Delta, The Long Goodbye – Part 2

Certainly elite status with Delta is not what it used to be. This is also true with the other large American airlines including United, American and Southwest.  Even so, there was still enough value in the program in order to retain my participation. Until recently that is. The changes in the comfort+ seating benefits tipped the scales and convinced me to make changes – eventually.

Delta, The Long Goodbye – Part 1

I have been able to accept most of the changes that Delta has instituted.  A company has the right to offer products that it believes maximize revenue and profits. Changing to revenue based points system. No problem. Selling first class seats for higher participation. Great – I’ll buy some. Make Sky Club access more expensive. Fine, I can still afford it. But there have been some changes that have not really been as easy to digest. For myself, there have been 3 changes that really convinced me to reconsider participation in the program.

Removal of flight information from ExpertFlyer. This change really frosted me when Delta refused ExpertFlyer access to its flight data. It would have been one thing to move that information onto Delta’s website, but they didn’t even do that. Instead you have to call Delta and ask a CS rep for the information. What a backwards move. Regional and global certificates are my favorite instrument to use and this revision makes it much more difficult.

Removal of award charts. Most of the Delta elites on flyer talk howled at this change, and so did I. Why did delta remove these? Delta’s answer was that the online engine was in place to broadcast an award price. Delta’s system would always have the latest information. We know better of course. Delta wants dynamic pricing for award travel, and to be able to raise prices at will. They also want to be less transparent in their actions.

Changes to Comfort+ seating. I thought the previous policy was very generous, maybe even to generous. You and 8 of your best friends on a single Delta itinerary could have preferential seating. But when they paired down this benefit they eliminated all guest privileges. Not even Suzy was included. If you and your SO are on a trip together after May 16th, you need to pay additional funds to “upgrade” them to Comfort+. The consensus from most Delta elites is that Delta’s updated changes are “stingy” and that a single traveling companion should have been given the same privilege.

These 3 changes reflect to worse updates to the new SkyMiles program. Additionally, Delta has sprung almost all changes and increases without notice. The attitude has been almost antagonistic toward existing elites. It’s apparent that Delta is not interested in having a generous elite program in order to attract business.

The changes that Delta has made to the SkyMiles program do not make Delta a bad airline. Operationally Delta ranks very high for on time performance and among lowest for canceled flights. They have a compressive route map covering North America and a decent international network. Delta’s front line employees are some of the best. Delta believes it can attract customers with these strengths and doesn’t have to rely on an overly generous frequent flyer program.

Considering all the changes that have taken place with Delta, for myself investing the effort for elite status just doesn’t make sense any longer. Well, except for one other thing. Here is the proverbial rub. I’m just under 117k miles for the 1 Million Miler bench mark. At the 1 Million Miler point you earn lifetime silver status. Crap. Do I really walk away from Delta when I could wrap up lifetime Medallion Silver in one last year of elite glory?

If I was a shrewd calculating miles and points guru I would walk away from Delta now? Maybe. I mean by accident I’ll probably pick up 117K in miles just on the odd flights during the next 5 years or so. In the mean time I could get a Delta AMEX Gold and have many of the benefits that Medallion Silver offers. The problem is that I’m also a bit emotional about this change.

I’ve been an elite with Delta for 10 years. I know how to work this program. Even though I only have platinum status, with some finagling most of the time I can ride up front (lately this includes more FCM flights). My strategy is to stay active in the SkyMiles program and go for Diamond Medallion status this last year. What a great way to go out. I’d get to enjoy one last year of Delta elite fun, get a couple GUCs, and then burn the remainder of miles as a diamond in 2017. It would also give me a chance to thoroughly review the other airlines and programs to see what would be the right fit for me.

So there it is. Delta Platinum for 2016 until I hit Diamond Medallion. Then Diamond Medallion through the end 2017. It seems so,…. final.

Susan leaned over and observed me as I calculated my future travel and point strategy. She commented, “So you’re not going to fly Delta any longer?” I replied, “Well, it will take a couple years to extract myself from the program. We’ll probably be flying with them at least until 2017.” Susan commented, “That’s a long time from now. A lot can change in a couple years.”