Mike Huckabee explains this status to the New York Times.
Are you prepared to deal with Delta reservations agents, whom you describe in your book as robotic and unreasonable? You’d think they’d be nice to ex-governors.
What does give me cachet is not that, but the number of miles that I fly a year. There’s a new designation that Delta is cranking up in January called Diamond, and it’s for people who are so far above the Platinum status that they are going to put in a unique category. I qualify for that!I’m glad you’ve achieved supreme status in at least one realm of life.
You know, if you can’t be president, by gosh, get to the highest level of frequent-flier rewards.
Of course, if Huckabee doesn’t like dealing with Delta res agents, I have some outsourced call center agents from United that he could talk to, to see whether he’d like a Hertz rental car or if they’ve met his travel needs…
There is, it seems, something about Republican governors and Delta. Mark Sanford cashed in Delta miles for his fateful trip to Buenos Aires. More likely, perhaps, is just folks in the South being forced to connect through Atlanta wherever they’re going..
(Hat tip to Alex.)
Isn’t that status live in Feb?
I also have enough MQMs for Diamond status, but when I log into my SkyMiles account, only Platinum status is shown. When I asked about it, DL gave the reason that Diamond isn’t live until next year. So, I expect that my new status will be reflected in their system on Jan. 1 with delivery of my new card later that month.
I have already used the new status to my advantage. A few years ago, Platinums were given automatic access to the Crown Room Club (now SkyClub) regardless of destination. Now, it is only on international itineraries. They have restored the domestic privileges with the new Diamond level. About a month ago, I was on a rare (for me) domestic-only DL flight. I really didn’t want to hang out by the gate, so I entered the lounge and nicely told the agent that I had 130K MQMs but hadn’t received my Diamond card yet. She verified the info, had a brief chat with her supervisor, and then welcomed me into the Sky Club. It really didn’t cost DL much to extend this courtesy, but it certainly made my 2.5 hour layover more bearable.
Surprising that Huckleberry would have time to be familiar with the ins and outs of FF programs.