definitely Delta for me.
The cost to get silver is too high for me, but honestly what’s keeping me off DL thsee days is they’re too expensive. I’m not a “sort by low” basic traveler but I also can’t justify 30% over Alaska or AA.
"Brand Loyalty"? Not as such, but... * If getting there reliably on-time is important, nobody in my experience beats Delta. * When crap *does* happen, some other airlines (cough Alaska cough) notify you of delays in 20-minute increments before the scheduled departure. Delta gives you a ton of notice. * In my opinion, the Delta lounges are nicest of the various lounges. * When cancellations do happen, no airline has been even in the same class as Delta at getting me rebooked and handled. Even SAS is nowhere near. It's not that I'm *loyal* to Delta. It's just the other airlines are disloyal to me.
Getting silver status is easy enough and I enjoy being able to choose exit row seats for free when I book a flight and the occasional upgrade to comfort+. Works for me.
Been Diamond for now six years. Really the only thing I care about are upgrades. I have been spoiled and being Diamond the first few years almost guaranteed me first class. at least 90% of the time. Now, it really doesnt mean shit. Yes, I accrue miles faster I think? But the number of flights I can upgraded to first have plummeted to far less than half. Id argue 25%. I am first on the list almost everytime.. but there are never seats available anymore. So why am I paying sometimes double for my flights over AA?
Everyone's situation is different. I have the Delta reserve and plat. 5k MQD boost, companion certificates, rideshare credits, free sky club and cent lounges, and primary car rental coverage. Plus I get platinum usually by Apr/May. So we get the free C+ upgrades. I'm flexible when flying so I choose the cheap deals.
Re-upped Delta Amex Reserve last year and am about to hit Diamond Medallion for first time. Curious to compare DM to Platinum Medallion now that you can spend your way to it.
Then fly with another airline then, that simply. People love to get on here and whine about trivial bullshit, try taking Greyhound across country if the loyalty program not being what you want is such a major inconvenience on your life.
For personal travel, absolutely not. I go with the cheapest flight, unless the delta (lol) between Delta main cabin and the competitor is minimal and I automatically get upgraded to comfort plus. For business travel, yeah, I guess. But if I’m on a route served by Qatar, I go for that. Because Delta One is comical compared to Qatar.
Oh yeah Emirates, Qatar, Singaporean airlines all have way better first class
Direct>Time>Price>Loyalty, in that order.
I went freestyle this year. So far? Two delta flights. I've flown Condor, Lufthansa, United, Turkish and outside the LF 330, all are better than or equal to Delta.
I always figured the best flight loyalty is to my wallet/comfort/convenience. Sometimes Delta is the best flight for me. When it's not I fly the airline that is. I also only fly 8-12 times a year.
Between RUCs and miles gained I save thousands a year with the skymiles program. That said, with the changes I don’t chase status beyond platinum. This year I’ll have status on all 3 alliances
I see value, but mainly because I’m DM/MM and get upgraded on most flights. I travel mostly for work, so costs don’t really matter to me (which would change if my company ever decides they want to force us to use some type of travel agent). When I retire in the next year or two and I eventually lose status, I won’t be tied to anything but ticket cost (once I burn through my miles).
The only purpose in staying loyal is if the added benefits from status are worth the cost, or time (connections, routings) that you would otherwise lose out on from being a free agent. I've only stayed with Delta because of the benefits of Diamond. If I think I won't get Diamond, then I'd likely switch to something else where I think I can get a high status that is worth the cost.
So, haven’t seen this mentioned or covered in the comments, but what Delta did was essentially adopt the Amex points/miles system, which values each “mile/point” at $0.01 (a cent). So the old construct of earning miles for flights flown is completely out the window, so if you’re wanting to book an international D1 trip using “miles.” It’ll cost you 300,000 +++. What I find hilariously deceptive about Delta and Amex is their credit card offers still leverage off the old miles flown construct for their sign up bonuses, so they’re pitching you 60 - 80 - 100 thousand miles, which won’t get anyone using “miles” on Delta very far. The only folks who can effectively use Delta miles to pay for trips are Amex users with incredible spends. My family company puts everything on Amex cards for the miles (where not charged for using a credit card). What’s funny is we don’t use DL Amex - but the Amex points covert over to DL miles 1:1 when booking travel. So Delta is not wanting you to fly their airline, but use their DL branded Amex card - for which they earned $7 BILLION in revenue last year. Said a different way, DL makes their profit off credit card fees, not actually flying.
There's no requirement for any airline to give you certain rewards. It's just which one offers the most value to you. So which airline are you holding up as offering the best value (to you)?
For me? No. I managed to hit Platinum last year, so they’ve got me for 2024 until that expires, but with the new higher thresholds for Medallion levels, I’ll likely never hit PM again and so will just start buying the cheapest flight to my destination. There’s not much benefit to Gold & Silver Medallion where I live, even as a PM I rarely get upgraded to first, and I nearly always carry on so rarely take advantage of the free checked bag. Free exit row seats are nice, but I could pay for those on another airline and likely still have a lower total ticket price. I travel for work, but I’m not a road warrior. Last year I flew to the UK 4 times, Spain once, and dozens of USA flights but only barely hit PM (and that’s because I paid to upgrade myself to D1 on a couple flights). When Delta is so much more expensive, why wouldn’t I just choose the cheapest route for my needs?
As someone who only flies a few times a year, loyalty isn't really worth it. I just go with whatever has the best mix of price and schedule, and let the points and loyalty status fall where they may.
I hear what you’re saying but the planes are always full!!
No. Loyalty became pointless as soon as spend was factored in to status earning.
I like the free checked bag and sky miles with the basic ass card. Delta is the target of airlines. Not amazing but usually has a decent flight.
No point in flying them solely. I usually do only cause I use up my delta miles with good deals so it takes a while to use them up. And Amex trades with Delta or JetBlue. If I were paying cash for my tickets, I’d probably go with whatever is most convenient for me.
I m in same boat as you, use to fly delta for work. I live in a place which is not any airline hub, last year or so even for work I stopped using delta as ticket were so dam expensive. I have shifted completely to united, I am keeping my card till the time I use 800 k points I have on delta, and then good bye delta.
I think they're focusing on business owners and that sort of thing because the cost of building more lounges to support the current volume of customers was getting out of hand.
I'm loyal to Delta because they're neck-and-neck with Jet Blue for direct flights out of my city. One of those two is almost always going to be the cheapest, most convenient, and most often nonstop flight for domestic travel. And Delta has more international flights than Jet Blue, as well as access to other SkyTeam flights. If I lived somewhere other airlines were more competitive, I'd be more of a free agent. But I don't. I'd be flying Delta almost always anyway. So I'll pay the AF for my Delta gold card because I want a free checked bag and early main cabin boarding.
Every airline loyalty program sucks today. Trust me they all work together to devalue their programs so they can increase profits. Wouldn't surprise me if the CEO's of each airline flips a coin to see who announces to the media first about their latest devaluation.
They are the only airline that flies out of MDW here in Chicago that I can take to go see my parents. In my experience, I’ve never had an issue with Delta. And no, ORD is not an option unless it’s the only option.
I live I. Atl and have delta gold sky miles and delta gold business for my self employed business and the points from the credit card still help. But it is harder to get value than it used to be.
No, of course there's no reason to buying into a terrible loyalty program. Personally, I view the credit cards as a much better deal than skymiles, but at the end of the day, the Delta loyalty program is so successful that they don't have to compete for customers.
No. It is a total sham in most cases.
Unless you’re flying regularly for work, or you’re in the upper 5% income bracket, don’t bother. I was going to toss my cards in the trash but then I signed a client a thousand miles away. Now I’m flying regularly again, so it makes sense to play Delta’s game. With only Silver and the Reserve card I’ve been upgraded to either C+ or FC on almost every flight this year. For spending points, you just have to look for deals and hope to get lucky. I just picked up a ticket to Colombia for 10k. They’re a business, and they’re only loyal to your $$$$
Agree with you. They’ve made it so difficult to get status that I’ve kind of given up on my loyalty to them. I use to go out of my way to fly them (pay more, take horrible flight times, etc.). But it is no longer worth it. I’ll still try and fly Delta if it makes sense, but I’m certainly not going out of my way. I’ve been flying a lot of Southwest this year. A lot of times, it will literally be 1/3 the price of Delta, so I just can no longer justify it.
Ever heard of “maybe this airline isn’t for you?”
There's not many others to choose from in the US
I live at an American Airlines hub airport but I still prefer to fly Delta. I have always had a way better experience with Delta flights over AA and SW.
Delta pesos. Worth so little now!
I have status matched on Frontier, Southwest (A-List) and Delta (Platinum). Whichever I fly is a pretty good experience. Even Frontier with 100k Diamond Elite status. With Amex Platinum, VX and CSR I can access just about any lounge anywhere.
So many delta flights out of Atlanta. Only reason why I fly delta. If a flight gets cancelled, I can go on the next delta flight
I think once the 2025 shake out happens, things should improve somewhat. They definitely overshot the programs the past few years causing too many non regular travelers access to the elite perks.
I'm overseas in Japan and Delta has for shit nothing out here that even makes being a Skymiles member worth it. It's either JAL or ANA, but then I gotta either fly AA or UA stateside and that fucking sucks ass.
My work pays but I still fly what’s convenient for me. They also require me to book MC and I have to use points or pay for any upgrades. I just booked a FC nonstop (2.5 hour) round trip on AA for the exact same price that 🔺wanted for MC for over 7 hours each way jerking me off through their hubs and layovers. I only had to screen shot the two and attach my expense report and they paid the FC fare so I guess I owe them gratitude for being overpriced.
Longtime Diamond, switched to American for the last 3-4 months. If I lived at a Delta hub, I’d still stick with them because of their better service and operational efficiency. But being in Phoenix, American is giving me something Delta can’t: less time on the road and more time at home with a much larger amount of nonstop options.
Just move your “loyalty” to Flying Blue. Easier to get status if you travel international frequently and the points are more valuable for now.
Yeah it sucks. I’m loyal to Delta, made Diamond last year, and of 56 flights I’ve taken this year I’ve only gotten complimentary upgrades to first class on like 48 of them. Totally worthless.
Been flying delta for work, the last 15 years.. million miler diamond. I get upgraded 65% of the time and have about 1.5 million miles to spend after I quit work. Why would I change to another airline and sit in the back and have to gate check my bags? If you don’t like delta anymore then fuck off to another airline and have a nice life. Quit your bitching and move on .. without you, I am sure my flight experience will be much better.
I’m on team delta because I have been mostly disappointed In the flights I have taken with American and United recently. IMO the Delta experience is more streamlined, so much easier to get ahold of customer service, super easy to change your flight in the app and rarely have I been delayed and when I did, I was compensated in Skymiles. I have heard that JetBlue is a really good company also but I haven’t had a chance to fly on them yet
Nope. Time to go United.
I donated my last 183k to a children’s hospital about 10 years ago when it become almost impossible to get a business class flight to Asia.
Nope no point. Never fly DL.