{"id":7462,"date":"2013-11-10T08:04:25","date_gmt":"2013-11-10T16:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/pointssummary\/?p=7462"},"modified":"2013-11-10T08:04:25","modified_gmt":"2013-11-10T16:04:25","slug":"delta-air-lines-worst-frequent-flyer-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/pointssummary\/2013\/11\/10\/delta-air-lines-worst-frequent-flyer-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Delta Air Lines is Not the Worst Frequent Flyer Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

There has been a bit of tension going around the blogosphere regarding the recent devaluations of the Delta Skymiles program. I know I’ve recently critized Delta Skymiles in my previous articles:<\/p>\n

I Have A Love-Hate Relationship With The Same Day Confirmed Policy On Delta Airlines<\/a>
\nWhy I\u2019m Ending My Relationship With Delta Airlines For Good<\/a>
\nDelta Airlines Sent Me a Letter Asking For My Loyalty Back<\/a><\/p>\n

For what it’s worth, I’ve been a Silver Medallion for 2 years and a Gold Medallion for 3 years so I have flown with Delta quite a bit. Below are some reasons why Delta Air Lines is not the worst frequent flyer program.<\/p>\n

Here are list of benefits I like as a Silver Medallion:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades<\/strong> (AA doesn’t offer that to Golds and uses a sticker system instead) – I’ve gotten upgraded 25% as a Silver Medallion and that was for the obscure non-hub routes. An upgrade is better than no upgrade at all!<\/p>\n

Group 1 Boarding<\/strong> – Sure it’s not First Class or Sky Priority boarding, but it’s right after Sky Priority<\/p>\n

IRROPS<\/strong> – Silver Medallion status is better than no status whenever problems arise and Delta does take care of their Medallions, no matter if you’re a lowly Silver<\/p>\n

Priority Check-in<\/strong> – I’ve seen Silver Medallion check-in stations at ATL Airport and often times, you can check in at the business class counters whenever you’re traveling internationally due to being a Skyteam Elite.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are list of benefits I like as a Gold Medallion:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades<\/strong> – Upgrades cleared about 70% for me as a Gold which isn’t too bad at all since I always fly the major hub routes like LAX-ATL, LAX-JFK, LAX-MSP, LAX-ATL and I’ve gotten upgraded quite often.<\/p>\n

Free Same Day Confirmed<\/strong> – I cleared at about 70% for upgrades because I often took advantage of their free Same Day Confirmed (SDC) policy which is very generous. If I find out that my LAX-JFK portion doesn’t have a shot at an upgrade, I’ll find an alternative route with more available First Class seats open. American Airlines still charges their elites (even EXP) $75 for a Same Day Confirmed.<\/p>\n

Complimentary Upgrades on Award Tickets<\/strong> – I’ve actually gotten upgraded from LAX-JFK and JFK-LAX on an award ticket as a Gold Medallion. I know United offers this for their Premier members if they hold a MileagePlus credit card, but American Airlines does not upgrade on award tickets at all.<\/p>\n

SkyPriority<\/strong> – This is a no brainer as Sky Priority gives you access to boarding right after First Class and Business Class.<\/p>\n

SkyTeam Elite Plus<\/strong> – Being a Gold Medallion allows you to benefit from SkyTeam Elite Plus on Skyteam carriers. SkyTeam Elite Plus also means access to premium seats and priority boarding on Skyteam carriers.<\/p>\n

Lounge Access<\/strong> – This means lounge access international and domestically whenever you’re on an international ticket, regardless if you’re flying in coach.<\/p>\n

100% Bonus Miles<\/strong> – I love being able to earn 100% Bonus RDM’s (redeemable miles) every time I fly as a Gold Medallion. United gives their Premier Gold members 50% bonus and Premier Platinums 75%, so Delta has a great advantage here.<\/p>\n

Expanded Award Availability<\/strong> – Delta makes more SAVER awards available for Gold Medallions. American Airlines only gives Expanded Award Availability to Executive Platinums.<\/p>\n

Access to the Skymiles Marketplace<\/strong> – A minor benefit, but Silver Medallions don’t even have access to the Skymiles Marketplace. A few years ago, one could redeem 5,000 miles for a $50 gift card which wasn’t too bad of a deal at 1cpm.<\/p>\n

IRROPS<\/strong> – Gold Medallions can take advantage of a Delta iPhone app glitch where you can confirm straight into F\/J to any available flight if you have been delayed for more than 5 minutes. I’ve written about it here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have One On Us Coupons<\/strong> – If you don’t get upgraded as a Gold Medallion, Delta gives you a “Have One On Us” coupon when you print your boarding pass online. It entitles you to a free alcoholic beverage, which is better than nothing.<\/p>\n

There are some other things I like about Delta, like the ability to rollover MQM’s. I don’t know any other frequent flier that lets you rollover elite status qualifying miles for the next year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  There has been a bit of tension going around the blogosphere regarding the recent devaluations of the Delta Skymiles program. 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