Delta backtracks on Skymiles news and lounges: 'Maybe we went too far'
Two weeks after Delta announced a total revamp of its Skymiles loyalty program and mode [...]
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Two weeks after Delta's announcement of A total renewal of its loyalty program Skymiles and the way it obtains points and lounge access; now the airline is backtracking and announcing the introduction of a series of fixes to quell the controversy.
The 360-degree revolution put in place by the U.S. giant has attracted numerous criticism from frequent flyers and Delta's customers. Thus the ceo of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian, had to intervene himself by making mea culpa.
"There's no question, we've probably gone too far," Bastian said speaking at a Rotary Club of Atlanta event, "We're still evaluating what we're going to do, but there will be changes and we'll update you in the coming weeks."
Most of the changes implemented by the carrier mainly affect the US customers of Skymiles, but the strategy may also have an identical path in Europe in the coming years. At the moment, however, it was the rebellion of U.S. customers that prompted Delta to back down.
In mid-September, the carrier changed the rules of its loyalty program, effectively making it more difficult for holders of American Express cards (also co-branded) access Delta Skyclubs and achieve Medallion status, new regulations that will take effect starting in 2025. For frequent flyers, the airline will also change the thresholds for achieving statuses as early as 2024.
The new features introduced by Delta
Until now, obtaining Medallion status with Delta was a crossover of different metrics, although for members residing outside the U.S. it was different, Of the three values, only MQD, Medallion Qualification Dollars, will remain., this will be the only metric used as of January 1, 2024 to obtain/renew status.
Also, for the third consecutive year, Skymiles raises the number of MQDs needed to obtain the 4 different elite levels of the program. In order to have status in 2025, it will then be necessary to achieve the following points during 2024:
- Silver Medallion 6,000 MQD
- Gold Medallion 12,000 MQDs
- Platinum Medallion 18,000 MQD
- Diamond Medallion 35,000 MQD
Finally, Delta has "tightened the mesh" of lounge access. After having Closed the door in the face of passengers with the status, even to Skyteam partners, now the carrier is hitting credit card holders. Without a business class ticket, access to Skyclubs will be restricted, which means that depending on the credit card held you will have a maximum number of admissions allowed.
Ceo Ed Bastian's defense
However, Bastian defends the decision to want to "close ranks" to provide more and real benefits to loyal travelers. "We have reached a point where we have so much demand for our premium products and services that we are unable to respond with adequate supply," the ceo pointed out, referring especially to upgrade products, To lounge access and telephone support Dedicated to Elite statuses.
According to Bastian, in fact, the Diamond Medallions customers of the Skymiles program even doubled compared to the pre-pandemic period. What caused this overcrowding of premium customers was mainly the model--adopted during the pandemic by almost all airlines--that allowed Status holders to renew it automatically without making the required number of flights precisely because travel restrictions due to Covid did not allow or made this activity difficult.
At the same time, once the restrictions were dropped, it was resumed traveling much more than before and this created a funnel where everyone (or almost everyone) became a special customer. This is why Delta attempted to reshape the Skymiles program and lounge access.
It remains to be seen whether the backward step announced by Bastian will be substantial or whether it involves only minor corrections, keeping the system much more rigid compared with the past.
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