Delta is demanding more from customers without giving them any more in return, and rewarding them with a currency that it worth less than what customers can earn elsewhere. And their bet is that a small subset of cardmembers will increase their spend so much as to offset those who cancel and the bulk of cardmembers for whom the changes aren’t designed to incent spend.
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Tag Archives for delta air lines.
A Lifeline For Delta Frequent Flyers: Alaska Airlines Offer One Level Higher Than Current Status
After Delta Air Lines announced it was going all Keyser Söze on its elite frequent flyers, and acting like the master manipulator who leaves no loose ends, even if it means betraying those who trust him, there’s a clear opening for competing airlines.
Delta Air Lines Had A Good Thing Going, Then They Got Greedy
For years they’ve been taking away from the program, sometimes a little at a time and sometimes a lot. And they’ve been requiring more and more from customers to get less and less. Like the proverbial boiling lobster, SkyMiles elite members went along for the most part every step of the way. And that was very good to Delta, generating around $7 billion from American Express at around a 40% margin and accounting for the vast majority of the airline’s profit.
Delta wasn’t satisfied with that, and they got greedy.
13 Delta Passengers Receive $2,000 – $4,000 As Agent Begs Them To Take Later Flight
Delta Air Lines paid 13 passengers on an overbooked Boston to Rome flight up to $4,000 each – plus covered their hotel rooms for the night – to get them to give up their seats.
The flight had already boarded when an agent came on board still looking for volunteers, and she ran an auction. You can hear her raising the price to $3,500 begging someone to “take one for the team” and “go shopping.”
Delta Air Lines Pilot Saves A Broadway Show, Makes Understudy’s Dream Come True
Mikayla Renfrow is an understudy for Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway. She was heading home from vacation in Europe last week, and her Delta flight delayed. That was going to be a problem – because she was about to be given a chance to play Jasmine.
How United And American Can Capitalize On Delta Squeezing Its Best Customers
Customers in competitive markets should be looking at what makes the most sense for their travel. Maybe they should still fly Delta, as a free agent, and just not earn on a Delta credit card. Maybe they should take a fresh look at other airlines. Status matches make that easier.
Delta Customers Want SkyMiles Changes Reversed. Similar Efforts Have Worked Before.
This week Delta announced major changes to how SkyMiles elite status is earned, and to how people can access their club lounges.
There are consumer movements on Flyertalk and on Reddit to try to get Delta to reverse these changes. Similar efforts have worked before.
Woman Furious With Boyfriend After He Takes $2,000 From Delta Air Lines To Delay Visiting Her
My take is that he maybe should run away from this relationship? I don’t claim to have very much data to work off of, but there do seem to be warning signs.
The Most Surprising Thing About Delta’s Changes Is There’s No Good News
Typically when airlines make changes to their frequent flyer programs, they try to balance the bad news with something positive for customers. That may be new benefits, throwing customers a bone. Or it may be some rhetoric about how customers are actually going to be better off with the changes. Executives will say that they ‘listened to customers’ and are making ‘changes you’re going to like.’
There’s really none of that with Delta. Delta is demanding more from customers, and not pretending to offer anything new or more in return.
Non-Delta Flyers Benefit Most From Sky Club Changes
Amex Platinum customers who don’t focus their travel on Delta actually seem to come out ahead, even as their unlimited benefit (which they weren’t making full use of) gets scaled back.
For Delta loyalists with an Amex Platinum, well, that’s another story entirely.