Today marks a major step in the integration of the SkyMiles® and WorldPerks® programs and of Delta and Northwest – as we unveil details of the 2010 SkyMiles Medallion program. Check out all of the details (including Rollover MQMs, Diamond Medallion Status, No Direct Ticketing Fees, Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades on Award Tickets) at delta.com/newskymiles. I hope you agree that these changes are a big step forward in making our SkyMiles Medallion program the best in the industry.
Also, keep in mind that as we roll out this new program, savvy SkyMiles members will be able to earn a few benefits twice. For example, if you earn 75,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) this calendar year, you’ll receive six Platinum Medallion system-wide upgrade certificates with your credential package. Then, once the Choice Benefits are implemented early next year, you’ll also have the option to receive four new system-wide upgrade certificates.
Check out what people are saying about our program changes: Forrester Blog, Cranky Flier, WSJ Blog, Boarding Area Blog, Upgrade: Travel Better Blog, more? Let us know!
Enjoy,
Jeff
Vice President of Loyalty Programs
Delta Air Lines
July 28th, 2009 at 1:37 am
What I’d really like to see is Delta implement upgrades on overseas segments. Not being able to even get the chance at upgrades on overseas segments is disappointing, especially because some of Deltas competitors (United for example) offer this service to their frequent fliers.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:51 am
I am Platinum and overall I am very disappointed. For Diamond I was hoping for real SWUs like the ones on AA or UA and a 100k MQM qualification. Instead we get the same old PMUs (with the M+ fare requirement for transatlantic) and a 125k MQM qualification. Sorry, but I just don’t think Diamond is competitive.
If DL wants to encourage Platinums to fly 50k more and reach Diamond they should offer better SWUs.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Jeff,
Have you given any thought to matching the United move to drop last minute redemption fees? Besides being very customer-friendly, this move could even generate some additonal revenue for Delta from bag check fees, food for sale, etc.
I’d appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks!
July 28th, 2009 at 9:10 am
It would be nice if MQM rollover started with 2009. Seems like that’s unlikely though.
July 28th, 2009 at 11:47 am
@ibogost the rollover starts with the 2009 MQM
The Delta FAQ says the Rollover Miles will be deposited in early 2010
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
So if you make status this year say Silver and you have 42,000 miles, 17,000 of those MQM miles will rollover.
I as a Silver and 4900 miles away from being Gold, like the new Skymiles. However I think it’s a slap in the Face to PMs.
I personally don’t think the RollOver is useful. They should of just dropped mileage requirements for FO because Silvers are the ones who will benefit the most.
With Roll Over I see people flip flopping between statuses. 1 year FO the next year GM then back to FO
July 28th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I know nothing is ever perfect, but I think what Delta has done deserves some applause.
The rollover idea is excellent. I find that very creative for a airline. I like the Diamond tier as well. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to fly DL enough to get to that level, but seeing what Delta is offering those who are truly road warriors shows how Delta is serious about taking care of the people who must account for a disproportionate amount of its business.
I also appreciate that Delta didn’t take away some of the important existing benefits. Among the ones I find most useful are the 500-mile minimum and the ability for all passengers booked together in one reservation record to benefit from an elite member’s status for security, waived baggage fees, seating etc.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Congratulations on the Rollover which benefits all elites. I suspect it helps Delta too as the cost is probably within reason (most flyers won’t have many miles to roll over because those who potenially have a lot of rollover miles will make the extra trip to hit the next tier). The only disappointment is the Diamond tier. Per press reports, this was designed to discourage mileage splitting between airlines. Such a mission would be served by the Diamond tier if at least two conditions were met: a) the mileage increment above Platinum is reasonable, and/or b) the rewards for going from Platinum to Diamond tier were handsome indeed. Although the intent was there, I think this first stab at the new Diamond level lacks good execution. Why? Well, earning 50K more than 75K is a considerable price to the flyer (67% increase in miles). Yet the benfits gained by Diamond above Platinum seem trivial. DIamond will earn 125% mileage bonus (Northwest Platinum members already earned this, so it’s just giving back a benefit taken away). The Skyclub membership only pays off if you don’t already have a lifetime membership. Diamond gets upgraded ahead of Platinum: what’s the big deal - this is expected, just as Platinum is upgraded before Gold, Gold before Silver. I think that a 100K goal would be far more reasonable given the crumbs that are being thrown at Latinums to earn Diamond level. With the 125K requirement, I suspect on the most frequent flyers will bother going for it. THose now flying 125-150 K annually will be beter off getting Platinum and Gold or higher at a competing airline because the gain in benefits is much greater than that offered by Delta for going Platinum to Diamond. I’m currently DL Gold and NW Platinum, and will be DIamond next year, but confess, that if the flight schedule is the deciding factor, I’d rather fly the competition too and earn status there as well (sorry: it’s a matter of economics).
What might Delta consider offering Diamonds? Well more than the 6 Systemwide upgrade certficates that Platinums get now and will lose next year. I fly internationally and see little benefit here: why not, for example, allow upgardes on codeshare partners (on AF this should not bring great cost to DL given that transatlantic service is a JV). The Diamond tier only brings Elite Plus, a level earned by European program members after a fraction of that mileage. Maybe Skyteam needs a third tier. Just some thoughts…I realize FF flyer benefits are gifts but it is human nature to compare and value them!
July 28th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
@HWGeek
Thanks for the clarification. I think the rollover is great. I tend to travel unevenly over the course of the year, it’s hard to predict when bursts will occur.
@StillFlying
While I’m generally quite pleased with the new program, especially the rollover system, I agree with you that the Diamond tier is not especially motivating. As a current DL Platinum who will qualify easily, it does seem that the main benefit is getting to protect my ability to sit at the top of the upgrade list. It’s a defensive benefit rather than an offensive one, if that analogy makes any sense.
Here’s a thought: for those of us who fly 125,000+ miles per year, maybe the benefits we really want don’t have anything to do with flying. We do enough of it. Not sure what that would mean, but it’s grist for the mill.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
[...] There are a lot more details about the 2010 Medallion program on Delta.com and on Delta’s blog, so I won’t review them all [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 1:08 am
[...] - Brett over at Cranky Flier calls it good news for frequent flier junkies. - The Delta Blog is positive. I was really expecting some hard-hitting [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 5:19 am
@ibogost
I agree with you that some non-flying perks would be great - lots of options for DL to tie in with restaurants, sport event tickets (now that DL sponsors two NY teams) etc. The new choice of benefits is a nice one in this regard, and I’m sure DL will expand the scope of this.
Another Diamond option DL might consider is one NW had, namely guaranteed upgrades for Platinums.
Does anyone know what will happen next year to the current benefits NW folks enjoy with regards to upgrades on other airlines (KLM, Alaska)? Will DL have a similar arrangement with KL and AS?
July 29th, 2009 at 9:59 am
2009 is my 4th year as a PM. I like DL, enjoy being a PM.
IMHO, the DM tier is aimed at Platinums and trying to make us do two things:
1. fly more
2. an make us spend more $
It is a business after all and there is nothing wrong with that.
Since DM will obviously not make any UA’s 1k and AA’s EXPs switch; IMHO the DM status hoped that:
1. some PMs will fly more to get to the DM status (goal 1: make us fly more)
2. some PMs would fly a few more TATL flights in YBM is they had extra PMUs (Goal 2: make us spend more $)
3. it would not cost DL much money
The problem is that they keep upsetting their most loyal customers (long term DL PMs) and potential long term customers (former NW PMs). Personally I feel insulted when I read “best in class” or “we are improving” and see what I essentially consider a reduction in PM perks from a year ago.
I typically fly about 120k MQM mostly in K-fare except TALT were I typically go for sLUT fares (I cannot afford M-fare). I hate it when I see them rolling a product (to me DM is a product) that is obviously not competitive with AA and UA.
What would make me go for DM this and next year? Two possible answers:
a) Real SWUs that work on any fare (like AA’s EXP or UA’s 1k). BTW, I rarely use all my PMUs.
b) Being able to use two PMUs (rather than one) to upgrade at any fare.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
@StillFlying
I’m not familiar with the NW perks; what do you mean by guaranteed upgrades for Platinums?
@dp-delta
I agree that I rarely use all my PMUs.
And I take your point that DM might primarily seek to get the 75-100k PMs to fly a bit more.
I further agree that DM should also reward PMs who already fly more than 125k–it should feel like this to us, at least, even if it doesn’t cost DL much to do. And I agree that right now it doesn’t really feel like that; it feels like the DM+ folks are deprioritized in favor of the 75-100 ones. The loyalty problem here is not that DL is doing this, it’s that they’re making it obvious to us that they are
So how about it Delta? Or are we just talking to ourselves here?
July 29th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Ha, ibogost: we’re listening, and also passing along your comments to appropriate contacts. Thanks to all for your great thoughts!
July 29th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
While the rollover is interesting, I must say that as a 240k+ year elite, I am profoundly disappointed with the SWUs and the lack of advanced companion upgrade processing.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
In my opinion, if SWUs useable on any fare class would have been included, this program could have been the best of any airline. That being said, the rollover MQMs are a great feature. I just think an uber elite level should have uber benefits, and these just seem to fall a tiny bit short.
July 30th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Overall, the new program is an improvement, but it doesn’t address a fundamental weakness that has reared its ugly head since the debut of the three-tier award system: availability of the lowest award tier tickets. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - miles were essentially devalued when the three tier system was implemented because it is now extremely difficult to find flights at the low award mile level.
The new 125K Diamond level might tempt me to fly DL a bit more to Europe instead of LH, but the extra miles are somewhat offset by the fact that I have to use more to get award tickets. It kills me when, as a LH Senator, I can nearly always get a biz-class award ticket to Europe on LH for 90K miles, but with Platinum on DL, it’s very tough to find that 100K biz-class ticket.
This could be addressed a number of ways for the Diamond elites to make it a truly valuable status: vastly increase the pool of low-mile award tickets available for them or implement a standard across the board award travel discount (i.e. maybe Diamonds get 25% off all award travel). Or steal a page from the LH Miles and More program: as a Senator booking an award ticket, a companion award ticket on the same itinerary is only 50% of the miles and my young child gets a seat at a 20% discount off the normal miles. I’m even allowed to overdraft if I don’t have enough miles (if you let your Senator status lapse without recovering those overdrawn miles, you have to pay for those miles at a fixed rate). There is a reason why M&M is the number one program in Europe.
Another suggestion, also borrowing from non-US airlines: shuttle the Diamonds from plane to plane. Some airlines with a similar tier will take these guests (and int’l first class) from jetway door to jetway door outside in a nice car - the guest never enters the airport. Others will shuttle these high-value guests inside the airport using one of those electric carts. Time is money to these people and you will build immense loyalty by offering such a benefit.
Please consider addressing the fundamental problem - you can give me all the bonus miles in the world, but if I almost always have to pay mid-to-high award ticket prices for a decent ticket, those miles don’t mean diddly.
July 30th, 2009 at 1:51 am
@ibogost
NW for the past two years guaranteed PL upgrades (If one didn’t get the upgrade, one got 1000 extra miles and this happened to me only twice in the two years)
July 30th, 2009 at 6:50 am
Does anyone know how the miles rollover deal will work? I am interested in knowing how the miles eligible for roll over will be computed.
July 30th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Are there any plans to put a SkyClub in Las Vegas? Since Continental is leaving the skyteam, there will be no option for Vegas frequent flyers but the President’s Club.
July 30th, 2009 at 11:18 am
@BobQ1946
I know LAS has (had?) a NW WorldClub - will DL make this a SkyClub?
Speaking of SkyClubs, when will RDU’s club in the new terminal open? Rumor has it DL planned this club to have a self-service bar like NW clubs, but ran afoul of state liqor laws so the whole club is being redesigned and is almost a year behind schedule. Any truth to this? Somehow AA managed to get their club open when the new terminal opened.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Jeff said: “savvy SkyMiles members will be able to earn a few benefits twice. For example, if you earn 75,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) this calendar year, you’ll receive six Platinum Medallion system-wide upgrade certificates with your credential package. Then, once the Choice Benefits are implemented early next year, you’ll also have the option to receive four new system-wide upgrade certificates.”
My question: I will have over 125K qualifying miles for 2009 assuming SkyMiles MQMs and Worldperks EQMs are combined. Does this mean that I will be sent six Platinum SWUs at some point in addition to those I received in 2009 and will later be able to make the Diamond Choice Benefit selection of more SWUs early in 2010? If so, when would those six Platinum SWUs be sent to me? I am planning international trips for March and May of 2010 and would hope to be have SWUs early enough to use them to book those flights.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Overall, I am looking forward to these changes. In particular I like the rollover feature and award travel upgrades.
One think I don’t like is that Delta Reserve AmEx holders get upgrade priority. I took Delta’s advice and applied for a Skymiles AmEx and was denied. Maybe Delta should institute a SkyMiles Reserve Check Card (even if it has a high annual fee) so that those of us who AmEx denies can access the benefits.
August 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I’m disappointed that Delta still won’t offer free same-day standby to Silver Medallions. I’m not on the road every week, but I fly every two weeks nonstop between DCA and Atlanta, sometimes on expensive $500 Q-fare tickets.
It’s frustrating to me that, for giving consistent business to Delta over AirTran, I can’t even switch to a seat on an earlier flight that will otherwise lie empty. A decade ago standby was a standard offering available to every traveller. If Delta could offer me that at Silver level, I’d be sure to fly them every time, rather than considering AirTran.
Does it cost Delta much of anything to offer Silvers a free standby option? From my perspective, it wouldn’t cost them anything more, as I ask frequently, and about half the time, I’m able to sweet-talk the gate reps into letting me on the plane anyway when there are seats available (meaning not July or August).
August 11th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Some good. Some Bad.
Systemwide upgrades are good and it is reasonable to require purchase of M class or above. Otherwise, business class would fill too quickly and Delta would not earn the added revenue that comes with an M class purchase. Remember that the purpose of the SkyMiles program is to help Delta make money–I don’t mind that. Restricting the number of seats available for upgrade from M to business class with SWU is bad. At that price point, any M class purchase should qualify for upgrade anytime a business class seat is available. It is also unfortunate for former Delta Platinum Medallions that they will lose two of the six SWUs they used to receive.
Rollover is good for most people and good for Delta. I am a NWA Platinum since Platinum level was created. Rollover will put more people into Platinum level and likely make upgrades more difficult to obtain. Yes, I may earn Diamond status more easily with rollover miles but I don’t see very many significant benefits of Diamond over Platinum. Here is a question: will miles rollover for multiple years? For example, if I earn 150,000 each of the next two years, I will earn Diamond status with 25,000 miles “left over” each year. Does that mean that 50,000 miles will rollover into year 3 or will I lose the rollover miles from year one since they were not needed to qualify for Diamond in year 2? If the miles do not continue to rollover, this is a zero benefit for Delta’s most frequent flyers (those who consistently fly over 125,000 miles per year).
Here is a very BIG loss (to me) from a benefit I have enjoyed as a NWA Platinum: with NWA a companion booked in my reservation would be upgraded five days in advance along with me. Now I have to pick to either separate our reservations which creates problems when there are flight disruptions or wait to be upgraded after silvers. I will qualify for Diamond next year and I will still be upgraded after silvers anytime I take someone with me on a trip. This is a very big loss from the current NWA program.
Another loss: “guaranteed upgrades” so that I receive 1000 miles for any segment on which I am not upgraded. Even with Platinum status, I have probably received this 1000 mile consolation prize maybe 10 times during the last year.
Here is another loss that has already been implemented: As a NWA Platinum Elite, I received 125% bonus miles until Delta acquired NWA. Now, that has been reduced to 100%.
Here is perhaps the biggest loss of all to me: the three tier award system. I have been appalled since this was implemented by how extremely difficult (read almost impossible) it has been to obtain award flights at the lowest level even when I plan months in advance. This has resulted in very large increases in the cost of obtaining a free flight. And, when the lowest level is not available, the system has shown that the highest level of miles is almost always required to obtain a ticket. Add to that the increased complexity of trying to find free tickets and this three tier thing is a real loss.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:06 am
As a PM this is only bad news for me. I fly international 3 times per year and the 6 system upgrade certificates were just perfect now that my company will not pay for business class travel. I was able to buy Y.B.M class tickets 3 times per year and use 2 certificates on each trip. This was self perpetuating as the 3 trips gave me 75,000MQM’s per year and thus 6 certificates for the 3 trips the next year and so on and so on. Now, I will not be able to qualify for DM, so PM now only gets me 4 certificates per year leaving me in economy for 2 of the 6 flights(24-28 hour trips involving 3 flights totaling about 20 hours of air time) and not a happy camper. As a previously very satisified and loyal customer, I am now unhappy and looking for better options.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Lots of issues with DL’s handling of medallion members. I was waitlisted for an upgrade (translates as “ain’t gonna happen”) to BE on an ATL to DXB flight. 12 open seats in Business and they would not upgrade me (Platinum status), even tho I plunked down the M fare fee.
SWUs need to be worth something - I like the idea of maybe using two certs to upgrade from any coach class fare to BE. DL definitely needs to provide a more “elite” treatment to its best customers. I will qualify for Diamond this year, but I wish it made me feel more like an appreciated customer in the way of real, tangible perks.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I have also been on international flights where business class is wide open. If there is space, giving medallion members the option of paying miles to upgrade on international routes regardless of class of ticket paid would be tremendously appreciated. Right now, there are *no* uniform upgrade options for medallion status members for international flights. United for example offers upgrades to Asia and Europe to their frequent fliers, why is this not an option for Delta frequent fliers? I have an upcoming flight to Germany that unfortunately due to contract issues, has me back in coach. I’d be more than happy to spend some of my Skymiles to upgrade that flight.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Suggested Diamond Level perks:
Auto upgrade to BE from M+ on all international flights
Use miles or SWUs to BE from any international coach ticket
That would make me feel appreciated and ensure my continued business with DL.
The rest is fluff……..
September 21st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
A couple of simple SkyMiles/WorldPerks merger questions:
1) What will happen to miles still in a linked WorldPerks account not transferred by member?
2) For a WorldPerks account for which there is no linked SkyMiles account… what will happen?